It may seem admirable to work yourself sick, but the longer you burn the candle at both ends the faster you’ll burn out.
At this point mainstream medicine doesn’t recognize burnout as a medical condition, but every doctor knows that stress is a contributing factor many modern illnesses and diseases.  In natural health and wellness circles, we know that burnout leads to adrenal fatigue.  Which comes from overstimulating the stress hormones that regulate our energy levels.  Everyone is different and have a different thresholds for managing stress.  Generally, in our teens and early twenties we can get away with burning the candles at both ends.  Working long days, partying until the wee hours of the morning and our bodies generally can bounce back.   This can be deceiving as we believe that our energy reserves are limitless, which is far from the truth.
As we continue to burn the candle at both ends, our adrenal system can go into overload and can no longer regulate healthy cortisol levels.   The hard thing about adrenal fatigue is that it doesn’t happen overnight, it happens over years of working too much, and not managing stress levels.  Sometimes a big event can trigger adrenal failure (accident, loss of a family member or friend, divorce etc.) where the next day you can’t get out of bed in the morning.
How do you know you are on the track towards adrenal burnout or even experiencing adrenal fatigue?

  • Feeling tired all the time and needing stimulants such as drugs, caffeine, and/or sugar to get you through the day.
  • You experience physical aches, pains and seem to be prone to fluctuating weight gain and loss.
  • Little tasks, like sorting your mail, checking your voice mail, responding to an e-mail feel like they are overwhelming and can even make you teary eyed.
  • You get irritated easily and little things like waiting in lines and sitting in traffic will throw you over the edge.
  • You have to force yourself to workout and you feel so heavy and tired even after a short workout.

What can you do to prevent adrenal fatigue?

  • Get lots of sleep and rest. I know that your monkey mind will fight this and judge you for being lazy, but sleep is one of the best things you can do to prevent burnout and general illness.  In many other cultures across the world, napping is common and widely accepted.  If you care about your health and well-being you will put society’s judgement aside and try to get 8-10 hours of sleep per night and if needed,  squeeze a short nap in sometime in the day.
  • Stop rigorous exercise. If you are worried about your weight, don’t.  If you keep forcing yourself to exercise, you will eventually go on bed rest and won’t be able to exercise at all.  Instead try to do things you enjoy that are less vigorous, maybe a yoga class, a walk around the neighborhood, dancing and playing outside.  When I did this, I actually got leaner, not heavier and it was exactly what my body needed.  If you force your body to do things it doesn’t want, it will hold onto extra weight as a defense mechanism.
  • Cancel all extra appointments and engagements. I am a big proponent for having a positive and healthy social life and support system.  When you are battling burnout, this is the time to turn inward and to not over schedule yourself.  If your job is over demanding you may need to consider changing jobs or ask for more flexibility or less hours.  Once again I know this is a hard one, but I only want to remind you that if you don’t make this change, your health and well-being will pay for it in year of recovery.  It took me over 2 years to recover from adrenal fatigue.  I am so grateful that I had the right staff to keep my business going while I focused on my health.  I know that not everyone has that luxury but we all have to make some tough choices in our lives.
  • Seek help and support. Self care in our society is not something that is taught to us in mainstream circles, so it is important for us to make the personal choice to value our health and well-being, which is why being healthy is such a revolutionary act. Invest in your health, get a weekly or monthly massage, get Acupuncture and definitely seek the advice of a Naturopath to get you on some supplements to help you recover from adrenal fatigue.
  • Take Supplements. These are not magic pills, but give your body the nutrients that it normally doesn’t get through your food, no matter how healthy you eat.  Supplements boost your immune system and prevent illness and disease.

Making a commitment to your health and well-being is the first step towards preventing or recovering from adrenal fatigue.  Be gentle on yourself, life is a journey not a destination.  Putting yourself first is one of the most important things you can do on your journey towards good health.
All my best,

Sharon Hwang
Director/Owner