Stress + Anxiety have become synonymous terms for me after having my 2nd baby this last year. I'm not "new" to motherhood. I have an (almost) 4 year old daughter and with just one baby I always felt like I was a very cool, calm and collected mother. In fact, my 1st baby was quite challenging. She never slept, she was always crying/fussy and never did anything babies were "supposed" to do like take a pacifier or sleep in her carseat or sleep in general HA! She was a little rascal... Somehow though I managed to always have my head on my shoulders, stay calm (most of the time) and trudge right through the challenges without too much stress.
After having my 2nd baby, Sofia, something in me changed. Maybe it was the amount of chronic stress I had been put under after moving 2x (to 3 different countries) in a span of 7 weeks or maybe it was the fact that my husband was gone for 26 days while I had to navigate our new living situation in Lithuania.
I'm not really sure exactly what happened but somewhere along the way I completely lost my sense of sanity. I lost my balance, my cool, my easy breezy mentality to motherhood, life and business. Everything in my life became a huge hurdle, the simplest things would set me off and after months of chronic stress my anxiety became unbearable. Unbearable to the point where I had to retreat from everything ... some days I could barely get out of bed. I only did because I HAD to do it for my girls.
I tried to be the mom that did fun things with them every day, tried not to show them I was clinging on for dear life but I quickly realized that wasn't the solution either. After trying to "do it all" I was left feeling even more anxious and depleted and was terrified/anxiety ridden at the thought of even leaving the house with them both myself.
My anxiety was so bad that I became so depressed about everything in my life that I didn't even want to be a mother anymore. I love my girls SO much but I was anxiety ridden that I couldn't even continue to press on. Thank God I reached out and asked someone for help. Thank God I told my husband what my thoughts were and we worked through things together. I had gone so far astray from who I was and who I've always been and it completely scared me. This was my rock bottom.
It still does scare me that I could ever go from feeling the happiest I've ever felt in my life just months prior to feeling the lowest of the low. Who was I? Why was this happening? Why couldn't I shake these feelings? This was the last place I'd ever thought I would be in my life - I was happy, positive, uplifting, encouraging, hard working Jackie - who was this person I had become that was anxiety ridden, depressed and chronically stressed?
I stressed myself to the point of literally making myself sick. I unknowingly started grinding my teeth all night/day to the point where my jaw would literally not open and I had to get dental work done and get a mouth guard. I emotionally ate and destroyed my gut - to the point that almost everything I ate was making me sick, upset or bloated. My joint/back pain was worse than it had been in years, I couldn't remember the simplest of things and felt like I was in a constant brain fog. I couldn't fall asleep until 2 o'clock in the morning most nights and even when I did sleep I never felt rested.
Over the past several months my #1 priority has been gaining back my life, my mental health and teaching other women how to do the same. I've come a long long way and I have God to thank for that!
Not every day is perfect even still but I feel like a completely different person and more importantly a better mom after making some changes in my life. I have not wanted to share my struggles until now but I know that there's someone out there like you that may need this help like I did. I know now that much of what I was dealing with had to do with hormonal imbalances but that there's so many ways we can prevent this or at least guard against it.
Did you know that there's a root cause to all these problems?
- chronic stress
- anxiety
- depression
- constant exhaustion
- trouble gaining/losing weight
- irritable
- brain fog, trouble with memory
- chronic joint pain/aches
- bloating, constipation or digestive discomfort
- hair thinning or falling out
- puffiness in face/eyes
- feeling like your body has betrayed you and you don't know why
A lot of it has to do with our hormones and adrenal/thyroid health. And often has to do with our bodies response to being in a constant state of survival mode of Survival Overdrive Syndrome as Dr. Aviva Romm likes to call it.
While I'm not a doctor and I can't tell you exactly what YOU need if you're experiencing these problems I can tell you what has helped me overcome these struggles. I highly recommend you talk to your healthcare provider for your specific issues or get connected/research and read more from well educated professionals like Aviva Romm. I highly recommend her book, The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution or even doing research via her articles online.
Here's my TOP 10 Tips:
Here's my TOP 10 Tips:
1. Eat a lot of the RIGHT calories
I know I keep preaching this but for women this is SO important you’re not depriving yourself of calorie dense foods. If you’re not feeding your body in a nutritious way and eating the right nutrients your body will break and much of the time that will start in your gut or thyroid which then leads to hormone dysfunction.
