Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Educator, Coach, EFT Practitioner

Healing Adrenals by Reducing Stressors

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I’ve been sharing advice about dealing with adrenal fatigue over the last few weeks. If you’d like to read the articles from the very beginning, click HERE . If you only want to back up to the previous article, click HERE.

I need to remind you that I’m not a medical doctor. What I am doing is sharing what I’ve learned in over a decade of research, years of personal experience, and a good bit of professional experience working with women who share this particular problem. I also remind you that traditional medicine doesn’t understand this dilemma the way I’m helping you understand it. Finally, remember that the only way to truly recover from adrenal fatigue/overload/exhaustion is to get to the source and take a holistic approach to resolve it. Trust me on this — conventional medicine doesn’t understand what you’re going through and has no idea how to help.

I know you’re anxious to get answers. So, starting with this post, I’m going to share specific things that work for many people. Obviously, you’re unique, so I make no guarantees. Also, there’s always the possibility that something else is going in addition to your adrenal imbalance. All that being said, you agree to read this at your own risk.

So, the first step to healing the adrenals is this: Eliminate your stressors.

Not stressed, you say? Think again.

It’s easy to look at our lives and wonder what could possibly be affecting us so profoundly that our bodies stay on high alert. Even I sometimes fall back into the trap of listening with my brain instead of listening to my body. Our brains tell us to look around at our beautiful homes and our healthy families, reminding us how happy we must be and how blessed we really are. And these are good things, don’t get me wrong, because gratitude is important for healing, too.

The problem is, our outer lives don’t tell the whole picture. Counting blessings doesn’t explain what’s happening with the adrenal glands. As in, why do we feel so crummy if everything else is going so well?

So, because the adrenals don’t function on logic, neither should your assessment of the number of stressors that are in your life. Modern living is full of stress, so people’s lists of stressors are usually quite long.

When tackling adrenal fatigue, it’s crucial to expand your understanding of stressors, and begin actively removing a bunch of them. Now. This isn’t the time to wait around for things to change (if they ever do). If you’re serious about healing the adrenals, you must take an honest look at what’s going IN and AROUND your body. You might be surprised what many of them are.

List of common stressors to eliminate (at least some). Starting now. #adrenalfatigue #notlazyorcrazy

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List of Stressors

  • People: Yes, even (often especially) family members, neighbors, close “friends”, people who annoy or disagree, people who are “vampires” of your energy or good will
  • Past emotional hurts: Even those we’ve long forgotten (especially those)
  • Jobs and Organizations: Those that suck your time, provide little fulfillment, or don’t suit your purpose
  • Commuting: How long, how often, and conditions thereof
  • Other health issues: Which can add layer upon layer of additional stress
  • Household toxins: chemical sprays, cleaning products, candles, air fresheners, beauty products
  • Other household toxins: carpeting, furniture, paint, pretreated fabrics, flame-retardant items
  • Outdoor toxins: swimming pools, bug sprays, lawn treatments, vehicle emissions
  • Positive things: Which can also be stressful, even if they’re fun (vacations, toddlers, out of town guests)
  • Plastic: water bottles, storage containers, mattress liners, and any non-safe plastic items
  • GMO foods: Research and anectodal evidence beginning to show many harms and dangers
  • Non-organic foods: Improperly handled, grown using pesticides, unsafe soils and packaging
  • Processed foods: Contain all manner of artificial ingredients, colors, sweeteners, and non-food
  • Caffeine and alcohol
  • Sugar: Plain sugar plus the sugar hidden in many foods
  • Indoor living and lack of sunshine
  • Electronics: Overuse of devices, sitting near devices, using too close to bedtime
  • Finances: Living above means and struggling, or sensing lack even where there is none
  • Lighting: Improper lighting, not enough light, light too close to bedtime

I’m not kidding when I say that ALL those things affect your body, therefore your health. There are others, but those are some of the major culprits when it comes to solving adrenal imbalance.

Which Ones to Eliminate

In my experience, people usually know specifically the people and things that are creating stress in their lives. But, thinking about disconnecting from those stressors creates stress for them, too. Weighing that situation adds to their stress, making eliminating stressors a tough problem in itself.

