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If adrenal fatigue is a real condition (and I truly believe that it is), one can certainly be healed and live a fuller, happier life. I hope my story inspires you or offers hope of some kind.
So, as with many health issues, our emotions play a big part and this includes feeling stressed, anxious, worried of overwhelmed on a regular basis.
These emotional states are common and whilst its normal to experience these feelings, it's certainly not healthy to stay in a constant, chronic state! If doing so, it can manifest as many health problems - adrenal fatigue included, sometimes even worse!
Unhealed trauma from our past can also be a factor and if you have unhealed trauma, and you want to try to move through and release it, I can recommend EMDR therapy which I did also and it really helped me.
Note: I did not need to do the EMDR to heal my adrenal fatigue as I already healed this awhile back but it definitely helped me out in other areas of my life and even in relationships. I am so much stronger now for doing the inner work and EMDR.
While the title of the blog is 'How I Healed form Adrenal Fatigue' this doesn't give me a 'get out of jail for free card', I am not all of a sudden immune to experiencing this again. In fact, I have experienced this condition twice now in my adult life and both times were slightly different.
I am naturally an over-achiever and strive for success (sometimes to my own detriment) and I am a recovering perfectionist with control freak tendencies but I am working through these things and as I said, I am doing the inner work.
The inner work/working on ourselves, is a lifelong process, we never get it "all done" and we never reach "perfection". We just keep improving as we go along our journey.
By working on ourselves, we can learn to release these things that don't serve us and can also be hard for those around us to well... be around! 😂
All the things I mention here in this blog are one of the keys to health, healing and happiness. It's an important reminder that we are whole beings so why would we only take a nutritional approach, a physical approach or a supplemental approach?
Looking at health from a WHOLE-istic (that is not even a word but you know I mean holistic right?) approach, is the most balanced and powerful way to take control (in a non-"controlling" way) of our body, mind & spirit.
Recognising Our Faults
As I kind of already mentioned earlier, by recognising our faults in thinking and behaviour and helping to correct negative emotional patterns by working on releasing trauma (EFT, EMDR, CBT and DBT), this can have such a profound impact on our health, our happiness, our relationships, and our lives as a whole.
It is not something to be overlooked and if we spent as much time on our inner work than we do on social media and other trivial things, we would be much more joyful, peaceful beings I have no doubt!
Before I get into what foods I ate and what supplements I took to heal (this info can be found in my other adrenal blogs), I really must emphasise how crucial it is to address your emotions and stress! Failing to do this may potentially prolong or interfere with your recovery.
What to Let Go Of
Control, Perfectionism, Saying Yes, Overdoing & Overachieving
These are all legs on the same beast really if you think about it? We control things so that they are somehow 'perfect' and we try to be perfect because it makes us feel in control or we think we will be perceived as being in control and having it 'all together'. This is an illusion.
The need to control life and also to have or appear as perfect is common and can really mess us up because we are creating our own inner tension (TMS) and stress by trying to control outcomes, people or events or we aren't happy unless everything is 'perfect'.
Perfectionism is also rooted in feelings of unworthiness and sometimes we have to work on this core belief (that we ARE good enough) to be able to heal the behaviour of perfectionism or other self-destructive behaviours such as self-sabotage etc.
Something I am learning is that perfection is an illusion and it's also something created by our ego mind, for our true nature (our spirit) sees everything as perfect anyway, even the things we perceive as 'bad' or 'ugly' or 'not up to our standard'.
To go through life knowing you are imperfectly perfect can be a good way to take the pressure off yourself as the burden of needing to be 'perfect' is a stressful one to carry.
Also, when we are constantly overdoing things (creating never ending lists and tasks for ourselves to keep us busy and distracted from the inner work) and when we are always needing to strive for achievement and even validation or recognition, we are often trying to fill a void (also known as a "god-shaped hole").
We have to tap into our knowingness that we are born worthy and we are worthy now and always, nothing that we may have done, no mistake, no sin we may have committed, can ever take that away from us, we are always worthwhile and always worth love. ♥️
Saying yes (when we really mean no) is another life skill to build as we are naturally people-pleasers (this comes from childhood by the way) and it is something that we are always working on being better at I reckon? I know even myself, I hate to disappoint others or let them down by saying no but if it is something I don't want to do or feels right in my heart or gut, I try to honour those feelings because often that is your spirit guiding you to what serves your highest good.
