I found out that I have adrenal fatigue this week. I’m equal parts relieved and concerned. I’ve been feeling run down for a while now, but isn’t that “normal” when you have three young kids? The best way I can describe it is like pushing your foot down harder on the gas pedal when your car is out of gas. There’s just zero get up and go!

I’m relieved because it’s not just in my head and it’s not that I’m just not trying hard enough or lazy. I’m concerned because this means I’ve depleted my body by pushing through when I should have listened and slowed down.

I realized that after I received this diagnosis and a treatment plan my instant reaction was “great, let’s do this so I can get back to normal”. I didn’t listen to the message my body was so clearly screaming at me: my “normal” doesn’t serve me, and it’s time to redefine it.

I think this is a chronic problem. It doesn’t matter if you are a stereotypical type a personality like myself or a reluctant passenger stuck in the fast lane, it’s really hard to avoid getting chronically run down.

We live in a time and culture of “more”. There’s work, parenting, groceries,cooking, cleaning, organizing, playing the role of social coordinator, marriage and relationships and self care has even become something that creates stress as something you need to schedule and create space for. We’ve lost touch with the abundance that really matters. It requires discernment about what actually brings you joy and peace.

It’s great to make this mental connection. How do you get to a place of true abundance and balance? How do you become clear and live intentionally?

I think there’s an undercurrent of desperation for this way of living. And I think there are some simple steps you can take right now, regardless of where you are in life. These three steps will make a huge difference immediately in your life:

  1. Your time is a commodity; spend it wisely
  • Decide what your non-negotiables are. Maybe this is one family day on the weekend. Or family meal times. Perhaps it’s time to exercise everyday after work. Sit down and honestly reflect on what these are, then make a commitment to them. This will mean declining some invitations and it also means it gets easier to create more balance by design g your life for yourself and your family first before outside influences take over.

2. Ditch the phone…. seriously, do it.

My friends will tell you I’m crap at texting. My kids will tell you I never know where my phone is. I’ve gone back and forth on how I feel about this. Ultimately, I think we all know we aren’t really living when we are curating our experiences to fit a social media post. The irony is it becomes for everyone else and not the subjects and experiences you’ve captured.

I think there’s a balance. Create a system of once an hour for 5 minutes or twice a day that you respond to texts and emails. Liberate yourself from the wireless shackles and ditch the phone. Seriously, it’s great.

3.Create systems for you life

I’ve resisted the structure of this. I don’t know why – but I have. It’s actually liberating though. Meal plan. Do laundry on certain days. Prep lunches at the same time. You get the idea . I’ll do a dedicated post on this soon because it’s worth  a deeper dive.

And remember to just stop and breathe. You are worthy. You are doing more than enough. You are enough.

As always, I hope you are flourishing lately.