Eating a diet high in healthy fats + greens is vital to brain/health. When I eliminated more of the starchy carbs and traded it in for a diet higher in healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut/coconut oil, olive oil and lots of healthy veggies I noticed a huge shift in my overall mood and symptoms. Don't get me wrong, I still love my carbs and I do eat them in moderation however I've implemented a strategy for getting a very balanced diet that works for me.
I also made it a priority to drink a minimum of 120oz of water each day. Our bodies are made up primarily of water, if we’re not replenishing with H2O it leaves room for hormone dysfunction. A diet closer to a mediterranean style diet is highly recommended for hormonal balance.
2. Heal your Gut
Your gut and digestive health is SO incredibly important to your success in so many areas of your life, especially when it comes to mental health. Its said that everything starts in your gut - meaning almost every chronic syndrome we encounter stems from problems within our gut flora - this often includes hormonal imbalances that stem to symptoms of anxiety/depression. In fact, chronic stress is a HUGE trigger for leaky gut.
Most symptoms of having poor gut health or “leaky gut” syndrome a written off but research has linked leaky gut to a number of “seemingly unrelated” health concerns and chronic diseases. In fact its estimated that 80% of people in America are living with leaky gut syndrome - mostly undiagnosed.
Its also a big reason why some people fail to be able to lose weight. Some signs you may be suffering from poor gut health are:
Food sensitivities (bloating, gas, discomfort)
IBS
Autoimmune disease
Thyroid problems
Acne
Psoriasis
Low energy
Joint pain
Mood issues, depression/anxiety
Weight gain
headaches
Autism
IBS
Autoimmune disease
Thyroid problems
Acne
Psoriasis
Low energy
Joint pain
Mood issues, depression/anxiety
Weight gain
headaches
Autism
If you think you may have leaky gut some common triggers are:
GMO’s (eat organic)
Antibiotics
Chronic stress
gluten/sugar (poor diet)
Traditional dairy
Food allergies
Antibiotics
Chronic stress
gluten/sugar (poor diet)
Traditional dairy
Food allergies
How can you help heal your gut?
First step is to remove foods that hurt your gut and replace them with healing ones. The top foods to remove that cause leaky gut are sugar, grains, conventional meat, conventional dairy and GMO foods. The top toxic exposures to eliminate are tap water, pesticides, NSAIDS and antibiotics — but remember to always consult with your doctor if he or she has prescribed these for you.
4 foods you could incorporate into your diet to help your gut:
1. Raw Cultured Dairy - such as raw cheese, Kefir, yogurt and grass fed butter are rich in probiotics to help heal the gut.
2. Coconut products are especially good for your gut
3. chia seeds, flaxseeds and hemp seeds that have been sprouted are great sources of fiber that can help support the growth of beneficial bacteria.
4. grass-fed beef, lamb and wild-caught fish like salmon that are high in Omega 3s are also great!
2. Coconut products are especially good for your gut
3. chia seeds, flaxseeds and hemp seeds that have been sprouted are great sources of fiber that can help support the growth of beneficial bacteria.
4. grass-fed beef, lamb and wild-caught fish like salmon that are high in Omega 3s are also great!
So load up on BOTH probiotic-rich foods (Kefir is one of the highest in probiotics, I personally add it to my shakes every day) and I take AT LEAST 50 billion units of probiotics daily from a high-quality brand.
3. Simplify
If you're life feels overwhelming and constantly stressful do whatever you have to to take outside stressors out of your life. One of the hardest things for me to do is ask for help but I've also realized it takes a village to raise children. Ask for help from friends and relatives to give you much needed relief/self care/alone time and stop feeling guilty about it. You're worth taking care of yourself and so are your kids! If you don't have family nearby (we don't), do what you can to find good help. When I finally got over myself and realized I needed to ask for help my life became a lot less stressful and I started being a better mom to my girls.
If you have business/work/relationship situations that are not serving your mental health - cut them out for the time being. The people who truly know you and love you will understand. Money is NOT worth you risking your health.
