Many of us feel utterly exhausted at the start of a new year. This can be for many reasons, but here are some of the most common:
- As a result of Christmas weight gain/dietary excess and general sluggishness
- Lack of sunlight leading to vitamin D deficiency
- Dehydration – many of us drink significantly less water in the Winter due to the cold
- Stress – which can have a myriad different reasons – including post-Christmas financial pressures, relationship issues, work pressures etc. Emotional issues can make you feel exhausted when it”s actually more like mental apathy
- Poor sleep pattern – not enough sleep
- Lack of exercise/ poor muscle tone/posture/sluggish metabolism
- Poor diet – many of us crave comforting carbs when it’s cold and eat a lot less fresh food
Luckily, there are many natural solutions to help remedy feelings of exhaustion and fatigue. The main thing is not to put up with it. Remember that your body communicates with you by giving you signals – often in the form of symptoms – indicating dis-ease. If we learn to listen early on, serious ill health is so often completely preventable.
Exhaustion Action Plan:
- If you put on weight and lost muscle tone over Christmas – bite the bullet and aim to start a new regime tomorrow! Build your exercise regime slowly but surely. Take vigorous daily walks to start and build from there, the fitter you are the more you build your stamina and energy levels.
- If your exhaustion is accompanied by aches and pains and you rarely get outside during daylight hours in the Winter, try a vitamin D3 supplement. BioCare do a great, easily absorbed version that you can take in water – Bio-emulsion D. Our bodies make the equivalent of approximately 20000 international units of Vitamin D a day if we are out in the sunlight. If we are outside during daylight hours very little in the Winter – and have very little dairy produce and oily fish – we may well be deficient.
- Drinking 1-2 litres of water daily is equally important in Winter as it is in Summer – we get dehydrated quickly with all that central heating. Try hot water and lemon juice and herbal teas for an extra healthy boost.
- Stress and “over thinking” about things can create constant over stimulation of the adrenal glands – those “fight or flight” chemicals were not meant to be ever present in our blood stream! Try a regular aromatherapy massage to help you wind down and keep things in their true perspective. Remember you are not your emotions – they are merely a reflection of how you are processing things at that moment. You can choose where you allow your mind to go! Allow yourself a regular soak in an aromatherapy bath too. Choose essential oils that can help ease stress, tension and tiredness and that can help you wind down. We suggest 2 drops Neroli, 2 Chamomile and 4 Bergamot in 15ml Bath Oil.
- Sometimes chronic tiredness is quite simple – we’re not getting enough sleep! We all vary on how much we need and at certain times we need more sleep to counteract the amount we’re “taking out” of our systems. Be gentle with yourself and try getting an extra hour in bed for a few nights each week. If it makes a real difference you know what to do! Cat napping during the day for 20 minutes can give you a real boost too. Watch your caffeine intake as well – you may not be sleeping deeply or peacefully if you’re taking in too much caffeine during the day. An instant coffee has about 100mgs of caffeine in, and even tea has about 70mgs! Some of us are much more sensitive than others to stimulants so adjust your intake and see how you get on! Try sedative essential oils to help you wind down and sleep peacefully. Vaporise 5 drops of Lavender and 5 Marjoram in your bedroom an hour before retiring. You can also massage a few drops of neat Lavender into your chest before turning off the light. Drink a chamomile tea before bed and give yourself enough “down time” to help you “switch off ” properly.
- Foods rich in calcium and magnesium are very important for helping to balance the nervous system and to provide positive renewal repair mechanisms and general strength. Essential fatty acids can also be deficient, especially in those who are on low fat diets. Deficiencies can result in difficulty in concentrating, hormonal fluctuations, tiredness and poor skin tone. Anaemia – iron deficiency may also be an issue. If you’re not sure whether your tiredness is due to deficiencies or poor digestive absorption – see a nutritional therapist to help advise you.
- Remember that essential oils can be of great help if you are exhausted and you still have to drive home or push yourself that extra mile. Peppermint essential oil is a wonderful brain stimulant when inhaled direct from the bottle or from a few drops on a tissue. Rosemary also helps to boost the memory and concentration. But, remember to respect your body’s signals, and take note of tiredness and allow yourself to go into “receive” mode instead of getting stuck in the “just giving” cycle! Therapists can be especially guilty of this. No one appreciates a good aromatherapy massage as much as someone who practices massage in my opinion! Remember to take a little dose of your own medicine regularly if you are a practitioner. If you burn out then you’re hardly setting a good example – and besides, who wants to go and get a treatment from someone who looks like they need it more than you do?
Joannah Metcalfe
Consultant Aromatherapist
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