How to stop stress and burnout from ruining your hormone health
Stress is unavoidable.
From work stress, to emotional stress, financial stress, social stress, relationship stress, health stress, even environmental stress, it's not hard to see how our responses have become more and more dysregulated leading to poor coping mechanism, higher levels of anxiety, and worse case scenario burnout!
What burnout does to our bodies
As humans, we’re not built for ongoing, chronic stress. Our adrenals (glands on the top of our kidneys that pump out stress regulating hormones) just aren’t designed to cope with that over a long period of time.
When the body is no longer able to cope with stress, it can manifest in any or all of the following:
Wired, tired and highly strung people
Excess weight around the belly or face
Hormone imbalances, low libido and fertility issues
Digestive problems, including ulcers, acid reflux, bloating, constipation or diarrhoea
Sugar or salt cravings
Problems sleeping and trouble waking in the morning
Brain fog and memory problems
Autoimmunity
The more you are exposed to chronic stressors, the greater the impact they have on your health, the longer you ignore them, the more compromised ALL body functions become, a state commonly known as burnout.
But burnout doesn’t need to be a fait accompli.
If we can bring more truth and awareness to the source of our stress, and put plans and strategies in place to deal with it in healthier ways, we can avoid succumbing to the effects of chronic stress and burnout altogether.
How to identify the source of your stress
Most stress is caused by an overbearing boss or colleague, a family member, or money worries.
But other times, the real source of your stress is buried or hidden. And may need a little introspective work to bring it to the surface
Follow this 3-step process if you need help figuring out the true source(s) of your stress:
Step One: Identify what triggers your stress. This could be something like too much alcohol, too little sleep, taking on too much work, perceived stressors or your interpersonal relationships.
Step Two: Identify which context, environment, habits or aspects of your current lifestyle feed your stress (socialising, office culture, home life, spending etc.).
Step Three: Choose 1-3 things you could change about your lifestyle and build into a habit that you know would transform your stress, boost your energy, improve your anxiety and create a supportive environment for your mental and physical health.
Once you know what’s causing your stress trigger, you can make changes that tackle the source of your stress, rather than using healthy or unhealthy coping mechanisms in response to your stress.
How to avoid burnout in 7 steps
If you’re accustomed to living in a cycle of burnout, recovery, burnout again, it can feel like there’s no escape because there’s so much you need to change about your lifestyle.
But the only way you can make those changes is to focus on one thing at a time. Choose ONE area to improve, focus on that for a few weeks, then add in the next area to improve, and so on and so forth.
Small, incremental changes that you’re able to maintain and build on over time will have a greater impact long term than the ‘all or nothing’ approach that leaves you wanting to give up in a week’s time!
So, read through the 7 areas you can make changes in to avoid burnout - choose one, focus on one, then when that becomes habit, add another into the mix. Don’t try to change everything all at once - Rome wasn’t built in a day!
Improve your SLEEP
Knowing your sleep chronotype will help you manage and organise your days better around work, exercise and everything else. You can take this quiz to find out your sleep chronotype.
Ideally, turn off all screens at 9pm - the time when the body starts to pump out melatonin. Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant that combats oxidative stress.
Aim to be in bed and go to sleep around 10pm. 10pm to 2am is the most important time for the adrenals to repair.
Do not charge your phone or leave electronics switched on in your bedroom. Your brain will entrain on the frequency of any electronic device in the room, preventing the body from reaching a deep state of sleep.
Sleep in a dark room and/or wear a sleep mask - any light will affect melatonin production. Use an old-fashioned alarm clock to wake up, not your phone.
For more helpful sleep resources, read The Power Of When by Dr Michael Breus (or visit his website).
FUEL your adrenal reserve
F-orget the sugar and high refined carbs which provide short bursts of energy and quickly leave you feeling fatigued. High sugar diets result in high levels of insulin, which stresses the adrenals and makes them produce more cortisol to keep insulin under control.
U-se high quality fats when cooking, like olive oil, almonds, avocado and flaxseed to support cellular health, energy, and hormone health.
E-nsure you’re eating healthy sources of protein (meat, fish, nuts, seeds, eggs, fermented soy) with your meals, as well as plenty of rainbow colour vegetables on your plate which will support repair processes, restoration and energy production.
L-ow glycaemic foods slow down the release of sugar into the bloodstream and help stabilise highs and lows in energy.
For more eating resources, read:
DRINK for your adrenals
Avoid overtaxing your adrenals with too many stimulants like coffee and alcohol.
Matcha tea and green tea are good substitutes for coffee when weaning off. They contain high amounts of antioxidants and L-theanine, an amino acid that is calming and improves mental function.
Drink clean, filtered water.
Herbal teas, broths and vegetable-based juices are other ways to increase your hydration.
EXERCISE your mind and body
Exercise oxygenates the body, reduces depression, increases blood flow, normalises cortisol and blood glucose and improves wellbeing.
Find one thing you enjoy, but keep it simple and easy, especially if you are tired and feeling burned out. Dancing, swimming, a walk or a light yoga session are good options.
BREATHE your way through it
Learn how to breathe deeper to calm your whole nervous system down.
3-4-5 breath and/or alternate nostril breathing is calming to the nervous system - find out more here.
A Sensate relaxation device is a really enjoyable way to switch off, get mindful and relax jangled nerves in 10 minutes.
PRIORITISE what gets done
Really think about the essentials of your workload and avoid adding unnecessary tasks to your plate.
Invest in a tool that helps you to stay focused and on task. I use the Productivity Planner from Intelligent Change, but other options include The Productivity Method by Grace Beverley, Balance Planner from MindJournal and many others. Find the one that works best for you.
For more prioritisation resources, read:
SUPPLEMENT your health
Adaptogenic herb blends blunt the effects of stress, improve mood and increase libido
B vitamins support the nervous system and hormone function and build up energy reserves
Magnesium is essential for energy production
Vitamin C is needed for adrenal replenishment and reserve
Ready to ditch burnout for good?
Over the course of the next few weeks, spend some time on energy awareness while you implement some of the changes needed to your lifestyle.
What/who/where does your energy go during the day, and from what/who/where do you get energy? Having awareness of your energy patterns will help you to disrupt the negative patterns that are leading you to burnout!
And if you’re struggling to do all this on your own, and cortisol is affecting your physical and mental health, it’s time for a deep dive.
Check out the services page and book a free call with me if you want to talk about how we can work together to improve your energy and restore balance to your physical, mental and hormone health!
