Adrenal Fatigue Aka the mothering-syndrome (Part 2)

Adrenal Fatigue (Part 2) (what I quit doing)

So, what did I quit doing to improve my adrenal fatigue? So many things, but nothing was all at once or dramatic. It was a little thing here, and another there. Really, it has been a great re-evaluation of what is serving me and what is not. I’ll walk mostly through my day to day. 

>I quit overanalyzing everything. The majority of my bad eating stems from knowing too much about the food system. How were those pecans grown? What process did those oats go through? How nutritious could chia seeds from chile be for me? If foods don’t meet my lofty expectations (and really those lofty expectations are SO Justifiable I’m having a hard time leaving this sentence), I simply don’t eat. It’s easier than finding something that checks every box. Perhaps you can relate? (all this does is leads to frantic eating of less than quality foods bc i’m panic eating, or crashes bc I’m starving). Did you know fasting/starving results in over production of adrenaline and cortisol? This is why intermittent fasting can be an effective way to supercharge weight loss, but it stresses out your adrenals at which point they shut off bc they think you’re actually starving, so in an effort to self preserve they quit working at all which shuts down your immune system. This is largely the biggest reason for my struggle, and I’ll discuss further what measures I’ve taken to heal.

>I quit watching the news. I mean really, I can’t anymore. First there is the filtering out of what’s true and untrue. Then there’s the weight of if it is true, what in the world am I to do?? The best thing I’ve done for my health, particularly since March 2020, is to quit trying to solve the puzzle that is world events. I’m much more focused on local needs, the projects and passions we are working on, and what I can do to be a good member of my local community and the community at large that needs encouragement. And I’ve sought people who are doing the same.

>I quit scrolling so much. Oh the feed. If it isn’t blood-boling political posts from people I thought I liked, it’s the keeping up with the jones’, fomo, I don’t measure up or have any value bc anything I want to do has already been done–potentially better–than me. Art, homesteading, oil-sharing, homemaking, homeschooling–yes, there’s a plethora of beautiful and inspiring people sharing, but my heart can’t translate well, so I must be careful. When I see something that should inspire, I read it ‘well, no sense doing that–clearly that need is filled’. It’s really no way to live. And so, I have very strict rules about my social media habits. In fact, I’ve fallen hard back into my phones off until 11:30am rule. Later if possible.

>I didn’t quit sugar, but i upped my awareness of how frequently it was sneaking its way in–out running errands, lets grab a coffee (and one of those pastries, bc i’m starving). And, evening snacks? I won’t eat just to eat anymore, and when I do I opt for a simple piece of dark chocolate, or a scoop of peanut butter. Something with protein is preferable.

>I quit NOT eating breakfast. Yeh, cereal is not the best breakfast, but it’s better than no breakfast. And I have allowed myself to have it, while also doing my best to always have something healthful handy. Breakfast turns on the metabolism. Our bodies are meant to preserve us, food is meant to nourish us. My mindset on eating has to be one of –’this is my medicine, whether it’s the most optimal food or not, it is mine’ more on this next time.

>I cut back on white grains, including flours, rice and even potatoes. I still eat them, but smaller serving sizes and I’ve returned to baking more with sprouted whole grains and decreased those ‘sugar-punches’ that leave me feeling drained.

>I quit NOT having easy snacks around, like breakfast options I keep well-stocked on snacking options. Nuts, peanut butters, high fat and high protein and plenty of carbs too. Carbs are crucial for women as they aid in many of the hormonal cycles. The worst of my panic attacks were during bouts of Keto style eating I tried in an effort to lose those embarrassing pounds. Not only did I keep the weight, I was in an all but tragic and fragile state of mind. 

>I cut back on coffee, saving it for just the morning, but having it only after eating and taking my supplements. Coffee is a beloved ritual for me, and while there are plenty of hot drinks out there, I don’t think coffee is the problem. I read a post recently by a hormone guru I follow who said ‘coffee isn’t the problem. Coffee for breakfast is the problem’. That helped me reframe my habits & mindset around a lot of these shifts. No one thing is the demise of a person’s health, it’s the stacking and consistency of many things that lead to a struggle. 

>I quit thinking fasting was a good thing for me, intermittent or otherwise. As I mentioned before, if I didn’t think fasting would make me lose weight (as it had for 3 decades whenever I wanted), I thought it was a prudent life-choice. Avoiding any bad foods, plowing through any breaks I might take to eat for the sake of productivity–it was a badge of honor how little I required to survive. Surely there’s an eating disorder in there somewhere? Anyway, it’s being addressed, and it’s a painful revelation for one who prides themselves on healthfulness to realize how blind I’ve been in so many ways. 

>I quit thinking the right exercise program would fix me. I lead an active homesteading lifestyle. I’m not always shoveling mulch or moving hay or hiking across a 40 acre pasture or up and down the driveway for mail. It’s random, day to day. And some days I don’t move enough, to be sure. But, my ideal exercise is one that gives me a job completed, and I have to be aware that no ab-fixing, buttocks toning, flab reducing weeks long guided regimen will inspire me. I must prioritize what does, and for me–simply being outside in search of a seasonal nature surprise, or deep mulching the perennial beds are far more of a draw than the right cardio–so I plan these exercises in my days. 

I see now, there’s a lot of overlap in what I quit doing and what I’ve started doing, but my next post will include a bit more about the starts than the stops. Keeping in mind, as we go, this is an ever-changing list that I know I can modify to suit my needs however I like. A free-thinking, independent, hippy-dippy living truth seeker, I comply with anything only so-long as I see it benefits me or is satisfying. Which is why I’m seeing results I want–bc I listened to that urge and am seeking choices and implementing them more fervently bc I WANT them. For many, eating is not a chore. For me–it is. But it’s one I’m willing to take on bc i finally realized that not doing it is what got me here.

More on that next time…

Continued love,

Lacey 

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