Feeling stressed or exhausted lately?

"When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of stress and anxiety. If I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to me, and without pain. From this I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me. There is a great secret here for anyone who can grasp it." -Rumi

In today's society, we are chronically overstimulated by ever-increasing exposure to technology, hectic schedules, high expectations, and an accelerated pace of life.

Chronic exposure to stress wears the body down over time and taxes the whole body, especially the adrenal glands.

This may show up as heart palpitations, unbelievable fatigue, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, hormonal imbalances, digestive challenges, thyroid dysregulation, and mood and memory fluctuations.

You may have noticed that Life isn't allowing us to just push through anymore, it's becoming more painful to do so. This pain isn't to punish you, it's to show you there is an easier way.

I want to provide a few steps to help your body adjust and harmonize to its natural state.

Step 1 - Eliminating or significantly decreasing sugars is essential. Slowly remove, one by one, the recognizable refined sugars from your pantry, daily snacks, and condiments in your fridge. Spend some time understanding the difference between low-glycemic and high-glycemic foods and which one you eat most. Focus primarily on low glycemic.

Step 2 - Let your fork help transform you - Choose clean proteins like grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic-free. For fish eating wild-caught salmon is recommended, as is limiting the amount of tuna or swordfish as they can add to the toxic burden on your body. What you put on the end of your utensils can either speed up or slow down your journey.

Step 3 - Continue removing offenders- We discussed a little about sugars above. Another offender to begin reducing is gluten. Depending on the individual, the level of gluten sensitivity may vary, but overall eating a low gluten diet is highly recommended if you have adrenal dysfunction.

Step 4 - Color your meals - Adding color diversity to your plate ensures that you are receiving maximum benefit from the foods that you are eating, as each color of the rainbow provides specific phytonutrients essential to a balanced body.

Step 5 - Make sleep a priority - Adrenal dysfunction is due in part to depleted reserves in the body that can be exacerbated by a consistent lack of sleep. Sleep is a powerful re-balancing agent, so making a point of prioritizing quality zzz's and focusing on lowering your stress levels before bed is key. Helpful techniques include sleeping in a room with black-out curtains, cooler temperatures, turning off electronics, and minimizing blue-light exposure two hours before bed.

Step 6 - Acknowledge your stressors - Exposure to chronic stressors can deplete your body and cause imbalances, some more subtle than others. Louise Hay once said, to deep clean your house, you have to find the dirt first. Find the "dirt" (stress) in your life and acknowledge it, accept it, and welcome what feelings and emotions arise from the dirt that is found.

Step 7 - Become more present - Moment to moment tune into how you are feeling, who you are being, and what you are doing. Slow down and introduce mindfulness, soaking in everything around you through each aspect of your being and this can help create greater peace, calm, spaciousness, focus, and happiness in your life.

Step 8 - Adapt your movement - Take the time to learn which types of movement best suit your needs. Would you benefit more from yoga, a nice walk to slow down your nervous system? If you need a little rev to your nervous system, perhaps interval training would benefit you.

Step 9 - Green your space - A large contributor to the stress placed on adrenal glands can be associated with increased toxin exposure in both home and work environments. Make your home a hub for healthy living by taking small steps to reduce negative environmental impacts. Things to consider: cleaning products, air fresheners, cosmetics, and hair/skin products.

Remember it's a step-by-step process that we continue to practice, practice, practice...

So much love to you, may Peace be with you.

XO, D

I am a master-in-training for being the space for myself to learn and grow and know the absolute truth of who I am. I am whole, healthy, abundant, love, and free…so are you. I forget this sometimes and that’s perfectly okay. I get to remember and forget and remember…for the rest of my life. So far I've played the role of an athlete, police officer, health coach, and nutritionist and mostly I desire to help others on this amazing journey called Life.