Adrenal Fatigue Aka the mothering-syndrome (Part 3)

Adrenal Fatigue (Part 3) (what I started doing: lifestyle)

I love the metaphor of cleaning. There’s something about it we dread, but then you start doing it and it’s hard to put the sponge away–everywhere you look there’s something that could use just a bit of a touch-up. And how nice it feels to look back at that newly scoured pan, buffed countertop, dusted piano, vacuumed corner! 

Such is life. There are parts we disdain–the upkeep, the drudgery of maintenance. But alas, once we’re in it, we can’t help but be thorough–we can’t help but notice little things that could be be improved, tweaked or polished. Even just a little makes things run so much more smoothly. 

This is what the process of dealing with my adrenals has looked like. I believe right now I’m in that part just before a place is fully tidy–the 20 minutes before clean is achieved that actually looks a bit worse than when I began. What started as a quest to reboot my metabolism (to shed just a 5 lbs), has turned into a months’ long quest to dislodge issues years in the making. This model needed to be overhauled–not just an oil change, but an alignment, brake replacements, fluids topped off. The works. 

I know I’m jumping around from metaphor to metaphor, but one thing remains. What got me here was not one terrible mistake made all at once. It was a constant disregard for what was good for me. In my case: mainly eating. I mainly didn’t. I mainly skipped meals, got by on the minimum, drank a lot of lattes to fill my belly & my energy tank and ignored pangs of hunger in favor of getting things done. 

Why fix what isn’t broke? 

Well, now that I’m here, cleaning all the things, I’ve added some routines, daily habits and embraced a new frame of mind (most of the time–these entrenched tendencies don’t vanish overnight).

So here’s the list of new things: 

1. I wash my face. One of the things I’ve been dealing with is regular outbreaks on my neck and chin. It’s disturbing as I’ve always considered them some of my finer features. :D For me oil-cleansing is the most effective way to do this. No stripping away of dermal lubricants that cause further outbreaks. I added in lymphatic supportive oils like geranium & lemongrass, and have been enjoying the process. I may come back to share more on this soon. 
2. I take collagen. For years I’d thought I should and tried a few, but I was unsure which were effective or worth the time and money. Thank heavens for the new Advantage collagen sachets that not only meet, but exceed my expectations and come supercharged with loads of other goodies for my health as well. Learn a bit more about the ingredients here, but I encourage you to search each on the internet individually for even more fascinating details about each. 
3. I’ve upped my salt. Water retention can be a huge problem induced but a number of things, namely hormone imbalances. Healthful, natural salts actually improve water absorption and alleviate the bloating and water retention that contributes a lot to feeling sluggish and can go hand in hand with adrenal fatigue. I recommend Redmond’s salt, as it’s pure, healthful & mined in the US. I actually make a concoction of orange juice, Advantage sachet & a few dashes of Redmonds once a day. 
4. I eat. I eat first thing in the morning. This has been a very challenging habit to create. My goal is to eat breakfast (as high protein as I can manage) before 9am. I’d wanted it to be 8am, but i’ve cut myself some slack, and still fall short of this habit 60% of the time. WHY is it so hard? WHY can’t I just grab food and put it in my mouth? The truth is undoing a decades long pattern is as hard as rerouting a river. It’s dumb how difficult this has been for me, but the marked improvement in my days when I do is unignorable. Some favorite go-to’s? Chia pudding, high protein granolas & yogurt, peanut butter toast, eggs and often a protein shake (which I try to save for mid-morning snack).
5. Which brings me to snacking. Having things that are high protein (but also carby, bc keto and me are a terrible combo–you may have a similar reaction to keto. Women need carbs differently than men do, and I started having terrible panic & anxiety attacks, no sleep and worse when I did keto for a month in 2021. Smart snacking is so crucial. Cutting back on refined carbs and sugars is powerful for stabilizing blood sugar, but also for maintaining better moods, skin, hormones and so much more. Did you know that blood sugar spikes fast-forward aging? It’s like a jolt in your system that requires emergency systems to step in–and these systems get used up the more we rely on them. These jolts wear down the metabolism, which brings me to my next bit of info, all on metabolic function. It’s coming next! 
6. Lastly, I said yes to things I wanted to do, and no to things I didn’t, and no also to things I wanted to do. Because I had to. Every day I make a choice about how I spend my time–whether I am conscious of it or not. We all do. We must make space for living how we want to or we will drain ourselves. And I want to live slowly. I want to have lots of down time for my hobbies, for snuggling my kids, for daydreaming and trying things. For baking and dawdling in the garden. I don't want to be rushed or hustle or sucked into the 'grind'. And, as it so happens, safe-guarding this kind of life isn't just what I want--it's what I need. And its an increasingly difficult lifestyle to protect. I won't go into the laundry list of little shields I've intentionally reinforced, or maybe even added for the first time, but it is a constant effort to keep the outside out, but an effort that pays better than any salary. :D 

So, I'll leave you with this list of newly adopted habits to absorb, and come back next time with a more detailed list of the products, herbs & oils that are fortifying my efforts--i'll share that tomorrow!

Even more love,

Lacey