Tell us about yourself!

I am a 29 year old living in the suburbs and work as a project manager, and I have the great privilege of working fully from my home office, where I am able to take my lunch break with my cat.  I have an amazingly supportive husband who, like me, is an extrovert.  We love to spend time with our friends and family on the weekend, go on weekend adventures, and also really enjoy a good Netflix show at home.  I am an enneagram 7, the enthusiast. I enjoy living life to the fullest, experiencing new things, and I love spontaneous adventures.  But on the flip side, I also say “yes” way too often, max out my calendar and deal with pain by avoidance and taking on more activities.  

What was your ‘lightbulb moment’ when you realized adrenal fatigue might be something you need to work on?

In 2018 I thought I was thriving, I had experienced an extremely stressful season of life a few years back and had done the hard work mentally and emotionally to get myself back to a healthy state and was truly enjoying life.  2018 was FUN, lots of great and wonderfully blessings filled the year.  But one thing I did not understand, was that good stress is still stress.  Any change is viewed as stress by the body.  And while I had done some big time work on addressing mental and emotional healing, I never stopped to consider healing my physical body.  I was exercising and eating well, so I’m good right??

Well 2019 happened, I started the year feeling like someone had taken my soul and placed it in another person’s body.  I had feelings of exhaustion and fatigue, high anxiety and panic, feeling scattered, lack of focus, forgetfulness, and getting easily upset/flustered.  This was not me.

And then to make matters worse, my hair started falling out.  I mean what?!? 

In the fall of 2019, in the panicked reality that something was seriously wrong, I learned about adrenal fatigue from Caroline! Praise the Lord!  My symptoms literally checked every box. I realized my symptoms  finally had a name, Adrenal Fatigue.

What was the most helpful part of the recovery process when you felt the biggest change?

No Caffeine.  The week I stopped drinking caffeine I felt like I was going through drug withdrawal.  It was the worst I have ever felt.  I am talking dark sunken circles under my eyes and walking around like a zombie.  But you know what, the week following, I was a new person.  It was magical, I had more energy and I felt more joyful.  That was 6 months ago!  I have had a few sips here and there, ‘needing’ caffeine first thing in the morning is no longer a thing. 

Margin Day.  This was a foreign concept.  Setting aside time each week to not have plans.  This was the second most fruitful change in healing from adrenal fatigue.  Making the mental switch to choose myself, saying yes to my body and making time to rest, and really resting.  So huge, and I really look forward to this time each week!

What has been the most helpful tool in the workshop for you? 

The supplements guide.  Having a blueprint of which supplements I need to take, and when, to help my body heal.  Great tool!  

Why do you believe you are worthy of investing in yourself? How has that impacted beyond you?

This is the only body I am ever going to have, and what I do to take care of it, will impact me for years to come.  Really letting that truth sink in, and understanding that choosing myself sometimes does not make me selfish, helped me to have the mental shift to truly believe yes, I am worthy of investing in myself.  This mental switch has helped how I structure my schedule, my priorities, and has helped my family focus on what is truly important.

What are 3 tips you have for women in similar shoes?

Stop drinking caffeine, just stop.  I know it’s hard, but stop.  It’s so rewarding!

Make space to do the work.  Make healing from adrenal fatigue a priority and really commit to the process.  Understand that it’s not going to happen overnight, and it will mean saying no to a lot of things at first, but this intensive season of healing is temporary.

Don’t feel like you have to explain saying no, you are changing and doing something great for your body.  Not everyone will understand that, and that’s ok. 

In one or two words, how would you describe yourself before you went through this recovery process versus how you feel now?

Vibrant!