No, you don’t always have to take a vacation to Florida to the beach to refresh and regroup, but it would be nice, wouldn’t it?! 🙂
Last time I talked of really evaluating what needs to be on your plate. And what needs to go. As you eliminate the things that aren’t as important to be doing right now, especially when battling adrenal fatigue, you are still left with quite a lot of responsibilities. I’ll be honest–I can make schedules and lists that look really impressive, but what actually gets done is….not so impressive!
It is a start, though. Write down the things that absolutely are non-optionals in your life. Now, what can be delegated? Yes, I know you have 5 children under 7, but guess what? They are capable of far more than you realize! There have been many times over the years that due to health issues, I simply had to let go. No, my house didn’t get cleaned as well as I would have liked. Yet now? My girls can clean circles around me! Many times it is a matter of letting go of control, which can be rooted in fear. Trust me, the time will come that the ceiling fan blades will get dusted, the dust bunnies in the corners will be tackled and the kitchen floor won’t always be sticky!
Or perhaps it’s a cottage business you’re in charge of. Are there ways you can delegate some of the work? Would it be worth your health and peace of mind to pay someone part time to help do things that someone else can do, so you can reserve your mental energies and strength for the things only you can do?
Those are just a few ideas—think if you had to be gone for an extended period of time, how would everything get done? Of course that analogy breaks down a bit, but, if you take the time now to think of how you can ease your load a bit you won’t be forced to do it later during an adrenal crisis—while you’re driving through a mental fog!
I want to talk for just a bit on an addiction–especially in America, especially among women.
Busyness.
Granted, there are seasons when we are busy. But many times, I watch already overloaded women take on more and more. Sometimes it’s because of a need to feel needed, sometimes it’s because we don’t see anyone else stepping up to the plate, and yet other times, it can actually be an escape. It’s always easier to take on something new than to deal with the old. You see this a lot in children! But we adults can be just as guilty!
Stopping to take stock of our “running” and busyness is a good idea when we are adrenal-challenged. It doesn’t mean you can never be busy or go out of the house! But too much of that can be an addiction that becomes very counterproductive–escaping the reality that we need to conserve our energy for the best pursuits. The #1 things on your priority list!
So perhaps the “Regroup” needs to come first AND last!
- Regroup: to become reorganized in order to make a fresh start
Regroup–pull back and take a good, hard look at your schedule/routine.
- Refresh: to provide new vigor and energy by rest, food, etc.; to make fresh again; reinvigorate or cheer (a person, the mind, spirits, etc.)
Refresh by taking a day away if you can. Maybe even taking a book and going to a park! Or have hubby watch the kids so you can take a pamper-me-bath and spend as long as you want! Go for a walk in nature. Think of what refreshes you and helps you reconnect with your emotional center. That is NOT running around in more busyness! While that may invigorate you for now, it doesn’t help recharge your batteries. You must be inputting something or you will burn out!
Then Regroup once more–after a short or longer time of refreshing, you can look at things with fresh eyes. Also, you might not be so stressed, and you’ll be better able to make decisions. But don’t try to overhaul your entire life and schedule in 1-2 days! Baby steps! Take a little at a time, make decisions, small changes, give it time to settle in, then you can tackle the next area.
Once you’re refreshed and have destressed your life a little, you may be able to dig deeper to see what’s really driving you.
This is part 4 of a series on adrenal fatigue. If you just happened upon this post and want to read the first three:
Part 1 In a Fog
Part 2 Help Getting Out of the Fog
Part 3 Who’s in Control?
Photo credit: Anna Christina Marie Photography–link coming soon!
(Yes, my resident photographer! 🙂 )
