February 26th, 2016
Stop for a moment and think about the people in your life: your partner, siblings, friends and colleagues. How many of them have endless energy and a zest for life? Our lives are fast-paced, hectic and packed with responsibilities. The advent of technology was meant to simplify things for us yet we try to perform as if we, ourselves, were machines.
As a mother, spouse, art therapist, and middle-aged woman, I find that I often run out of steam. As I talk to other parents, I see that I am not alone. Parenthood seems to be synonymous with exhaustion. When my daughters were younger, I would meet my "mommy friends" for coffee. We drank excessive amounts of caffeine to keep us going. We talked about our sleep deprivation, the endless, thankless chores of laundry and cooking, the pros and cons of breastfeeding, the challenge of balancing our career and parental duties, our lack of support and energy.
It never occurred to me that motherhood and exhaustion did not go hand in hand. It was so common that it didn't seem abnormal. Women are not the best at self-care. We make nutritious meals for our family and eat the leftovers while standing at the kitchen counter. We stay up late folding laundry while our loved ones sleep only to be woken up way too early by the pitter patter of little feet.
"Of course I'm drained, aren't you?" we ask.
It's the same for men working 8-10 hours each day, coming home to play with the children while their wife prepares supper, running errands and performing maintenance duties on the weekends. Caregivers looking after a loved one with special needs or a chronic illness can also relate. Ditto for the "Sandwich Generation", supporting adult children while caring for aging parents. There are so many examples of people getting worn out by spreading themselves too thin.
Obviously, getting rest and achieving better balance between work and play are ideal solutions to this issue but there are times when you need more support. I recently learned about a condition that I believe goes undetected way too often. Adrenal Fatigue is what happens when you are under stress for prolonged periods of time. Our body is equipped with an emergency system. When we are stressed, we release cortisol and choose between "fight or flight". This process is instrumental to our survival during emergency situations. However, when we constantly trigger this system in response to everyday stress, our adrenal glands become depleted. Adrenal Fatigue is characterized by fatigue that doesn't get better with sleep, becoming overly dependent on caffeine or energy drinks to keep going, retaining body fat (especially on the tummy), craving sweets or carbohydrates and, feeling overwhelmed. Sound like anyone you know?
I am not a physician or even a nurse but I am writing about this because I had never heard of adrenal fatigue. As I read the symptoms I recognized so many people. I know individuals who eat well, try to get their sleep, are working on creating more balance in their life yet they still can't stop feeling tired and overwhelmed. What if supporting their adrenal glands could help them restore their energy and feel like themselves again?
Testing for adrenal fatigue is simple enough. You can test your levels through blood or saliva tests. Treatment involves an adrenal support supplement or acupuncture. The goal of treatment is to restore the healthy function of your adrenal glands. If you think you might be experiencing adrenal fatigue, speak to your family physician or naturopathic doctor. With so much to gain, what have you got to lose?
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Stop for a moment and think about the people in your life: your partner, siblings, friends and colleagues. How many of them have endless energy and a zest for life? Our lives are fast-paced, hectic and packed with responsibilities. The advent of technology was meant to simplify things for us yet we try to perform as if we, ourselves, were machines.
As a mother, spouse, art therapist, and middle-aged woman, I find that I often run out of steam. As I talk to other parents, I see that I am not alone. Parenthood seems to be synonymous with exhaustion. When my daughters were younger, I would meet my "mommy friends" for coffee. We drank excessive amounts of caffeine to keep us going. We talked about our sleep deprivation, the endless, thankless chores of laundry and cooking, the pros and cons of breastfeeding, the challenge of balancing our career and parental duties, our lack of support and energy.
It never occurred to me that motherhood and exhaustion did not go hand in hand. It was so common that it didn't seem abnormal. Women are not the best at self-care. We make nutritious meals for our family and eat the leftovers while standing at the kitchen counter. We stay up late folding laundry while our loved ones sleep only to be woken up way too early by the pitter patter of little feet.
"Of course I'm drained, aren't you?" we ask.
It's the same for men working 8-10 hours each day, coming home to play with the children while their wife prepares supper, running errands and performing maintenance duties on the weekends. Caregivers looking after a loved one with special needs or a chronic illness can also relate. Ditto for the "Sandwich Generation", supporting adult children while caring for aging parents. There are so many examples of people getting worn out by spreading themselves too thin.
Obviously, getting rest and achieving better balance between work and play are ideal solutions to this issue but there are times when you need more support. I recently learned about a condition that I believe goes undetected way too often. Adrenal Fatigue is what happens when you are under stress for prolonged periods of time. Our body is equipped with an emergency system. When we are stressed, we release cortisol and choose between "fight or flight". This process is instrumental to our survival during emergency situations. However, when we constantly trigger this system in response to everyday stress, our adrenal glands become depleted. Adrenal Fatigue is characterized by fatigue that doesn't get better with sleep, becoming overly dependent on caffeine or energy drinks to keep going, retaining body fat (especially on the tummy), craving sweets or carbohydrates and, feeling overwhelmed. Sound like anyone you know?
I am not a physician or even a nurse but I am writing about this because I had never heard of adrenal fatigue. As I read the symptoms I recognized so many people. I know individuals who eat well, try to get their sleep, are working on creating more balance in their life yet they still can't stop feeling tired and overwhelmed. What if supporting their adrenal glands could help them restore their energy and feel like themselves again?
Testing for adrenal fatigue is simple enough. You can test your levels through blood or saliva tests. Treatment involves an adrenal support supplement or acupuncture. The goal of treatment is to restore the healthy function of your adrenal glands. If you think you might be experiencing adrenal fatigue, speak to your family physician or naturopathic doctor. With so much to gain, what have you got to lose?
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
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