- Your anxiety is at a 10. Even small tasks tie you in knots.
- You’re quick to get angry and feel overwhelmed.
- Pounds are hanging out around your middle, or maybe that’s bloating. It’s hard to tell because your digestion is funky.
- You’re exhausted but, ironically, might have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep.
- Brain fog slows you down.
- You may have uncomfortable PMS or perimenopausal symptoms, or fertility challenges.
- You might feel particularly cynical or detached.
And more likely than not, your doctor has said “you’re fine” despite a little voice inside telling you (maybe even screaming) that you are definitely not fine. You don’t want to accept that this is going to be your life but, let’s face it... you’re running out of options.
If all of this sounds familiar, then you might be truly burnt out – a physical phenomenon known as HPA Axis Dysregulation.
I know, I know, it sounds nerdy. Sometimes people call it “adrenal fatigue” but that’s not an accurate description. Your body is trying to help by slowing you down. (Sounds backwards, right? That’s the “dysregulation” part.)
This often undiagnosed and underestimated issue affects women far more often than men. But what you are experiencing is very real. It impacts your quality of life. And there is a solution.
Let me tell you – I’m no stranger to burnout.
I spent the early part of my career in what was supposed to be the “fast-lane”. Heels, a blowout, copious amounts of coffee and a “never let them see you flinch” attitude. And while it looked shiny on the outside...on the inside I was a high-functioning stress-case.
The symptoms crept up slowly. At first, I thought they were normal.
I’d go to bed completely drained and wake up just as tired (so tired that I’d have to lie down on the couch at work while no one was looking). My anxiety was through the roof and so was my irritability. My dizzy spells had progressed into full-on fainting (imagine bracing yourself for that possibility as you ride home on the train!) I struggled with recurring sinus infections that plagued me for weeks at a time and suffered through embarrassing digestive issues.
I was a mess, to put it lightly. But my hair looked damn good.
When I finally made the time to go and see a doctor, I was told that my tests were “normal” and that I should “try to relax” (makes you want to scream, right?)
I thought (like soooo many other women) that this was either my lot in life, or it was the price that I paid for my ambition.
The turning point came when a therapist suggested anti-anxiety medication. While there is a time and a place for that kind of thing, I figured I’d try yoga instead. Isn't that what people did for stress? That led me to change my diet and lifestyle, and within a short period of time, I discovered that food was medicine.
Through a process I didn’t quite understand at the time, my burnout symptoms started to evaporate.
“My energy became steady throughout the day and I didn't need my daily nap anymore. Then, the constant hunger and cravings went away. Then, my athletic performance increased - I could go faster and further. Finally, my overall energy level increased, and I started to lose weight. Now I feel energetic and focused, I continue to get leaner, and food doesn't rule my life anymore.”
Suddenly I was feeling better than I had ever felt in my life.
My job felt easier, my mind worked faster, my energy could sustain me through the day and into the evening. Gone were the days of feeling shaky and irritable between meals. And when the anxiety and sadness melted away, a light contentment took their place and I found myself thinking “is this what happy feels like?”
Screw That
Once I was out of my own fog I could see that women all around me were trapped in burnout cycles of their own.
Screw That
Punishing their health to get through the next project, deadline, or family event – then bottoming out when their bodies forced them to rest. Only to recover just enough to jump into the next stressful peak until they repeated the pattern. Over and over and over again...opening the door to serious health issues like thyroid conditions, prediabetes, autoimmune diseases and worse.
What broke my heart is that this pattern kept them from things they wanted to do and who they wanted to be – powerful in their own right, getting promoted, taking that bike trip across Italy, maybe even running for local office. They were so stuck that all they wanted to do was collapse on the couch with a glass of wine at the end of the day.
So I set out to make women’s health my mission, quitting my career in advertising and going back to school for functional and integrative medicine so I could learn the in’s and out’s of how burnout attacks the body.
Fast forward 10 years and I’ve now helped thousands of women address the root causes of their burnout so that they can live full, active lives without the physical and mental toll they’ve paid in the past.
“I am so much lighter, have more energy and overall feel more myself and out of the funk I’ve been in for months!”
“I feel an amazing amount of clarity. My ability to focus and multi-task has amplified.”
My approach includes three areas that I personalize for each of my clients:
Build Calm: The is where we handle the chaos happening in your body and quelch it as quickly as possible. Anxiety and racing thoughts robbing you of your peace? We’ll deal with it. Underlying infections that need further testing? I’ll guide you through. You’ll start to feel more energy, have better moods, fewer cravings and digestive issues will calm down.
Build Strength: We’ll replenish the nutrients and minerals that stress robs from your body so it can begin to heal deeply. We’ll restore your gut health and bring your body back into its natural balance. The unwanted weight will start to fall off, your sleep will improve and you’ll feel more in control – more like yourself again.
Build Resilience: This is where we bring it all together so you can leave our work more powerful than ever before. You’ll learn the mind-body connection that will allow you to step back into your life without getting caught up in stress cycles. You’ll have new tools and habits that will make living a full life possible. You’ll manage any perfectionist tendencies and black-or-white thinking so you can learn to bend and sway like an oak tree. That's the resiliency that will serve you in every area of life, for the rest of your life.
This is the work that makes me the proudest.
To watch women heal and step into their power so they can say YES to that promotion, YES to speaking up, YES to that dress that's been waiting at the back of the closet , YES to climbing that mountain and YES to life, because their mind and body now support them no matter what comes their way.
So if you’re feeling completely fried (and I mean crispy) and want some answers, I invite you to take the next step:
Take my free quiz to find out if you’re just stressed or seriously burnt out so you can regain your energy, become resilient to stress, and live a bigger life (without giving up on your standards).