Despite how hard it might seem, everyone can at least identify at least 3 to 5 stressors (more is better) get rid of them right away. It’s important not to cave in, and to follow thru with the changes as consistently as possible. The rewards will show themselves eventually as a reduction in the level of stress the adrenals have to deal with each day. Ideally, one would take a long vacation and return home after several months completely stress-free. Since that isn’t usually possible, eliminating stressors a few at a time is the only way.

And what about stressors that can never be eliminated? That’s a topic for another article, but the trick is to eliminate those that are possible and train yourself not to react to the rest. I’ve linked a book at the end that might help with the problem of taking on the energy of difficult people.

Final Advice On Stress

It took a while for adrenal fatigue to set in, so it will take a while to go away #adrenalfatigue…

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Always remember that it took a while for adrenal fatigue to set in, so it will take a while to go away. Dealing with stressors systematically, one at a time, consistently and patiently, will help without a doubt. Though it may take a bit of time to start noticing the effects, a greater sense of calm will eventually return, sometimes within weeks, but definitely within months, and especially if you do some of the others things I’ll talk about in the next article.

Also remember the story about the camel’s back, where it took just one straw to cause the camel’s demise.  Though it may have been that final straw that caused your adrenal fatigue to show itself, it took a lot of straws in your personal story to get you to that point. Removing that one straw might help with adrenal fatigue temporarily, but it will only take another straw to break you all over again.

Eliminating many stressors is really required for success. Remove as many “straws” as you possibly can.

Eliminating stressors a key component to dealing with #adrenalfatigue #notlazyorcrazy

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Book recommendation for “empaths” and others who take on the stress/negativity of others (affiliate):

To your good health,

As a coach, writer, recovered over-doer and busyness addict, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle while the mind tries to sabotage your success. In my journey to vibrant health, I created a personalized health system of nutrition and supplementation, lifestyle changes, and I retrained my mind and the energy of my body. I view my success as the formula to my happy, healthy life. I now empower other women to create their own personalized formulas, including the tools and strategies just right for them! Amazing life shifts come from our relationships. I look forward to helping you, too!

Positive Things Cause Stress, Too

I remember like it was yesterday. Expensive coffee in one hand, deals and coupons in the other, I looked forward to Christmas shopping all year. Black Friday always kicked off the holiday season for me. It was the one day all year that was virtually guaranteed to put me in a good mood for weeks to come, so I’d never miss it, no matter the ridiculous amount of planning it sometimes took to get the morning off.

If I was so happy, then why did I feel so run down? And how was I suddenly blind-sided with panic without a clue there was anything wrong? I can almost recreate the dizziness, the heart palpitations and feeling drenched in my own sweat. I remember thinking I might actually tip over, and how embarrassing that would be in the middle of J.C. Penney. Finding a place to sit down in the bedding department, I called my husband, who talked me through it until I caught my breath. The attack caught me utterly by surprise, as I hear from so many other women who report experiencing exactly the same thing.

Miserable as that was, I gained some big understanding that day. I had a real awakening about stress, dominating the lies I’d heard for years from doctors and drug companies. I realized that positive life experiences can be stressful, too. It doesn’t just take negative stuff to earn a stress response.

It doesn’t just take negative stuff to earn a stress response.

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This is a really big idea actually.

It’s not what you believed about stress just a few minutes ago, is it?

See, I  assumed relaxation and fun were antidotes for my stress, like some automatic way to cancel my symptoms. But what’s really true is that all kinds of experiences can be stressful, even positive ones. My body had just been on high alert so long, anything could have set me off — so it did.

Do you think you might be near a breaking point, too?

Have you considered where your stress is actually coming from?

Most of us think stress is a response to unpleasantness in our lives. But, if you think back to the last time you planned a party/welcomed a new baby/began an exciting new job, I think you’ll see what I mean.

Since that time, I’ve made life changes.  Major ones. If you experience stress, you can make life changes, too.

Even a happy life can make us stressed out. Remember it’s the stacking of many things that make us overloaded.

