Adrenal Fatigue, why it's not all in the mind

 

 

 

Well, to start with, the symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue are rather general and can include: 

 

 

However, as soon as we start to talk to Clients about WHEN symptoms started to appear, a common picture starts to emerge. And it’s all to do with long term – chronic – stress. In other words, the body being on long term “high alert” for a life threatening physical emergency that never appears… 

 

The difficulty is there isn’t a definitive list of what this stress might be, for the simple reason that what’s stressful to one person isn’t necessarily so to another. What’s exhilarating to one person might be a crushing burden to another. 

 

At the same time, it’s very easy for an ongoing stress – or stresses – to fade into the background and just become “the way things are.” The norm. Long hours at work and / or a demanding job. Caring for children and / or loved ones. Issues surrounding work / life balance. Chronic ill health. 

 

Then there are the “one off” events, which may come out of the blue or have built up over a period of time. Relationship breakup and divorce. The loss of loved ones. An accident or sudden ill health. 

 

All too often, Clients have had a series of stressful events – ongoing and / or “one off” – whose cumulative effect then leads to problems. In these cases, it’s all too easy to focus on one particular event, while missing the effects of the others. 

 

And this is where the donkey analogy comes in. We’ve mentioned it before – probably several times (!) – but it does bear repeating. Imagine a donkey, complete with two paniers to carry its load. The donkey has always trotted along quite happily with its load, so it’s gradually increased. The trot slows to a walk. The walk gets slower and slower, until the donkey grinds to a halt and then ends up in a heap on the ground. And no one can understand why… 

 

This is exactly what adrenal fatigue or exhaustion is like, regardless of the “label” put on it. Gradually grinding a person down until they just can’t keep going any more. 

 

 

As always, the most important thing is to identify the cause(s). What is – or has – caused the stress. And, as we’ve already mentioned, this can end up being quite a long list stretching over a long period of time. Putting together a timeline with the series of events – whether “one off” or ongoing – in chronological order is often a complete revelation to Clients, who simply hadn’t joined the dots. This is not only because it helps them realise just how much they’ve been carrying – and for how long – but also because it shows how their symptoms have developed over time. Perhaps, to start with, there was simply a vague feeling that “something wasn’t quite right.” They didn’t feel themselves. Then, over time, more specific symptoms started to appear. A “busy” head led to disturbed sleep, a feeling of lethargy and poor concentration. 

 

Time and time again, we’ve noticed that once Clients see how things have developed, this provides the impetus to start addressing the situation(s). They also realise, often for the first time, how well they’ve been doing to keep on their feet and functioning day to day. Let alone anything else. Perhaps even give themselves a pat on the back for everything they’ve still been managing to do. 

 

It’s then about making the small changes we talk about regularly in this blog to start taking back control of their lives and recharging their batteries. 

 

 

While it isn’t what Clients want to hear, it’s important to remember that it took time – years or, sometimes, decades – for the strain to start to show. This means it’s going to take a little time to get things moving in the right direction. However, by understanding – often for the first time – what they’ve been through and starting to take steps to address this, Clients often feel much better for simply taking back control of their lives. And, just as important, realising that it isn’t “all in their heads.” 

 

As always, the choice is yours.