Do things to make your life simpler where you can afford to - get grocery delivery, hire a babysitter, hire someone to help you clean ... even just simplifying your meals with something like a crock pot/instant pot can help you feel like you have less on your plate (literally & figuratively)! You can check out my "Simple + Healthy Meals for Real Moms Cookbook eBook" for great recipes the whole family will enjoy! Your health needs to be your top priority - not your pride! Even doing just one of those things while you get your life back on track can be a total game changer and keep you from going into SOS!
4. Get an adequate amount of sleep
Sleep when you can day and night. Without adequate sleep, hormones will not be in balance. Period. (This is the one I struggle with the most!)
While you’re sleeping, your body is extremely active removing toxins, recharging the mind, and creating hormones. Skimping on sleep, even for one night, can have a tremendous impact on hormones and even one night of missed or shortened sleep can create the hormone levels of a pre-diabetic.
5. Prayer
This is the time in your life (whether you think you have time or not) that you NEED to dive deeper into your spiritual life whatever that may look like for you. I make it a practice to dive into daily devotions and write in my prayer journal every single day so that I can find peace and comfort in God knowing that He is getting me through any challenges I might face that day.
6. Breathing
Every time I feel myself getting anxious I take slow deep breathes in and out and count to 3. This really helped me to calm my nerves and slow down my reactions.
7. Do something every day that brings you JOY
Whether its having a conversation with a friend, knitting, running, painting or serving someone else do something every day that makes you feel happy and joyful! For me, that meant logging off social media and getting creative and creating services for other women who needed my help. As I was going through my journey back to better health I created content for my Body After Baby Program to help women who needed someone to guide them instead of having to do all the research on their own like I did.
8. Use herbs and supplements to re-set
Because our food supply is depleted of nutrients from overfarming and often contains chemicals/toxins I highly recommend supplementing when necessary so that your body is filling those nutrient dense gaps. As much as I like to think I can get 100% of what my body needs straight from a food source that is just not the case in this day and age anymore.
Always consult with your naturopathic doctor but some herbs and supplements I used to help with hormones are: licorice root, raspberry leaf, rosemary leaf, skullcap, magnesium, maca, Omega 3s, collagen, natural progesterone creams and probiotics.
9. Avoid chemicals and toxins
Harmful pesticides found in much of our food supply as well as plastics, household cleaners, beauty products and even in pharmaceuticals/birth control can keep the body from producing real hormones.
To avoid these harmful chemicals Eat organic as much as possible, heat food in glass containers, cook with non coated metal pans, swap out harmful products for natural ones and don’t use chemical cleaners.
10. Exercise but don't overdo it
Exercise is an amazing way to relieve stress! Find an exercise regimen that will help you relieve stress in your body, not add to your body's response to stress. I can't tell you how important it is to keep your body moving but to make sure it feels good, empowers you and doesn't leave you feeling depleted. My routine involves strength training, light interval training, yoga, pilates as well as taking adequate time for rest. These have been my go-to's to feel good mentally + get my body back after baby.
Talk to a healthcare or mental health professional if you are struggling with major hormonal changes and/or post partum depression. If you need additional help there is absolutely no shame in that! I have been there myself and needed to reach out to a healthcare professional to help me get back to feeling like myself.
Are you a mom looking to get balanced, gain energy and start your journey to better health? Join the next round of my Body After Baby Program! Click here to learn more.
© Jackie Peterson Fitness 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
*All reviews posted on my blog are my own views and opinions. There are times when I may review or feature a product and I have received compensation in the form of product for my personal use or for use in a giveaway, discounts toward purchase for my followers, monetary compensation, or any combination of those three things. If I have been compensated for a post, Ill post it below the post. Full disclosure is always given and no exceptions will be made in order to conceal my relationship with a company or product line. I also feature product links on my website, in my individual blog posts and in my videos. I am an affiliate for a few companies, and I receive a small percentage of the sales revenue when a sale results from a link on my site.
IMPORTANT WARNING: I’m not a doctor, and I don’t know your personal health history. The information in my blog and in this program is only a suggestion. Please consult your physician and use your own judgment before trying any exercise or diet program.
IMPORTANT WARNING: I’m not a doctor, and I don’t know your personal health history. The information in my blog and in this program is only a suggestion. Please consult your physician and use your own judgment before trying any exercise or diet program.
Post a Comment