How I went from exhausted to thriving using 7 simple steps

Thriving is a conscious choice, we all have an innate wisdom inside ourselves, tapping into it is the key to your personal power!

I remember the day I woke up feeling completely exhausted, I didn't want to do anything anymore. I had gone at a hundred miles an hour, staying on top of running a successful hotel and at the same time studying and building my own coaching practice. The constant stress and pressure that I had put myself under had crushed me from the inside out. I would consider myself a chronic busyaholic, stopping felt like failure. Yet, getting up was a struggle, sleeping was a struggle, eating was a struggle, making decisions.. you guess it.. a struggle. But that day, when I woke up, I accepted that I was burned out and just knew something had to change and I needed that change. I was ready to give up on my dream of bringing my coaching from corporate to the public when I found myself on a call with my Success Coach from the Health Coach Institute. After me rumbling on and feeling sorry for myself she paused and then said to me....

“All you have to do is be your own best client. Listen to your own advice, follow your instincts and listen to your body's needs ”

WOW! Why hadn't I thought of this? It seemed like the most natural thing to do, yet I was so focused on everyone else and everything I needed to do that my focus was just on the wrong things. Knowing I was ready for a big shift and tired of feeling exhausted I started to do exactly that. May these steps help you to tap into your power and go from exhausted to thriving!

Step # 1: Assess your Stressors and how they show up!

Where are you stresses coming from? Take a few minutes and look at 4 areas of your life and the potential stressors they hold.

Neighborhood Stresses

Family Stresses

Personal Stresses

Work Stresses

Write down what happens when you are stressed. Do you have difficulty sleeping or staying asleep, maybe you feel the need to drink wine to calm your nerves or you crave sugar and caffeine to get you going. Perhaps you have muscle aches and pains, especially in your neck, shoulders and back?

This step is about creating AWARENESS around where your stressors are coming from and how this shows up in your life.

Step # 2 : Create a Vision for what balance in your Life will look like

Once we take a Step back and assess where our stresses actually are coming from it's time to ask ourselves what we would like to experiencing instead.

Henry David Thoreau said live the life you have imagined. Now it's your time to start imagining what life you'd like to live. By answering these 5 questions you will get clarity on what your vision looks like:

1. If you could wave a magic wand and really get what you want even just in 90-days what would that look like?

2. What would you (and others) see when you have your outcome?

3. What are 3 things you would do if you had that outcome, 3 things you feel you can't do right now?

4. How would it make a difference in your life (and other important people in your life) if you had that outcome?

5. Imagine you are already experiencing this outcome and everything you want. It's 3 months from now and you've achieved everything you set out to achieve. What does that feel like?

Step # 3 Let the Food be the Medicine and the Medicine be the food

Food is the most powerful medicine we have. Some foods can cause more stress and take away energy while others can help us feel energized and content.

Eating the right food will help support your adrenal function which in result helps you feel more energized. Through my own journey I also found some new beliefs that are important before I share some options on eating for energy!

No single diet is right for everyone. There are as many Diet's as people on the planet!

What's healthy for one person may not be healthy for you

The body has an innate wisdom before any book or authority

Diets are not useful as dogma, bu they are useful as a reference "Flexibility vs Rigidity"

Eating for Energy

1. Increase healthy fats

Healthy fat's from foods such as wild caught cold water fish, avocados, nuts and seeds or coconut oil have an incredibly positive effect on your body. Just to name a few healthy fats help you absorb important Vitamins such as Vita A,E,D and K. They regulate hormones and stabilize your metabolism as well as can increase your Energy!

2. Reduce/Remove offenders

Offenders are foods that commonly cause digestive upset and stress out the adrenal glands (so they can take away energy)

- Remove refined sugar

- Focus on eating low-glycemic foods which are slow burning and give you more energy (I recommend the Foodmap App from Monash University)

- Reduce or at least temporarily remove gluten

- reduce dairy and eggs (optional)

3. Eat like the Rainbow!

There are important vitamins and minerals in all coloured veggies. Adding colour to your plate will also lift you spirit :-)

 

Step # 4 Get your snooze

Sleep is a super powerful rebalancing agent! So it's time to get series and make sleep a priority. Low energy levels and poor adrenal function is often related to a lack of rest and sleep. If you can you should get at least 8-hours of sleep per night.

A few tips for a great night sleep are:

- introduce a power down hour (no tech, just some tea, a hot bath or some essential oils)

- use black-out curtains

- go to bed before 10 pm and get your 8 hours

breathe deeply for at least 2 minutes before bed - you can try the 5-5-7 breathe which has you create in and hold for 5 seconds each and the exhale for 7! It is proven to calm your central nervous system

Step # 5 Practice Mindfulness & Be Present

We are living in a world of tomorrows. Dr. Marcella Pick

When was the last time you paid attention to the smallest most habitual movement, like getting up from a chair?

Starting to pay attention to the smallest movements or behaviours can be a powerful tool in becoming more present and mindfulness of our environment. The key in this step is to retrain our brain and bring awareness back to what we do and what we accomplish each day. Being mindful and present will allow us to reduce stress and become more present in the now rather than racing of to the next thing!

Tools for mindfulness that are powerful are:

- meditate once per day. You can do this on your own or use an app like Headspace

- introduce silent minutes in your day. Personally I take 30 silent minutes each morning; I just sit, drink my tea and hang out with my cat. Starting my day this way helps to start in a relaxed mood

- focus on the positive. Ask yourself : What's going well?

Step # 6 Adapt your Movement

Not all movement is equal. If you feel drained after a heavy or intense work-out it maybe time for you to swap the high intensity workouts for some low intensity ones.

A simple walk or some yoga can be a great way to add movement without maxing out your body, and low intensity workouts in between your intense workout regime are proven to help you increase your endurance!

Extra tip - Go outside! movement in nature will boost your mood and energy so it gives some extra healing power and perhaps a friend can join!

 

Step # 7 Perfect just the way you are

Paralyzed with fear and unable to complete tasks, relentlessly and viscerally self critical? The desire for perfection can take a heavy tall and have a major impact on your wellbeing!

Perfectionism can completely zap our energy as we strive to hold ourselves to the high and often unrealistic expectations we set. It's time to let it go. One of my clients recently shared this with me after our journey together...

...I definitely feel I'm putting less pressure on myself to my idea of perfection, because I am not perfect and I cannot achieve that. I can continue to strive but in a positive and forgiving manner for myself...

Making mistakes is the most human thing there is, so let's take a step back, cut ourselves some slag and become perfectly imperfect.

Perhaps next time you fold the laundry just roll one of your t-shirts up? Or put 2 different colour socks on. Trust me these small steps can help you break free from your perfectionism prison and help you access an abundance of blocked energy!

FEELING INSPIRED?

If you liked this blog and are ready to go from exhausted to thriving. I'd love to hear from you! You can DM me on Facebook @theresalambertcoaching or e-mail me at [email protected]

I also have some more detailed resources - click here to subscribe to access my ebook on Nutrition for Energy, Stress Mastery and more...!

 

 

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