Chronic fatigue, and exhaustion are one of the most common set of symptoms that people come in with.
Many people in America and other developed countries wake up in the morning tired. They put on the pot of coffee or grab the can of pop to get themselves going. Then at night, many have to take something to calm them down so they can sleep. This might be an alcoholic “nightcap” or it may be some sort of sleeping medication.
But all in all these symptoms stem from a chronically stressed nervous system. And when the nervous system is stressed, the adrenal glands (the fight or flight glands) get over worked and start to malfunction.
So, here are some Do’s and Don’t when trying to recover from what we call Adrenal Stress Disorder, Adrenal Exhaustion, Adrenal Stress Syndrome, etc.
Do This
- Pace yourself. Trying to do too much too quickly stresses your nervous system.
- Eat real, whole, fresh food. Toxic chemicals in our food and water further stress and deplete our bodies.
- Eat frequent meals. When your body is under chronic stress it is harder to regulate your blood sugar. Make a point of having more frequent meals to avoid blood sugar spikes and crashes, which will further tax your body.
- Be kind to yourself. If you are a Type A personality try not to ride yourself too hard. Striving to be better is a good thing….but not when you push and pressure yourself too much.
- Eat fat and protein. Especially fat. Good fat that is, like coconut oil, real butter, raw whole milk, avocado, olive oil. An adrenally stressed body needs more fat, but be sure to combine it with high quality protein and carbohydrates.
- Be in bed before 10:00. The best sleep of the night is however long you sleep before midnight. Your body will function much better if you get to bed earlier.
- Get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep. Since the advent of electricity, the length of time we sleep is dropping. 9 to 10 hours is more like it for most people.
- Drink plenty of clean water. Our bodies run on water, make sure you get enough. Half your weight in ounces per day is a start. More if you are exercising. And make sure you have a filtered water. No city tap water especially. Your water isn’t supposed to smell like a swimming pool.
- Do things you enjoy. Far too many people just don’t make time for the things they really enjoy. You only have one chance at this life. Take the time to do things that inspire you. I heard one person say to find your Soul Purpose. Find out what really gets you excited to get out of bed in the morning.
- Get some exercise. Mild to moderate exercise that is. Too much and it will be one more thing that is taxing you body. Save that for when your nervous and endocrine systems are functioning at a higher level.
- Laugh, and don’t be so serious. Practically nothing will stress your body more than being grumpy. Find things/people that make you laugh.
So those are the things that you SHOULD DO. Now let’s list of few of the things that you SHOULD NOT do.
Don’t Do This
- Push yourself to exhaustion. I know I have done this way too many times to count, but if you are chronically fatigued, you absolutely cannot do this. Your body will never be able to heal if you are constantly pushing it past its maximum.
- Sugar laden “foods”, junk food, caffeine. Way too stressful to the body. Remember from above. Fill your body with whole, fresh foods. Too much sugar and stimulants like caffeine make you have more energy in the short term, but in the long run it’s like whipping a tired horse. You can get the horse to go for a brief period, but it will never be able to sustain that.
- Skip meals. It’s just too stressful for an already chronically depleted person. Too long in between meals will make the blood sugar crash, which will force the adrenal glands to work. You don’t want this to happen if you are trying to rest them.
- Eating food you are sensitive or allergic to. Because a large amount of the population is adrenal and nervous system exhausted, I find a lot of people are sensitive to certain common foods. Continuing to eat them stimulates the body unnecessarily. Make sure you find a person knowledgeable in muscle testing who can find your food sensitivities for you.
- Aggressive exercise. Because adrenal stress often causes weight gain, many people will try to workout harder at the gym. Don’t do this. You must first rest your body so that it can come back into balance. Only after the endocrine system and nervous system have been allowed to heal can you start to ramp up your exercise routine. If you follow this advice you will be pleased with the results, I promise.
- Feeling guilty about caring for yourself. Many people with chronic fatigue, adrenal stress take care of everybody else besides themselves. You need to understand that this is not helping you or anybody else. You can only give away what you have. If your body is run down, that is the best you can give. Strive to honor yourself, and take care of yourself.
Well there you have it. There are no doubt many more things that I could have said, but these will give you a good start. And that’s the whole key…
To start.
The journey to full recovery can be a long one, and at times frustrating, but if you stay the course and have the vision of yourself as healthy and vibrant for the long haul, it will power you through.
I would recommend you find and utilize the services of a knowledgeable health care practitioner who has an in depth understanding in Applied Kinesiology, Quantum Reflex Analysis or some other form of Neuro-Proprioceptive Muscle Testing. It will make your journey so much easier, quicker and more complete.
They will be able to help you find hidden stressors such as heavy metals, chemicals, food sensitivities, subclinical chronic infections and more. Without this knowledge you are kind of flying blind.
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