working with stress
The body’s stress response and the way we express and manage this process is directly to the Adrenals - the two small glands that sit on top of our kidneys. Although tiny in size the adrenals are massive when it comes to the functions that they influence within our body - aswell as managing the way the body responds to everyday stress, they are also involved in regulating our blood pressure, weight, blood sugar and the immune system.
How Stress and the Adrenals are delicately entwined
These tiny glands are ultimately responsible for the body’s primary survival. This means anytime when we are in actual (or perceived) danger they respond by pumping cortisol into our blood to awaken our responses, activate our blood sugar for energy production to fuel our muscles, increase our heart rate and respiration so that we can either fight or run away from danger..
This “FIGHT and FLIGHT'“ response is a game changer as it keeps us safe but the problem is that this should only be short lived, the nervous system should be able to switch back fairly quickly back into ‘normal’ mode once danger has passed or when we are in a place of safety.
Often our current environment and lifestyle means that we live our life in the presence of constant stressors - worries about health, money, job security, children, older parents or family members, this is also on top of all the inner pressures we so often put upon ourselves such as making sure we are the best mum, are brilliant at our job, eat the perfect diet, the need to get to the gym or exercise daily to be healthy.. and by doing so creates this heightened state of arousal in the body. This excessive and unrelenting stress means our adrenals get stuck in overdrive and over time can start to have an impact in our overall health and wellbeing.
tell tale signs that your Adrenals could be in overdrive…
You have trouble falling asleep, or insomnia, and/or wake up feeling like you are not rested in the mornings.
Your hormones are all over the place, your periods are irregular, maybe you are finding it difficult to get pregnant or that your libido is just non-existent.
You cannot think straight at times and your memory and focus just isn’t as sharp as it use to be.
Your immunity is low, you keep catching the cold, or are becoming unwell more often and then you just can’t shake it off.
Craving sugar, carbs or salt - or possibly them all.
You cannot get through the day without you reaching out for either sugar or coffee mid afternoon.
Stubborn weight gain - especially around the middle.
Feeling anxious or down.
Getting irritable or angry really quickly or more often
Your digestion is all over the place.
working to ease stress and soothe your adrenals out of overdrive-
Acupuncture
In Chinese Medicine, the adrenals are linked to our Kidney energy, which is considered to be like a ‘savings account’ - seen as being the foundation of our health and longevity, and should be conserved with any Kidney Qi being used sparing. Stress drains the body of this energy and our nutritional Qi. Acupuncture can offer a natural way to strengthen Kidney Qi, calm the nervous system, support mental health and also foster some emotional resilience. There
Relaxation
This is the easiest way to support your adrenal health (and costs nothing) - Relaxation sends the message to your adrenals that you are safe so allows them to recalibrate.
Learning to practice daily relaxation techniques such as, meditation, gentle yoga or gentle exercise, infact anything that works for you. This doesn’t have to be something big - for me I find just finding 15 minutes to sit in peace with a cup of tea, or taking the time to become aware and count my breath (inhale for the count of 4 and then exhale for count of 4) can work wonders or even a 15 minute walk in the park/beach or anywhere in nature can be a powerful ritual to reduce stress.
Sleep
You don’t have to look too hard to find plenty of evidence that shows you are happier, healthier, perform better and are more relaxed after good quality sleep:-)
Coffee
Often we feel drawn towards caffeine either first thing in the morning to get ourselves going or mid afternoon to help us ‘push through’ the day. What this actually means is that we are forcing our body to dip further into our already depleted energy reserves. Over and above this Caffeine also triggers additional stress chemicals which leads to increased cortisol production and adrenal overdrive. It can be really hard to break this vicious circle BUT cutting back or even better completely will give you more energy in the longer term.
Exercise
A must everyday because it is great for both physical and mental health but just ‘not too much’. Hard core runners/gym bunnies/yogis can sometimes push this from being a good thing into over exercising which actively contributes to adrenal fatigue. Some tell tale signs of over exercising includes - having difficulty loosing weight despite exercising lots, or falling unwell really easily and not being able to shake it off or just burning the candle at both ends and exercising - cutting back just a little can do wonders to restore your overall energy levels.
Sugar
Eating sugary foods causes your blood sugar to spike, and when this drops back acts to triggers your adrenals into thinking that you are starving and in danger. Working with your body to reassure it that it isn’t in survival mode and is in a safe place means keeping blood sugar levels steady - eating high protein breakfasts, and opting towards eating a diet with good quality fats, proteins and vegetable regularly throughout the day, are ways to help with this.
Skipping meals, living on coffee and reaching out for sugary snacks when you are feeling hungry or tired, means you are dipping into energy reserves and taxing your exhausted adrenals even further.