I don’t really know how to start this post other than saying it’s been a hard summer for me. My stress and anxiety levels are abnormally high. My crosses feel heavy, my dairy intolerance is back with a vengeance, and I’ve felt tired and off. The final “come to Jesus moment” was having some chest tightness and seeing high blood pressure numbers at the dentist. (Does your dentist take your blood pressure? I’ve never had it done at the dentist before.) My symptoms all point to burn out and high cortisol levels. I’m ready to make a change.
So, after reading everything I could find on cortisol reduction, I made myself a “diet plan” to follow. I’ve been faithful to it for about two weeks now and am just starting to see a tiny improvement. It’s like I can see a teeny light ahead of me, beckoning me to keep going even though it’s hard! This is self-care in the most important sense – I can’t pour from an empty cup anymore. I want to be a better me.
Jotting down my plan here for accountability:
1 // EAT AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET.
It always starts with food, doesn’t it?
+ Limit caffeine, sugar and highly processed foods.
+ No dairy because my intolerance is back and it makes me feel awful.
+ Lots of fruits, vegetables, proteins, good fats and probiotics.
2 // GET ADEQUATE SLEEP.
I have been sleeping poorly because I just could not shut my brain off!
+ Leave a pad of paper on the nightstand to jot down things I’m afraid I will forget.
+ No phone scrolling at all – leaving the phone in another room, even better!
+ No afternoon coffee.
+ Try to be asleep by 10PM (especially since my internal clock always wake me up around 5-5:30AM).
3 // WALK EVERYDAY.
+ No running, Crossfit or HIIT-style workouts. Walking or stretching encouraged.
This is maybe the hardest one for me! I love the challenge of pushing yourself as far as you can and walking just seems so lame in comparison. Unfortunately, running raises cortisol levels and since I can’t seem to lower them on my own, it’s out for now.
4 // FIND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES THAT WORK FOR ME.
I’m still figuring this one out, but I think this will mean deep breathing exercises and walking away from stressful situations (aka my kids bickering) until I can feel in more control. From a religious standpoint, I feel at peace when I get to go to Eucharistic adoration or listen to prayers chanted in Latin (this version of the Angelus is my current favorite), so will be adding those into my weeks as well.
5 // TRY TAKING CORTISOL REDUCERS.
Still doing my research on this one too, but omega-3 is supposed to help along with drinking tea with theanine. I’m also looking into a probiotic from Garden of Life that has ashwagandha in it.
6 // DRINK LOTS OF WATER.
I’m notoriously bad at this, but going to do my best!
I downloaded the Calm app (it was $59.99 for the year) and it has been so worth it. It does guided meditations, sleep stories to help you fall asleep, and even full body relaxation (talking you through releasing tension in every part of your body) which is great before bed.
Something that helped me when my kids fighting was making me feel like my blood pressure was on the rise was picturing myself as the "eye" of the storm. So even when there is TOTAL CHAOS (all the time! ha!) around me, I can remain calm. When I read that on 71 Toes blog, the idea really resonated with me.
I have struggled to find "me" time this summer as well, and I have two less kids than you… so I have NO idea how you do it! You are Wonder Woman!!!
I hope this feeling of anxiety lifts and you start feeling better. You deserve it.
Love you girl!!!
Love that eye of the storm analogy…I'm going to use that, thank you!!
I switched to decaf coffee once I finally realized caffeine was making me sooo anxious. I can still relate to the stress though! (Does it really ever end, though??) This is making me realize I need to make my own "diet plan", which will probably include consistent bike riding and more reading. 🙂 I hope you see improvement soon!!
Ooh, decaf coffee is a good idea! Sometimes tea just doesn't cut it, hah! Thanks for that tip.
I'll keep you in my prayers!
Nothing calms me when I start feeling anxious or stressed like the rosary.
🙂
Thank you, friend. And you are so right about the rosary too!
I'm sorry you've been feeling anxious, it is no joke to feel like that. It's great you're taking these steps to feel better. Hang in there!
Thanks, Laura. Just finished week three and am beginning to feel some changes. Always a process, but it's encouraging to see any change for the better!