Procrastination–we’ve all done it!

But for some of us it has almost become….the norm!

Did you know that procrastination can be a symptom of adrenal issues?   That overwhelmed feeling of having to make a decision about what to do, when to do it, how to do it–problems with decision-making in general–can be a part of the adrenal fatigue factor.

When you are adrenal challenged, your body is not sending the right signals.  What used to be major stressors–fighting off an enemy, outrunning a wild animal–are now replaced by rush-hour traffic, mentally stressful jobs, and worries about the economy, just to name a few.  The body doesn’t even get a recovery period before more stresses hit.  Often they are simply things that can’t be helped.  But many times we tend to “take on more than we can chew”!

I know I have been a procrastinator in many ways for a long time.  I can look back and see many signs of thyroid and adrenal stress clear back into my teens!  It’s no wonder that there were times that I just couldn’t make a decision, so I waited…and waited….well, you get the picture!  Sometimes my indecision made the decision! :p

Adrenal fatigue challenges our ability to think clearly (many people call it “feeling like being in a fog”).  Simple decisions become difficult.  What to wear.  What to eat.  Add to that there are only about 5 gazillion ways of eating promoted out there and all of them are “the best” or “the healthiest”!  So you take an adrenal-challenged person, who wants to take charge of their health and feel better, and then put all these ways of eating in front of them and many are good in some respect or another…..they will just get glazed-over eyes and do…nothing.  (Please pass me the chocolate!)

AF affects our emotional health, which in turn affects so much of life.  When we don’t feel secure or sure of ourselves, are too tired to focus and process information, and it seems our “willpower” just lost power, we are not going to be able to handle what has now become an additional stress–making simple decisions!

Many times we berate ourselves as lazy and think we just need more willpower, but as I shared awhile back, it’s not all about willpower!  (and part 2…and part 3!)

The same goes for supplements….exercise…what to do when?  Oh, I can’t figure it out…I’ll just…not do it.

That is why it’s often helpful to have a health care provider help you outline a plan for you.  The hard part?  Making sure they are really wanting to help you and not just sell you everything under the sun!  Now, don’t get me wrong–often someone is passionate about a product because it helped them. I totally get that! 🙂  And these people are worth paying for their time to help you.  But be sure they are there to help you, with an individualized plan, not a one-size fits all ideal.  I shared in Baby Steps and Baby Steps part 2 how I had to stop stressing over doing it all “the right way”.  That is another thing that trips us up–we want to get well FAST so we want to do it RIGHT and if we can’t do it right…well….we won’t do it AT ALL! :p

Next week I will talk more about this–especially the notorious brain fog that seems to accompany adrenal issues!

Photo credit:  Rennett Stowe