Insecurity...

Since my last post, I found out that I am in adrenal failure. It IS reversible and have to work harder at getting on a sleep regimen, de-stressing (yeah, I don't know what THAT means), and really be on point with my clean eating. 

But today, I want to talk about insecurity! We ALL face it - on various levels and types of it - but we all got it.

Insecurity is the recognition of an area of vulnerability, the general sense of did-ease in one's own skin. It is like a mold in your kitchen: it's never welcome, but it seems to crop up in all kinds of places. The difference is this: I would never let mold remain on my bread or in my fridge, yet so often we women (and men) readily accept insecurity like it's a normal part of life.

We have insecurities about appearance, approval, relationships, achievement. Insecurity keeps us self-focused and ultimately paralyzed in our life and relationships.

So we (including myself) need to stop feeling this way and find our security in Christ - beautifully and wonderfully made! This is hard when society berates us and fills our head with the impossible to live up to. By just doing and being the way GOD created us to be and WHO we are - that's enough to be at peace with ourselves. 

Healthy and Free - Adrenal Health

Happy June! It's been a couple of days since I last posted - I was reading and researching about adrenal and thyroid health. Have you ever been to the Dr and they want to run tests on your thyroid as the possible cause for your weight gain? I know I have - EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It's frustrating when it ALWAYS comes back as my thyroid is "fine" or within "normal range." Here is what I found out while researching/reading about this:

Stress - whether good or bad - can throw these 2 glands out of wack. There are 2 types of stress: acute and chronic.

Acute stress: more of you day-to-day, short term stress - like being caught in traffic, cook dinner in a time crunch, getting to work on time, etc. This type of stress comes and go and fairly simple to manage.

Chronic stress: this is the kind that you want to avoid. This is where a person never sees a way out of a miserable situation. This is extremely draining and potentially even fatal. After a long period of time, the body thinks that it is being threatened and the response is it begins to shut down your major organs, including your nervous and immune system.

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue include:

• Daily cycles of energy bursts and fatigue
• Cravings for foods high in sugar/fat
• An increase in PMS and symptoms of menopause
• Mild depression
• Lack of energy
• Decreased ability to handle stress
• Muscular weakness
• Inflamed allergies
• Lightheadedness
• Decreased sex drive
• Frequent sighing
• Inability to handle food that are high in potassium w/o combining them with fats and proteins

Solution:

• REST
• Laugh
• Excerise
• Minimize stress
• Eliminate negative people
• Eat regular meals (breakfast, lunch - so important to remember to eat these 2)
• Chew your food - chew slowly - will help your body work harder to break down the food
• Have FUN every day!
• Eat smart - stick to whole, unrefined carbs - eat clean
• Eat YOUR VEGGIES! - Eating 5-6 servings of veggies a day
• Use your salt shaker - Pink Himalayan salt and Celtic sea salt - not the kind you would normally use
• Vitamins C, B complex, E
• Calcium and Magnesium
• Licorice root - this is a root that promotes a healthy digestive system and cholesterol levels