Supplementation is another area that can overwhelm the faint-hearted!  Due to a strange tummy virus I got a few years ago, I can’t down as many capsules at a time. I had to pare back my supplements drastically.  I have done some research, prayed a lot, and decided on just a small handful of things to take for my adrenals. I’ve gotten sloppy this past month due to 4-H fair and the ensuing busyness! But I’m trying to get back on track.  Now, I am not qualified as a natural health practitioner in any way, I am simply sharing what I take.  You will need to do your own research to see what you believe is best for you.  I will probably tweak this in the coming days/weeks, but this is what I’m settling on for now:

• equal amounts spirulina and kelp in size 00 capsules, 2 daily (want to up it to 4 eventually)
• rhodiola–it is an adaptogenic herb, and after doing some reading, I decided it was a better fit for me than eleuthro or the ginsengs
• vitamin C–I like Ester C, and I also like to mix acerola and amla powders, half and half, with a pinch of cayenne (helps absorption)
• Country Life Co-Enzyme B Complex (sold at the T-Tapp store)–I like this even better than Enzymatic Therapy’s Fatigued to Fantastic B Complex
• Royal Jelly–this should probably be #1, actually! I was using a liquid form, but it has become just too sweet for me to take that way, and I’m not drinking as much hot tea to use it in this time of year!  I plan to purchase some capsules soon.   Royal Power is a good brand as is Y.S. Farms.  A fellow T-Tapper posted a great post on the forums about royal jelly: Adrenal Glands and Royal Jelly

I’ve also recently added Sweet Wheat to my regime, albeit not too consistently yet!  (Baby steps!)  I’ll report as I get more consistent whether I feel it is helping or not.

Finally, getting rid of stressors.  Well, that is easy to do in theory…but putting it into practice is something else!

Obviously some stresses can’t be avoided.  But too often the issues are we cram too much into our lives and convince ourselves it’s all necessary, unable to say “no”, and/or we make “mountains out of molehills” in our thoughts which stress us as if it were true.

Our thoughts are very powerful.  If you are constantly taking in bad news, dwelling on it and  mulling it over and worrying about it (everything from losing a job to losing a child), your body will start to react as if those things are a reality.  I took a purposeful “fast” from news for about 40 days a few years ago, and the change in attitude I had was amazing!  I was also focusing on more positive things, including prayer, but just taking out the constant barrage of “bad news getting worse” did wonders.  Don’t get me wrong.  I didn’t hide my head in the sand and pretend nothing was going on, I just didn’t sit and focus on it and read everything I could about it, dwelling on it, fearing it and stressing over it!  Especially when probably 90% of the things we read/hear we really can do very little about, anyway.  It’s the small choices we make each day that make a difference.  Not reading, rehashing and worrying about something out of our control.

And as for saying “no”….sometimes it’s easy to say no when we’re feeling like we can hardly get dressed in the morning.  But as we start to feel a little better, we tend to jump back in with both feet.  Want a really easy way to evaluate what’s really important? Wonder how “everything will get done if I don’t do it”? Imagine you have crashed your adrenals and need 3 naps per day for you to function. Not your home, not your job, not your family, not your homeschool co-op, not your (fill in the blank).  YOU.  For YOU to get up, get a shower, get dressed, eat, and just be able to put together sentences that make sense.   That’s where I was 3 years ago about this time, and it was not fun.  If I had not had older daughters still at home, I would seriously had to have hired help.

Instead of waiting for that to happen to set your priorities, start doing it now.  Believe it or not, things do go on without you. You cannot find your affirmation in lots of busyness and people depending upon you.  We are interdependent but a trend I have noticed in adrenal challenged people I know personally is we tend to be more the “like to help” type people over the “able to receive help” one!  It’s important to be able to do both–we ALL need each other.

Surround yourself with true friends who will let you help them and who you can let help you. True people who will say, “Hey, I’m here to help, remember?” when you are starting to try to change the world all by yourself!

Most of all, start a gratefulness journal and write down all kinds of things, great and small.  Gratefulness helps us keep our perspective as help-ers as well as help-ees!

Baby steps!  Stressing about changes will only backfire.  But making baby steps will slowly lead you down the path to good health and balance in your life!

• A few moves of exercise
• A few good changes added into your way of eating
• A few key supplements that you feel are best for you
• A few more “no’s” and a few less stresses
• A few good friends to help you
• A few things you are grateful for each day

Pick ONE area and start today!  And leave me a comment or send me a message to let me know what your ONE area is for now!  Together we can get to our destination without ruining the journey–

—ONE baby step at a time! 🙂

Photo Credit: Flickr/Dermot O’Halloran