To your health and healing,

As a coach, writer, recovered over-doer and busyness addict, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle while the mind tries to sabotage your success. In my journey to vibrant health, I created a personalized health system of nutrition and supplementation, lifestyle changes, and I retrained my mind and the energy of my body. I view my success as the formula to my happy, healthy life. I now empower other women to create their own personalized formulas, including the tools and strategies just right for them! Amazing life shifts come from our relationships. I look forward to helping you, too!

Things We Can’t Control

There is no worse feeling in the human experience than being out of control. Helpless and desperate, exhausted from trying, it’s a sense that events are swirling crazily around us, but we’re powerless to do anything about them.

I liken the feeling to being locked in a glass box on an old game show. Perhaps you can recall the scenes from long ago, those of frantic contestants trying to grab dollar bills in the air?

Feeling out of control is like reaching a hand into the abyss, trying to grab a bit of the chaos and tame it. It’s an urgent need to restore comfort, by controlling at least a little bit of something, but not being able to do even that. During those times when there’s nothing we can do, a terror often strikes from the futility of wanting to control what we ourselves cannot.

What to do when you’re feeling out of control #women #unbusy #release

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Surrender

It’s at these times that we must surrender. Anything else is either counter-productive or insanity.

Surrender doesn’t mean giving up. It just means recognizing that things are going to happen how they’re going to happen anyway. No behavior from us will amount to anything. And no amount of worry will ever change the outcome.

Surrender doesn’t have mean gloom and doom, either. We can remind ourselves that things always work out as they should. Recognizing that life is here to support us, not the other way around, is enormously comforting. Though we may not like it, surrendering is the only way to stop fighting against the tide.

They’re Just Thoughts

When feeling out of control, it can help to recognize that feelings are just thoughts. Looking at them as thoughts, we can begin to dissect those feelings, look at their underlying parts, and change some of them.  One of my most beloved mentors refers to this as rewriting the book of our lives. The clearest explanation I’ve heard so far, I find it one of the easiest to implement, too.

Thinking different thoughts provides a different way of looking at things. Repeating the newer, more sane understanding of a situation — rewriting the book if you will – interrupts the out-of control-pattern, and enables us to change it into something else.

Release the Need

When entirely unable to control a situation, there’s still one thing we can actually do. Releasing the need to control, or to even get involved, is in fact entirely within our control. Asking ourselves if we can — at the very least – release the need to have control can have a major impact on how we feel.

Questions to ask include, “Can I let go of my need to be in control?” and “Am I willing to allow myself to see that things won’t be like this forever?” Answering these in the affirmative can be life changing.

Build Curiosity

Surrendering and changing thinking aren’t just comforting, but can even turn situations into a game. Knowing that life is happening before our very eyes, we can build a sense of curiosity about what happens next, then sit back to watch events unfold. I realize, for many, this is a stretch. Still, reaching this level of acceptance may be something to strive for.

Feeling out of control? Do this now.

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As a coach, writer, recovered over-doer and busyness addict, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle while the mind tries to sabotage your success. In my journey to vibrant health, I created a personalized health system of nutrition and supplementation, lifestyle changes, and I retrained my mind and the energy of my body. I view my success as the formula to my happy, healthy life. I now empower other women to create their own personalized formulas, including the tools and strategies just right for them! Amazing life shifts come from our relationships. I look forward to helping you, too!

Ten ways busy women can recharge

Every. Single. Day. That’s how often I see drained, weary women, desperate for a little R&R. Short on time yet heavy on responsibilities, it’s common for today’s women to sacrifice self-care.

I’ve been there. Prioritizing everyone but myself, it took a painful condition to get me to finally wake up.

Maybe you’re that type of person, too. Let’s see…a high achiever, an endless do-er, a chronic giver — have I got that right? You know you should be taking better care of yourself, but you keep putting it off while you finish something else.

Let me ask you this: Do the words “Type A” resonate at all?

I thought so.

Quick quiz. Self-care is only for people with:

  • Lots of free time?
  • Lots of money?
  • Lots of health issues?

And, of course, the ability to manage the guilt. The guilt of doing something for themselves, instead of doing of everything else, that is.

It’s craziness I tell you.

Where in the world did we get the idea it was better to be busy than lead a good life?

