Healing from Burnout
Real speak, I am writing this blog from a complete understanding of where you are at. As I lay on my lounge, again. My kids on their devices for too long, again. Scrambled eggs for dinner, again. My body aches! My eyes are foggy. My brain is slowwwwww like a snail. My voice husky. And my thoughts… pretty dang average!
I hope I do not come across in my online presense as someone who has their shiz together all the time. I am pretty proud of the life I have created, but shizzle together is not the always :)
BUT I have a really blippin cool tool kit to get me back on track, when the wheels fall off. Because they do. I am a human and its part of the process.
What comes up, must come down. The universe is always balancing us ;)
So when exhaustion hits, and its stays for a little longer then expected, heres what I do.
REST TO RISE ~ You are exhausted FOR A REASON! Now, I could make you a big peppy herb mix, give you all the B vitamins in the world and get you to the gym. It may help. BUT, its kind of counter intuitive right? Lets ask WHY YOU ARE EXHAUSTED?
For me, the story goes a little like this;
I thought, my practise is usually quieter in Dec/Jan. This is the first year I will be home with my babies not juggling multiple jobs, easy peezy! I planned some launches, online programs, signed up to 2 3 month courses and decided to do a 4 week cleanse. On top of being knee deep in personal growth and expansion. Needless to say, I thought wrong about Dec/Jan. Turns out, its been my biggest months AND my kids had great ideas about our holidays too! This didnt include being at home all day watching Mum work! So the JUGGLE WAS REAL! The deeper I went in to overwhelm, the busier I made myself because to stop and try and turn down my nervous system, was excruciating! I was tired, but wired! So here we are… Whipping out alllllll the big guns to heal my body… lets continue!
Rest to Rise means… REST! But deeply efficient, nurturing rest. I personally like 20 minute naps with yoga nidra playing on insight timer. I pop a magnesium, rub lavender oil on my feet and snuggle under a heavy blanket. Sometimes I wake myself up snoring with peppa pig playing in the background. Sometimes I think the whole time! But I rest.
Im not going to tell you to sleep more! You know that and will roll your eyes at me lol. But could you set a bed time? Just half an hour earlier then usual? An extra 30 minutes a night is nearly 4 hours a week! That adds up!
SIMPLIFY DIGESTION ~ When stress is high, digestion is low. We dont digest our food very well when we are exhausted! Simplify your foods by pre cooking/blending them. Think soups, stews, smoothies, casseroles, juices. They have already been pre digested a little and it can be easier to absorb the nutrients.
NOURISH YOUR BODY ~ Eating donuts and hot chips whilst sculling 3 coffees is definitely going to seem like a great idea! But its so not what your body truly needs. She needs love, support and nourishment. Eat small meals, more often. Savoury over sweet and ensure you have a form of protein with each meal.
HERBAL HEALING ~ Herbal medicine is sooooo powerful when you get the right combination for you. We dont want herbs that will pep you up. We want herbs that heal the reason you got in to this shiz in the first place! For me, it is nervous exhaustion. So I dont want to stimulate my body! I want to nourish her. Remind her it is safe to slow down. Turn down the buzz in her nervous system and soothe her frazzled nerves. I have a night time mix of passiflora, valerian and lemon balm. These promote deep restorative sleep and soothe the nerves. It knocks me out and dang I need some sleep! My day time mix is currently adaptogens and anti-inflammatory herbs. My fibromyalgia flares when Im burnt out and its a cycle! So Ive got Withania, Rosemary, Ginger, Tumeric and Licorice. Its like a hug in a bottle!
HYDRATION ~ So cliche huh! But seriously, we eliminate stress hormones and waste through urine. So lets get those kidneys flowing. I play this game all the time in clinic. Score your energy out of 5. Drink 3 litres of water for 3 days and score your energy again! Its amazing what happens.
FLOW ~ Exhaustion is not a time to go out busting your ass at the gym! Move your body in any way that feels nice and relaxing. Stretch. Yin yoga. A slow dance in the kitchen. Wiggle your hips and move in a way that feels flirty to you. Energy that stays clogged up in our system is so heavy. Flick it out of your body and notice how your feel after it. If this seems too much right now, could you commit to just 1 song of gentle stretching?
Usually as women, we move in 3 day cycles. 25% of the time we will be in deep hibernation (bear) mode. If, like me, bear mode just stays around longer then 3 days and you have bought in all the big guns, do what I did and CALL YOUR NATUROAPTH! And if your Naturopath IS ME, know that I get it! And I have the express train lined up and ready for you because Ive tried it allllll.
Big love, from this sleepy bear, Charmaine xxx