How Stress Affects Your Adrenal Health and What to Do About It

 

Are you feeling fatigued, got chronic pain, not sleeping properly?  Are you emotionally drained?  It might be a problem with you adrenal glands.  Surprised?  Read on...

 

The adrenal glands are the two small but important glands that sit on top of your kidneys.  They are involved in producing over 50 hormones (such as cortisol and adrenaline) that drive almost every bodily function (such as regulating blood pressure and controlling metabolism) - many of which are essential for life.  (Which is why we need to look after them!)  They work closely with the pituitary and hypothalamus glands, to control all the hormones - an intricate balancing act that is the ‘government’ of the body, and essential to our health and wellbeing.

 

A lot of clients come to me feeling generally unwell and have no real explanation for why they’re feeling so out-of-kilter.   After consultations and treatments, it often becomes clear that their chronic pain, poor sleep, anxiety, emotional issues etc. are a result of adrenal glands that are not happy.  When the adrenals are over-worked or tired, it makes the body feel awful and to me, this is the missing link in any discussion about health. 

 

We are all aware that we can detoxify and heal through eating clean, whole foods; but that we might be hurting ourselves even more deeply by not addressing the stress factors in our lives is not so obvious.  Did you know that the adrenals are receptors of anything that is STRESSFUL to you, emotionally, mentally AND physically?  They pick up everything that you experience but they never adapt; which means that even if you feel you are handling a stressful situation well, they might disagree - the body is always right.  YOU are always right.  Not your thoughts, and sometimes not even your feelings, YOU.

 

As a Reflexologist, this is a familiar story that I hear: a client has been in a relationship or job for years, and although they know they are under stress, they have got better at dealing with it - they tell me that they’re living with it - not!  You might not know this, but nothing hurts our adrenals more than long-standing, low-grade stress.  It becomes an underlying inflammation, an obstruction.  It becomes the subconscious sabotage you might not even be aware of - and it is the KEY TO YOUR HEALING.

 

NOTHING HURTS THE ADRENALS LIKE STRESS AND UNDERLYING UNHAPPINESS.  And when the adrenals are fatigued, it could lead to serious trouble - starting with inflammation, insomnia, fungal infections, constipation or pain, even ending in being bedridden with chronic fatigue and other serious conditions.  Any type of stress, trauma, and fear - and BAM! - adrenal shut-down.  And although it most often takes years and years of constant adrenal stress to get to the low point of chronic illness, a simple sudden traumatic event in your life can also pull the rug from under you, and your health.

 

So, what are the top adrenal stress factors?  Here are the top 5 - do they sound familiar?

 

1. Bad Relationships - we need nurturing relationships, but the reality is, there ARE toxic people, and there are those not capable of being supportive and loving.  We need to walk away from all that is hurtful to us - give ourselves space to heal, away from any behaviour that is upsetting to us in any way.  Take a close look at the relationships in your life and start decluttering.  Start evaluating what is serving you and be picky.  YOU deserve it.  Your health deserves it.  If it doesn’t serve you, walk away.

2. Not Living Your Purpose - this is tricky because this means so many things to so many people.  I don’t think we have ONE purpose or place in this world, I believe we can find and fulfil many things, BUT, when you are living your purpose, you feel aligned with what you do and you feel your life is filled with joy and fulfilment.  You will feel the thrill and excitement in life itself and your stress and longings for something better will diminish. 

 

3. Abusing Your Body with Food - while we now understand that emotional stress is more damaging to the adrenals, it is also true that food will also affect adrenal health - they need good nutrition to produce their 50 or so hormones.  We can negatively affect our adrenals by eating animal products, especially meat - adrenaline, trauma and emotional stress handed down from factory-farmed animals is detrimental.  Alcohol, coffee, salt and other drugs stimulate the adrenals and stress the entire body, and can be very toxic to adrenal health.

On the other hand, foods and herbs that support the adrenal glands include those high in calcium, magnesium, and vitamins C, E and B-complex, as well as coconut oil, ginger, liquorice root, and plenty of water.

 

4. Lack of Boundaries - this is all too familiar to most of us I expect - we all want to please and make sure everyone else is ok - putting ourselves last on the list, not saying NO when no is the right word for what we feel, not standing up for how we feel or what we truly want. 

When it comes to setting boundaries though, this is the time you have been waiting for - because your adrenals are calling you to action.  Setting boundaries means saying no to what is not serving you so that you can say more yes to what does.  Make space and room for yourself - it is ok to be alone, to pull back and indulge in self-care. 

 

5. Lack of Self-Love - probably the major underlying cause of all illnesses.  Here’s the test - if you feel that loving yourself is self-absorbed or narcissistic, you NEED this more than anything.  It is a sign that you believe you’re not important enough to take care of yourself.  Unfortunately, it’s exactly this, which causes adrenal burn-out - we chase everything outside of us that we believe will lead to inner calm and contentment - but we never catch up with or achieve whatever it is we’re chasing - and so we start to believe we’re not good enough.  You can only make a change when you start to believe that you ARE good enough just being you, for just being alive.  It is this realisation that will enable you to reset your inner stress level, and therefore your adrenal stress.

 

So...

How do we know we might have stressed adrenals?  Here are some of the most common symptoms:

• Blood sugar issues and Salt Cravings
• Candida
• Insomnia and Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Tremors
• Inflammation
• Belly fat
• Heart Arrhythmia and Shortness of Breath
• Lower Back Pain and Sciatica
• Tinnitus 

If you recognise that this is you, then you need to look closely at what is the cause of your stress - try to release it and let it go - forgive and let yourself be forgiven - start new habits that will add to your health and happiness - walk away from the situations that are toxic to you - give yourself permission to change - break the old patterns that are bringing you down.  It WILL be worth the work and the effort, when you can leave your emotional past behind and are no longer holding yourself responsible for every situation that you can’t control.

 

If you think you need some support to achieve this change - this NEW YOU - then please get in touch.  Reflexology can support you when you’re feeling anxious or stressed, with insomnia and with chronic pain.  It can help people deal with their emotional issues and help them to achieve balance in mind, body and spirit.

 

Go to www.barefoot-reflexology.co.uk for more about what Reflexology is and how I could help