The Party Hats... and when it is time to stop...

Yesterday I said something about my annoying skin rashes. Which I know by the way is a CLEAR sign of that something is not right in my body. My body is telling me to take care of myself. Ironically enough, I just do not have the energy to do just that yet. Or well, I am trying to but once again... let's just say "it's complicated". Still, a huge load of stress was lifted off my shoulders as we moved away from the big city. Regarding family life, everything is just so much easier these days. And in Chile I learned from my mother-in-law the importance of being relaxed in the kitchen... I hardly go around stressed about "what the heck is for dinner tonight" anymore (gracias suegra!!!). Still we eat really decent food, made from scratch. Today chicken cazuela - I have to say I am impressed by the taste I can get out of that chicken. It is almost as if it was Chilean...

Anyway, what I wanted to say is that I kind of know what is wrong. I have had my body exposed to stress for far too long... (a life time of stressful living...) my small party hats (the adrenals) are tired and need to get a rest. The adrenals are the organs on top of the kidneys that regulate some very important hormones linked to how our body copes with stress: adrenalin/noradrenalin and cortisol.

This is a good clip on the adrenals and why it is so important to take care of yourself:
Kriss Carr: Adrenal fatigue when you feel sick and tired

The holistic doctor prescribes all those obvious "remedies" that you need in order to take care of your adrenals:

• Lifestyle changes: get good sleep! - No computer late at night!!!
• Avoid sugar! (and avoiding refined carbs,  increase protein intake!)
• Do not drink coffee when your adrenal's are fatigued
• Food you are sensitive to or allergic to will also affect the adrenals as they have to keep up with all kind of stress that you expose your body to.

Then I kind of like what Kriss says towards the end:

"They are so vigilant those little glands, I look at them and I see two small party hats. The party has just gone on too long, they got a little bit too crazy and you need to take them down because the the neighbors are complaining... "

Anna Hallen has also blogged recently on the adrenals and her posts are really informative (check these: Binjurar, Binjurar del 2, Binjurar och stress). In Swedish, unfortunately  But one thing that made me realize that this is really my issue is that she lists at what time cortisol should be high and low. And guess why I have so much trouble to go to sleep at night and wake up way to early in the morning? Yes, my cortisol levels are whacked...

So good night my friends, it is 21:24 and this little girl will now get her head over to the pillow....