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The holidays can be a challenging time even for the healthiest of people.
When you have adrenal fatigue the added stress (physical, mental or emotional) that the holiday
season brings can be enough to put you over the edge.
That�s why I�m excited to share with you 5 tips to survive the holidays with adrenal
fatigue.
The physical stress might come from the wintery bugs, digestion issue from eating different
foods, the added sugar intake, overworking and under-sleeping, or the demands of running
around cooking or shopping.
Crowds, long car rides or plane trips, and sometimes even jetlag don�t help either!
Not to mention the mental stress this season brings: the feelings that come from an endless
to-do list, changes in routine, year-end deadlines at work coupled with the obligations of holiday
activities�it�s overwhelming just to write about it, let alone live through it!
At this time of year, many of my clients bring this up in our coaching sessions, wondering
how they�re going to get it all done.
To top it all off you have the emotional stress that can come from being with family.
Even though we love these people, the truth is spending lots of time with people you have
deep histories with and connections to, it can bring up old thoughts and feelings from
our past that we don�t necessarily want to deal with in that moment, testing our patience
and self-confidence.
It�s not that we need to avoid these stresses completely.
I am not suggesting to not eat sugar or drink alcohol or to avoid your family.
However, I do want to share with you a few lessons I have learned along the way to help
you make the holidays for comfortable, enjoyable and stress-free.
In other words, I want to help you feel strong and empowered so that you can enjoy the holiday
season and focus on making great memories instead of dealing with panic attacks or flare-ups.
Imagine a holiday season where you felt energetic, calm and symptom-free.
You can have it!
Here are my 5 easy tips to help you survive the holidays with adrenal fatigue.
Tip #1 BYOF This stands for Bring Your Own Food.
The holidays are filled with get-togethers focused around food.
If you are suffering from food intolerances or allergies as a result of your adrenal fatigue,
you most likely have had to give some foods up along the way.
If so, you know how frustrating it can be to go to these gatherings.
Bringing your own food means that you can still enjoy food and you don�t have to feel
like you�re missing out the entire time.
If you�ve been following me for a while you know that on my adrenal fatigue healing
journey I gave up many foods.
Actually, the only thing I never gave up eating is vegetables.
I gave up dairy, meat, sugar, gluten, grains, you name it I tried it.
Not just for a couple weeks, but for months and sometimes even years at a time.
And just for the record I am not suggesting that or believe you need to give up a bunch
of foods in order to heal your adrenal fatigue.
But I get what you�re going through and that�s why I always bring food with me,
wherever I go.
I am not suggesting that or believe you need to give up a bunch of foods in order to heal
your adrenal fatigue.
But I get what you�re going through.
That�s why I always bring food with me, wherever I go.
Even though it�s gotten so much easier to be gluten free now than it was 10 years ago
when I started, I still find that bringing my own food to gatherings makes me much happier.
It�s especially important to bring the foods you enjoy the most.
Dessert was a big thing for me too and still is.
I have a sweet tooth and when I was dairy-free and gluten-free there weren�t many desserts
I could eat.
So I would always make some gluten-free dessert or get some coconut ice cream to bring along.
That way I didn�t dread dessert time.
Your host will (probably) appreciate the extra food, especially if he or she would be going
out of their way to make something that everyone can eat and enjoy.
Plus you can introduce your loved ones to some of your favorite snacks and treats, which
is a great way to bond with everyone at the table.
Even if they don�t love it, trying new things together is a wonderful way to form memories.
Tell me: what are your favorite alternative food choices that you don�t want to live
without during the holidays?
Do you have a good or funny story about sharing your specialty foods with your loved ones?
Tip #2 Boost Your Immune System During the holiday we do more traveling to
the mall, to the supermarket, to events and get-togethers which all bring opportunities
to come into contact with germs and other icky bugs that might be lurking around.
And because as adrenal fatigue sufferers we already have compromised immune systems, we
might be more susceptible and find ourselves constantly �under the weather� at this
time of year.
Not good!
Getting sick would put a huge damper on our capacity to celebrate.
Be pro-active about your health this season.
Keep yourself healthy by doing a few things to boost the immune system.
Go to sleep just a bit earlier than usual each night.
Cut down on the sugar intake when you aren�t out celebrating and (this is one of my favorites)
use essential oils to protect yourself.
Personally, I use the Doterra Oil called Onguard.
This oil can be used internally to support the immune and respiratory system and can
also be used externally as a non-toxic cleaner to protect against environmental threats.
I use it at the first sign of the sniffles or as a preventive by diffusing it in the
house or adding a few drops of distilled water and spraying down germ-infested areas like
the airplane seat or grocery cart.
I am not saying to walk around being a germaphobe to the point where you create anxiety for
yourself or others, but simply being prepared can reduce your risk AND make you feel more
in control and empowered.
My other favorite immune boosting ritual is drinking Echinacea tea or taking an Echinacea
extract, which you can find at a health food store.
Some people like Emergen-C or Airborne which are also great options.
What essential vitamins and supplements support your immune system? Make sure you don�t
forget to take them.
Tip #3 Don�t Fall Into the Crazy Trap When everyone around you is running around
like a crazy person trying to get everything done it�s easy to feel like that is what
you are supposed to do too.
Just because our society buys into the belief that this time of year has to be crazy, doesn�t
mean that it�s true, or that it has to be true for you�no matter what the people around
you are doing.
I am telling you that it is possible to avoid that trap.
What if you could be that person in line at the supermarket or at the mall while everyone
else is huffing and puffing, saying rude things to the checker or just acting annoyed, who
is stays cool, calm and collected?
You can be an example of what else is possible.
And as Gandhi would say �Be the change you want to see in the world�.
Tip # 4 Do Your Shopping Online We have such a luxury now that didn�t exist
even 10 �years-ago where you can pretty much buy anything online that you need.
So unless you enjoy being out and about this time of year or you have a great deal of patience
consider doing all your shopping this year from the convenience of your own cozy couch.
Get yourself a cup of your favorite tea, put on some calming music and shop away.
There are lots of options for online shopping these days�it�s not Amazon or nothing.
So if you like to shop small or local, check to see if your favorite physical shops have
websites�these days you�d be surprised at how many do!
Tip #5 Emotionally Prepare for Your Loved Ones
No matter how close we are to our loved ones or how much we love seeing them during the
holidays, it doesn�t negate the fact that family has the ability to bring up a lot of
our old �stuff� including limiting beliefs about ourselves, insecurities, failures, etc.
Prepare yourself emotionally by taking some time before you see them to center yourself.
Say positive affirmations to yourself.
Remind yourself how amazing you are and that your old choices no longer define who you
are.
Get plenty of sleep and visualize yourself having positive and loving interactions with
these people.
I have just given you 5 easy tips to surviving the holidays with adrenal fatigue.
Now I�d love to hear from you.
What things do you do to guarantee more fun and less stress during the holidays?
How do you avoid flair up during the holidays?
What has been the most helpful piece of information shared here?