The good news is you can stop the train. It shouldn’t take a major illness or some horrible event to get you to notice you’re important. Because you’re most important. Remember, the whole empire crumbles if you fall apart! Did you forget that?

There’s even better news, too. Contrary to what you’re thinking, it actually doesn’t take a lot of time to keep your mind and body in great shape. Honestly, just a few minutes, several times a day, makes ALL difference between having the life you want and burning out forever.

Odd thing though. A lot of us women have no idea how to recharge. For a long time, I didn’t either. It isn’t pouring another cup of coffee or inhaling a cinnamon danish. It isn’t organizing a drawer, either (though that can be immensely satisfying). And it certainly isn’t checking your iPhone.

Recharging — and effecting real change – is the kind of self-care that keeps you grooving all day, all week, and for the rest of your life. It’s the kind that actually hits the reset button for a little while, but helps you stay healthy and strong for a really long time. Real self-care is the key to preventing the serious crash and burn you may have only heard about. Trust me on this one. You don’t want to go there.

Now, I can already hear you saying it, so I’ll address your skepticism head-on. I know we all lead different lives, and there’s no single solution that’ll work for everyone. But, there are some tips that work for at least some of us, which you’ll find in this list. And if you know of one I’ve missed, by all means, post it as a COMMENT. The more ways women can find to recharge for a few minutes a day, the better off we’ll all be together.

10 Ways [Even the Busiest of] Women Can Recharge

1. Breathe

It’s amazing the power of good old fashioned breathing. Just a few minutes of actual breathing — done the right way – provides not just peace and calm, but oxygen to parts of your body you didn’t even know you had. Think you already know how to breathe? Check again. Not those shallow ones into your throat or into your shoulders. We’re talking slower, fuller, more nourishing breaths that go all the way down into your diaphragm, into your hips, and even down to your feet.

2. Head Outside

Ah, the healing power of nature. Just thinking about it makes my shoulders loosen. There’s nothing like sitting in the bright sun for a few minutes, soaking up warmth and vitamins like a cuddly blanket. Or, sitting quietly under the trees, contemplating the sounds and textures, or maybe contemplating nothing at all. Being outside is already a great start. For an extra boost, you can even get barefoot for some extra grounding and energy exchange. Doing that several times a day might become your new favorite habit.

3. Meditate

Seriously, people. Meditation doesn’t have to take forever. If you’re used to listening to long, guided meditations that last 30 minutes or an hour, or if you think meditation involves sitting in silence the entire afternoon, you’re wrong. There are much quicker ways to reconnect. Doing a 5-minute walking meditation around your living room can be incredibly calming. Even just slowing down what you’re already doing (washing dishes or filing documents) can have positive effects.

4. Take a Bath

When was the last time you took a bath? I don’t mean dipping your martyrish, self-sacrificing carcass for 2 minutes into the dirty bathwater you plucked your kids from. I mean, an honest-to-goodness nourishing bath, in a deep pool of water, with epsom salt, your favorite essential oil, and permission to lay there for a luxurious 15 minutes. Do it! Extra points for locking the door.

5. Journal

I happen to be more of a crisis kind of journaling person, so I only journal when I’m working through something really big. Yet, despite my personal habits, I recognize the incredible effects daily journaling can have for many people. The act of writing things down can unburden the mind, help clarify issues, force us to make connections, and often eliminate emotional charge altogether. These steps together are very healing, as our thoughts move from the mind to the pen, and out of our consciousness where they clamor for constant attention.

6. Unplug

As devices take over, and people crave more and more artificial connection, it’s becoming impossible to put our devices down. Women, in particular, spend far too much time on social media, trying to remain distracted from their thoughts or soothing a starving need for acceptance or support. But there can be such peace in shutting out the noise for a while, too. Bodies need time to rest in between periods of jumping up to grab the phone for every notification. Powering down on a regular basis is the only way to give the body that chance at renewal.

7. Do Some Energy Exercises

I, too, was a skeptic, but have grown in my understanding of the body’s energy system, and it’s importance in maintaining good health. Using energy exercises, one can actually impact the body’s energy system, improving mood, movement, health, and the general timbre of the rest of the day. What I love about this method is there are dozens of different exercises that take just a few minutes and make a huge impact. I encourage anyone interested in this topic to grab a book about energy medicine or to contact me for information on how to get started.