Of course, it is fine to say yes if you mean yes and you aren't overcommitting yourself and compromising your own wellbeing.
How to Know if You Mean Yes or No?
Tune into how you feel my love, if your heart contracts or you feel anxious or fearful or stressed, then this could be a sign that you should say no. If on the other hand, your heart expands and you feel good about it, then perhaps that is a yes?
Only you know what is right for you! Listen to your body and your inner guidance, for it is rarely wrong.
Self-acceptance
I also learned on my spiritual and personal development journey that it comes down to how we love and accept ourselves, for when we fully embrace who we are without the need for acceptance or validation from another. When we know we are worthy simply because we exist and we know our worth, we will no longer feel the need to be 'perfect' or the urge to control everything around us!
Connect to a Higher Power
When we 'let go and let god', this gives us unimagined peace, meaning and assistance, where we may not have had access before this type of surrendering.
When we trust a higher power (something greater than ourself), we connect to a different level of consciousness and life can be much better, things begin to flow rather than be forced and our health can also improve (among many other aspects).
You don't even have to call it 'god', as for some people this can be a negative trigger or feelings of resistance. You can call it what you like? Source energy, universal power, divine consciousness, christ consciousness, it does not really matter, the point is that you find a way to connect to this higher power and surrender the things in yourself that do not or no longer serve you.
Surrender troublesome thoughts, troublesome desires or toxic behaviours over to this eternal consciousness. You can even pray if that's your thing? Prayer is beyond powerful! Prayer can be as simple as asking 'god' for help (insert your preferred terminology).
Surrender brings us so much freedom and much-needed relief from our Type A tendencies. Type A personalities or 'doers' tend to be more prone to developing adrenal fatigue (and many health conditions for that matter) as we are often driven to achieve what is often reasonable for our body and health; we can often ignore our body's messages (symptoms) until it's too late!
Making the effort to cultivate a spiritual practice is something that can be so rewarding and it is 100% worth the effort and time. Our lives feel so much more enriched when we connect to this god/universal consciousness and we don't feel as prone to addictive behaviours such as control, eating, shopping*, drinking etc.
*Still personally workin' on this one! 😳
The Steps to Healing Adrenal Fatigue
- Let go of what you can't control and the need to be "perfect" - often things are good enough and all is truly ok. Let go of overdoing and the need to overachieve - again, you are enough (I am enough/we are enough)
- Pray or connect with a higher power, ask for help, trust and surrender
- Create a gratitude mindset by releasing blame, shame, anger, resentment or any other toxic held emotions to allow for healing
- Start a breath work practice as the breath is vital to oxygenating and healing the body (I've been enjoying Soma breath work and also Wim Hof breathing as well - both of these you can find on Youtube)
- Do ONLY what you can manage (remember to leave time for yourself to fill up your cup) and this means taking things OFF your to-do list and learning the art of saying 'no' when you mean no and yes when you truly mean yes (this is a life skill and one that we all need to practice)
- Try adrenally-supportive movement practices such as yin yoga, tai chi, qi gong
- Choose adrenally-supportive exercise over intense/vigorous yang type exercises (walking, swimming, gentle yoga/gentle pilates etc.) See Our Blog 'Adrenally-supportive Exercises'). This blog talks about what exercises and activities to avoid as well.
- Maintain healthy, balanced blood sugar levels but cutting out or dramatically cutting down on sugars and starches. By increasing healthy fats from animal products, avocado, olive oil, nuts and oily fish, this will help stabilise blood sugar and keep you more satiated. Ensure also that you are getting adequate protein by eating a variety of meats and seafoods etc and having 2 scoops of Hydrolyzed collagen or Plant protein each day.
- Ensure your diet is nutrient-dense so that your body is getting the nourishment that it needs (now would be a good time to start eating liver if you're not already or at least take it in a supplement form such as this). We are told that meat is bad and to eat less meat but this is simply bad advice and untrue, we evolved as human beings eating meat and animal products and these are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Plant foods are very detoxifying but if it is true nourishment you're seeking, it comes from animal foods (controversial as that may seem, it is true). Liver and eggs were a big part of my recovery from adrenal fatigue.
