You Have Adrenal Fatigue... Now What?
If you’re fatigued, you may not know where to start your healing journey. The #1 thing you can do is this: Get tested! If you don’t know what's causing your fatigue, then you don't know how to heal. When your body is out of balance, many similar symptoms will have different causes.
Test #1 - Hormone Panel
The first recommended test is a hormone panel. This is beyond the general blood test from a general practitioner. See a hormone therapist or endocrinologist to get this hormone panel; this is important because a full hormone panel will give you extensive detail of what's happening within your system.
Test #2 Full Allergy Panel
The second recommended test is a full allergy panel, which tests for over 100 allergens, both food and environmental. This makes a huge difference because it helps you identify triggers that cause mental fog and fatigue. Your body might be fighting something every second of the day, and if so, no wonder you’re so exhausted! Becoming aware of your sensitivities gives you a lot more control in getting to that next level of clarity and energy.
Test #3 GI Mapping
The next recommended test is GI mapping/gut mapping. The GI Map was designed to detect microbes that may be disturbing normal microbial balance or contributing to illness as well as indicators of digestion, absorption, inflammation, and immune function. They say in the health world, that your gut is your health. What your immune system does is directly related to the health of your gut, this is why GI mapping is so important.
Test #4 Heavy Metals Test
When you have a high level of heavy metals in your body, you're going to feel that toxicity. You’ll feel fatigued, and your body won’t function normally. These tests are non-invasive and something that you should do regularly.
Regardless of whether you have chronic or adrenal fatigue or something else, here are a couple of key things to help promote more energy, reduce stress, and feel better.
Tip #1 Take Inventory
Taking the time to think about your lifestyle balance will pave the way for healing and recovery. Take inventory of your life. Try using the priority matrix, which is a four-quadrant chart that helps you decide on priorities. This same matrix assists you with taking action. This affects your energy and your physical well-being positively by helping you unload as much stress as possible, which helps you restore your energy.
Tip #2 Adopt a D.R.E.S.S. Lifestyle
Another key is to implement a lifestyle that helps support healing and restoration. Enter, the D.R.E.S.S. lifestyle, outlined below.
· D = diet. A supportive, nutritious diet reduces the amount of stress and improves the amount of optimization that your physical body can have.
· R = rest. This is different than sleep. Resting is your state of mind in a conscious place when you can relax, get present, be mindful, and tap into restoration mode.
· E = exercise. If you’re chronically fatigued, you might not be able to exercise without crashing and burning. This is completely normal, but what this E means is to just get up and move your body. It could be sitting on your yoga mat and breathing deeply or walking five minutes outside and sitting down, getting some fresh air. The importance lies in moving your body, continuing to show up, and eventually working into higher levels of exercise.
· S = sleep. Quality sleep is imperative, but it’s often neglected. You need to get the proper amount AND quality sleep.
· S = stress management. How do you manage your stress? How do you recover from it? Keeping these five things in mind (diet, rest, exercise, sleep, and stress management) will help create a supportive lifestyle to recover and heal in the most efficient way possible.
Tip #3 Always Be Curious
This is a lifelong journey and process. While you may be exercising, you may not be improving your knowledge of yourself and deepening your understanding of what it takes to create total health. Take 15-20 minutes a week to learn something new about your health and take action for yourself.
Start with one step at a time and don't overwhelm yourself. Every incremental step to improve your general health and overall well-being will lead you to more energy. This will keep you moving forward. Identify the things that are actually making a difference and double down on those!