8. Set Triggers

This is a great one to learn for our own health and well-being, and is also a valuable trick to teach children, too. Triggers work to set a reminder to a particular place in the home or office, like a doorway or fixture we walk past throughout the day. Just seeing these triggers is an easy, automatic way to remember to do something important in that moment. I have used triggers my whole life, for simple things like remembering to turn off the coffee pot, taking out the trash, or making an important phone call; to more significant things like taking a few deep breaths, doing my daily exercises, or relaxing the tension in my face. Triggers can also be used to remind ourselves to calm down, to breathe, to take a break, or just to center ourselves for a moment before carrying on with our day.

9. Water/Vitamin/Health Food Break

I joked earlier about the cinnamon danish because it’s common for people to reach for carbs and sugars when they’re stressed. And while it’s true that a temporary fix feels great for a few minutes, it’s the long-term effects of doing that stuff we need to worry about. When extraordinarily busy, perhaps one of the best gifts we can give ourselves is pausing for a glass or two of filtered water, for a vitamin/mineral supplement of something we’re lacking, or for a plate of healthy food. That simple act of self-love sends the message of “I care” to your brain and “I know what you need” to your body. Interrupting a cycle of unhealthy eating with some conscious nourishment is a great way to add value to an otherwise very busy day.

10. Repeat Affirmations

Because bullying is so widespread, most of us understand the impact of experiencing terrible things over and over. But, on the flip side, few people actually realize the importance of filling their minds with positive messages instead. Silly as this may seem, it really works. Hanging notes on the bathroom mirror and repeating positive affirmations throughout the day can literally turn people’s lives and health around. If it takes only a few minutes a day, why not try it for yourself?

Bottom line is, it doesn’t take hours and hours each day to protect against the negative effects of living a crazy life. Just one or two of these tips, performed maybe 3 times a day, is a great prescription for protecting good health.

To yours,

 

As a coach, writer, recovered over-doer and busyness addict, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle while the mind tries to sabotage your success. In my journey to vibrant health, I created a personalized health system of nutrition and supplementation, lifestyle changes, and I retrained my mind and the energy of my body. I view my success as the formula to my happy, healthy life. I now empower other women to create their own personalized formulas, including the tools and strategies just right for them! Amazing life shifts come from our relationships. I look forward to helping you, too!

Saying YES to rest and play (and a challenge!)

If you’re like many women, you  cram more than your share of projects and deadlines into every day. With a to-do list a mile long, you move through life focusing on completion, meeting (often ridiculously high) standards, covering all the bases, making sure you never neglect anyone or anything along the way.

You’re focused, hard-working, and forever the person in charge. You have to be, right? There’s a lot to do in your world — things that aren’t going to get done by themselves. That’s why you’ve programmed yourself to step up to the plate. Every time. It’s how you operate, and you’ve been at it for a really long time.

I was that woman once. A list-maker, an achiever, and a chronic over-doer, I was forever the volunteer and the person in charge. My pattern of over-achievement and accomplishment validated my thoughts, my abilities and my goals for myself. On the surface, it felt really good. Others noticed, too.  In fact, it was that early programming that helped me achieve much of my early success (read my story to hear how achievement patterns can play a part in early success).

Your focus on production and over-achievement serves you, too.  Whether consciously or subconsciously, you’re deriving benefits from your actions and behaviors on some level, too. You see, every pattern you exhibit in life either fulfills a need or validates a belief about yourself. If that weren’t true, you wouldn’t be doing any of it.

Whether consciously or subconsciously, you derive benefits from your actions and behaviors, too.

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The Problem With Doing Too Much

But, there’s a problem with all that.  Because, no matter how strangely satisfying certain behaviors can be, over time, those same behaviors can become destructive, too. Chronic over-doing and continual busy-ness are perfect examples of behaviors that serve a purpose now, but have a negative impact later. It doesn’t seem fair, to be honest. Because patterns like that are always useful…that is, until they blind-side us years later, and the damage is already done.

I meet women every day who suffer from doing too much.

Do you know someone like that?

Is it you?

