Oftentimes it’s when we most feel like giving up, the breakthrough is just around the corner. Keep going…
I remember in the beginning states of my healing journey, when it was first discovered by a Naturopath that I had Stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue, that I was completely overwhelmed with the protocol, diet, and arm load of supplements I had to take.
I eventually go to a place where I was convinced pretty much every food was making me sicker, and restricted my diet so much, that I was starving most of the time, which triggered my old habits of disordered eating that creeped back in around restricting – which triggered binge eating, and caused me a lot of stress and suffering.
Food became something I feared. And, what does living in fear do? Causes our stress response to be stuck in the on position. And, since we eat 3-5 times daily, this is a lot of time spent worrying and trying to control every bite that went into my mouth.
So, here I was exhausted, with a loooong list of health issues worsening by the day, and although I didn’t realize it at the time, a relapse of my old eating disorder patterns.
I read everything I could get my hands on in order to heal, spent thousands of dollars on treatments with money I didn’t really have, which did result in some debt. I knew I had to do whatever it took to heal, and I value my health so I found a way. And yet, there I was, sicker than ever.
I also found myself many times wondering why despite all of my efforts to eat right (a 100% organic diet), taking handfuls of supplements, exercising and get enough rest and sleep, I remained so sick.
It wasn’t until I started learning about the missing pieces in the protocols I was put on, and all the stacks of books I read on the subject suggested.
For example, too much of the wrong kind of exercise when you have AF is not a good idea. I worked in the fitness industry and trained with weights despite my exhaustion and feeling like I was going to pass out after each set. I also trained to be in a fitness competition when I was in full-blown AF, and it took me days to recover from that. During one of the stations, I literally fell on my ass because my legs collapsed underneath me. Over exercising, and doing the wrong kinds of exercising when in AF is going to halt the healing process, and also contributes to the manifestation of AF.
As I have continued to study and learn about past trauma in my counselling training, and self study, that if left unaddressed, stays alive in our nervous system. So, for example, when someone treats us in a certain way that triggers our old ‘original wounding’ we flip our fight-or-flight on each time we have an intense emotional reaction that touches on the wound.
I have been studying the deeper psychology of why we hit this place called “Adrenal Fatigue”.
A lot of times, we are living in fear for many years before we hit that proverbial wall. The fear and anxiety, and need for control is so hard on our adrenal system, that after too many years of this, coupled with poor nutrition, too much (or too little) exercise, dieting, stressful relationships, jobs that suck our souls, just to name a few, it’s a perfect storm.
If you can relate to my experiences, and feel like you have tried everything to heal yourself, and are ready to give up hope that you can heal, here are some tough questions to start asking yourself:
- What triggers intense emotional reactions within you? Use the who, what, when, where frame work. Who triggers me? What specifically do they do that triggers me? When am I most likely to feel triggered (when tired, hungry, overwhelmed, what time of day? etc) and where does this seem to happen the most (at home, at work, in the car)? Grab your journal and go deep on this one.
- What has happened in your past that is still having a negative affect on you today? Have you done any deep work with a professional that is skilled and trained in the areas of holistic mind-body, emotionally focused therapy to heal past events? If the answer is no, consider booking a starter session with me below.
- What areas do you believe are causing the most suffering, stress and anxiety in your life right now?
I am all about the mindset of ‘what you focus on grows’, and part of the work that I do with women is to help them see a new possibility through taking action, and creating positive change by focusing on what they want. However, in order to change, we have to get clear on what we want to change first. And this begins with self awareness.
I have a powerful program called >> Ease: 4 Pillars to Personal Power which goes much further into the areas of Empowerment, Awareness, Sacred Self Care, and Emotional Awareness/Alchemy.
I consider these 4 Pillars essential to master when it comes to any life change, transformation and creating optimal health, including healing from AF. They have been pivotal in my healing journey, and countless clients who have done this work with me in private sessions.
The biggest thing I want to impress upon you, is to look deeper. Often, what we see as the problem, isn’t really the problem. The root issue is much deeper. And for this, finding the right mentor, coach or therapist to hold sacred space for you to do your healing work is powerful medicine. Start stalking and researching potential mentors that catch your eye. Read their blogs, follow them on social media, Youtube etc, and get a feel for their vibe and what they’re about before you go further.
The right person will help you move mountains, and the wrong one will keep you stuck in the same old loop. Choose wisely.