- Take an adrenal cocktail daily to help nourish, rebalance and support your body. This is a step I would not miss for anything as the ingredients in this particular recipe are incredibly nutritious, natural and highly absorbable. Find our simple recipe here.
- Supplementation can be helpful but you don't have to go OTT, just decide on a few supportive products that are going to give your body what it needs and things that help to fill in any nutritional gaps you may have in your diet. Please see my other blog 'Supplements for Adrenal Support and Healing'.
- Get into the sunshine, get the early morning (sunrise) light into your eyes or the late afternoon (sunset). Get the sun on your skin and into your eyes to help the natural healing process. The sun has been demonised (like many things) but the truth is, we have evolved with it and would not be here without it. If you cannot get sunshine, you may wish to invest in a good red light therapy device? Such as a red light panel from 'Block Blue light'. (we are not affiliated with this company, I just really love their products)!
- Get your shoes and socks off and get your feet on the bare earth. This practice is now known as earthing but it was common practice in ancestral times and is still practiced in many tribes around the world. Connecting our bare feet to the earth is incredibly powerful for healing as you are connecting to the earth's energy and this practice also helps to deflect low EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies). This can be a powerful thing to do after travelling (especially a long-haul flight across different timezones). Earthing can help to recalibrate your circadian rhythm.
- Get into nature. This kind of goes without saying but so often we get caught up in the physical world of indoors and task after task, that we forget about nature, we forget that nature is our true nature. So take the time to get outside each day or as much as possible. If you can find time to get into the sun and get your bare feet on the earth you are also spending time in nature so that is 3 healing practices right there!
- Avoid caffeine! If you're an avid coffee-drinker you will find this hard to hear and you will no doubt resist this information and find a way to "debunk" it. That is fine, it is your journey and I am not here to tell you what to do, only to give you the info and tools to health and healing and what you choose is up to you. Coffee is high in caffeine and this could affect how you heal, it could slow it down or at stop it all together? I have been an on-and-off coffee drinker for many years so I know how hard it can be to stop but it is possible and it is 100% worth it for your health and healing. Once you are healed it's ok to have the occasional coffee for sure. It's only a problem when we become dependant on it for energy, to get out of bed in the morning or to function. It can contribute to adrenal fatigue funnily enough as it gets your adrenaline going so drink it with respect and caution. It's not just coffee you'll want to avoid if adrenally-fatigued but also anything that contains caffeine (black tea, green tea, chocolate, cacao, energy drinks etc.)
- Rest rest REST! If you're always running around like a goose with its head chopped off, ticking off task after task and not making time for rest, you are not making time for healing and could be keeping the cycle of illness going. Resting is absolutely crucial to healing from adrenal fatigue and yes, it can be hard to slow down, remove things from our lists and say no to people and things but learning the art of slowing down and doing less will serve you in ways you never thought it could. Pick up a good book, learn to knit, do a crossword puzzle, practice breath work or guided meditation to help you slow that engine down.
- Intravenous vitamin C injections. This is expensive and not for everyone but the first time I had adrenal fatigue I did these injections for 1 month every week and it helped me immensely! In saying that, the second time I had adrenal fatigue I did not do this, I just did the adrenal cocktail every day and it sorted me out as far as vitamin C and mineralisation goes. You can find my recipe for this here (it is MUCH more affordable than IV injections) and it is also 100% natural and non-synthetic. I am assuming that IV injections would not be as natural?
We wish you all the health and healing that you deserve and send you so much love 💜 You've got this!
If you'd like to learn more about adrenal health, we have many other blogs for you to read, such as:
- What are Adrenals and Why are They Important?
- Adrenal Fatigue Is Real!
- Adrenal Cocktail Recipe for Optimal Health
- Supplements for Adrenal Support and Healing
- Exercises for Adrenal Fatigue
- Activities to Avoid When You Have Adrenal Fatigue
References:
https://betterearthing.com.au/earthing-and-emf-emr-explained/
https://www.obrienclinic.com/general/the-importance-of-adrenal-support/
Disclaimer: These are only potential benefits. This article is purely intended for informational purposes and not as advice. One must seek proper professional advice from their trusted health practitioner.