Some women know they’re too busy, and admit their suffering out loud. But, even if they don’t admit it, it’s easy to tell when women are doing too much, because the suffering shows up in their bodies, their voices, or in other areas of their lives.

With me, my early programming ended up affecting my health later on — in a really big way. My eternal busy-ness and focus on completion ended in a musculoskeletal problem and tremendous physical pain. But, chronic over-achievers suffer in lots of other areas, too. Effects show up in finances, emotions, personal and work relationships, and many other areas of the body, and of life.  Most of us have met women suffering the effects of doing too much. I meet women like these in my my practice every week.

A Simple Solution

Thankfully, the solution is really, really simple.  The answer is down time — however you define that for yourself. I’m talking about doing things that bring pleasure, fun, relaxation or plain old joy. Basically anything besides what you normally do, think about, schedule on a calendar or fret over throughout the day.

Regular time off isn’t a luxury. It’s necessary for a healthy, stress-free life.

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Regular time off (“down time”) isn’t a luxury. It’s actually necessary for a healthy, stress-free life. Riding a bike, listening to birds, reading a book, spending time with a pet, coloring, star gazing, enjoying a night out — these are all ways to prevent illness and injury later in life. They’re crucial to maintaining quality of life. As long as the activity brings  pleasure or rest, it’s good.  Do it! You need it. Not just once in a while. But, often.

If you were to ask me 10 or 20 years ago when was the last time I just sat around doing nothing, I’d have laughed out loud. You see, I couldn’t recall a time in the last 24 hours (or the last week, or the last month) where I allowed myself time to just sit and be. I remember rolling my eyes when a doctor once asked if I’d ever had time to sit under a tree and read a book. I remember my arrogance after another doctor implied I needed more time to myself. You see, I never used to allow myself the indulgence of time off, for it would destroy my personal production schedule for the day. I laughed at the absurdity of those thoughts, thinking, “Didn’t they realize I had a lot to do?”

I was so wrong.

Looking back at the wisdom of people who counseled, “Go for a walk, watch TV, or take a nap”, I realize I had a lot to learn back then about true success and happiness. I think  back to my dear mother’s favorite saying (“Take time out!”) and how my stubbornness didn’t allow me to see past the flurry of activity and endless stream of things on my schedule. If I’d just allowed myself regular time off, there is no doubt in my mind I wouldn’t have developed my illness, nor all the painful symptoms that plagued me for many years.

Say YES to rest and play

Fast forward many years, much research and many experiences and I recognize the tremendous value of down time. Though constant production had its place when I was younger, it also stole parts of my life away. Armed with this information, now I am called to counsel women, spreading this important message. I explain the need for rest and play, the value of self-care, and how omitting this crucial part of life can damage emotions, physical health, relationships and more.

Sometimes, I’m met with resistance. “How can I take time off when I have got so much to do?”, clients will ask. I’m familiar with these excuses, since I used them all myself!  Nevertheless, we work to prioritize their lives, eliminate distractions and time-sucking activities, rework their schedules, and find the time they need for the rest or play they so deserve.

The 7-Day Challenge

I haven’t convinced you yet? Again, I understand. But, let me ask  you this: Would you be willing to try to rest or play for a week? Just a little? Just for a week?

I’m challenging you to take back your life. I’m challenging you to take a little time for yourself — each day, for a mere 7 days. Because, after a week, I think you’ll begin to understand what I’ve been talking about.  After a week, I think you’ll see that a little down time is well worth the investment in your future.

Leave a COMMENT and let me know if you’ll accept this challenge. You can also let my readers know how you’re planning to work some time off into your busy day.  If you need help, post that, too!  I’d love to be able to help you find the time off you need for a healthy life!

Don’t forget to come back and POST YOUR RESULTS, either — we can all cheer together!

Much love,

As a coach, writer, recovered over-doer and busyness addict, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle while the mind tries to sabotage your success. In my journey to vibrant health, I created a personalized health system of nutrition and supplementation, lifestyle changes, and I retrained my mind and the energy of my body. I view my success as the formula to my happy, healthy life. I now empower other women to create their own personalized formulas, including the tools and strategies just right for them! Amazing life shifts come from our relationships. I look forward to helping you, too!.