Spring—a time of energy and rejuvenation—has finally arrived. For some people, it’s a time when we can be outdoors and enjoy more daylight hours.

When I recently mentioned this to a group of women, many leaned back in their chairs and sighed, “If ONLY I could get my energy back.” I even heard one say “I’m so tired of being tired. Just the thought of being energized makes me tired!” 

Why is everyone so tired these days?

There are certain factors that are easy to identify—our mile-a-minute lifestyles, our endless electronic information stream that keeps us ‘tuned in’ all the time, our eating on the run, our working more and playing less, and our more complicated family issues—and they all put demands on us both physically and emotionally. 

These demands call on our adrenal glands to work harder. These glands, which are responsible for providing the fight-or-flight hormones, can force the body to endure a constant flood of stress hormones that can ultimately lead to multiple health issues— weight gain, foggy thinking, blood sugar instability, headaches, digestive issues, decreased immunity, and especially severe fatigue. Some symptoms are even contradictory: can’t sleep/can’t stay awake, depressed/always on edge. 

Adrenal dysfunction shows up differently in different people. Look at your own stress response. How do you react in different situations? How do you react to different people?  How do you react to the foods you eat? Once you begin to understand this, you can begin to focus on regulating your adrenal function.

Stress isn't just uncomfortable and unpleasant. Chronic stress can actually be dangerous. There are numerous studies which have linked chronic stress to many conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer as well as to thyroid abnormalities, obesity, digestive and even autoimmune disorders. None of our body's systems operate alone. There’s a great deal of cross-talk between our systems—adrenals, sex hormones, thyroid, gut and brain.

So if you’re feeling “bone tired,” be sure to work with your health care practitioner to rule out any serious illness. Then make a commitment to take care of you—making sure you get at least seven hours of sleep per night and taking time to ‘step away’ from your stressors every day. This might mean meditating for just two minutes twice a day, shutting off your phones and computers for a set period of time each day, making good nutrition choices and eating at regular intervals throughout your schedule.

Spring is all around you—it’s time to enjoy it!