Field Notes on Battling Fatigue

5 ways to hit back against burn-out

This is part one in a series on the four aspects of a balanced life:physical, mental, emotional and spiritual/creative.

In the last year and a half, I've been dealing with some food and fatigue issues. I've benefited from living in Austin, Texas, where there are gifted integrated health care providers (I literally have a healing team made up of a chiropractor-nutritionist who studied Chinese medicine, an acupuncturist, a physical therapist and a (Western) general practitioner.)

There was never a clear diagnosis. It’s possible I've been suffering from adrenal fatigue, and with major diet adjustments (I don’t eat sugar, wheat, or dairy, to name a few restrictions), my condition has dramatically improved. A lot of what I've learned was through food journaling and trial and error. Being a half-baked scientist, I've found a a few tips that have helped restore me, and are backed up by science as well. Paying attention to these tips after stressful projects or after a conference can help aid in bouncing back from fatigue, and often even out mood as well. They’re my own ‘field notes’, so your mileage my vary. Always consult with your doctor or nutritionist, of course.

• Get more magnesium in your system. Magnesium has a very positive effect on helping people bounce back from depression or stress. There are drinks like the Calm supplement which is like a fizzy drink, which can help bring more magnesium into your body. Epsom salts are also helpful — they are crystallized magnesium salt. A 20 minute soak can be restorative — be aware that it will likely make you sleepy so take the bath before you have time to take a long nap or go to bed for the day. If baths are not an option, you can wet the salt with water or bath gel/oil, and rub on your skin (away from the shower head) — let it sit on your skin for 30 seconds or more, and rinse off. (Lady friends — see the side note.) I also take a Magnesium-Calcium-Zinc supplement before going to bed. When we are stressed out, our bodies (for some people) tend to metabolize and literally “burn up” these types of minerals that really do support our ability to deal with stress.
• Eat a potato (with the washed skin) before going to bed. I read a book called Potatoes Not Prozac (a very random find in a used bookstore — it’s about sugar sensitivity — but not the type I have, unfortunately.) The eating of the potato before bed is the sort of punchline to the whole protocol presented by the book. I think the reason why it helps is it delivers a big amount of potassium to your system as you sleep. Does not have to be a large potato — I microwave a small fingerling potato and eat it before bed — and the book suggests not using any oil of any kind to help optimize absorption of potassium (salt and pepper are ok!)
• Eat within the first hour of getting up in the morning — something that is high protein and nutritionally-dense — so eggs, or steel cut or rolled oats, a small amount of animal protein (sausage?) or vegetarian equivalent. Again, this is a technique presented in the book referenced above. By eating early in the day, you help your body stay out of “survival” mode, and regulate blood sugar — for me, this also means my mood and emotions have become more level. Remember to eat every 3 hours or so — this has become an iron-clad rule for me. Hangry (hungry + angry) is a real thing — as my acupuncturist says, “food is mood.” I set a reminder on my phone as well. When I eat at regular intervals, I feel more productive and less “cloudy headed” (a symptom of adrenal fatigue.) Again, my emotions and moods have also leveled out considerably.
• Add more (good) fat to your coffee. If you drink coffee (I do) adding coconut milk (full fat, from a can) or adding coconut oil to coffee can help neutralize the acidity of the coffee. (With the oil, I put the oil and coffee in the blender.) I read in a book written about recovery from adrenal fatigue that the coconut fat helps reduce some of the more harmful effects of coffee — see the side note for the book link. Coconut milk or oil will also jump start your metabolism, so again, don’t forget to eat breakfast!
• Lavender essential oil. If you are responsive to aromatherapy (I have a nose like a bloodhound), a couple of drops of lavender oil rubbed at the base of the head (on the scalp) help create a very restful sleep. This might just be suggestion rather than a chemical effect, but it helps.

(I didn’t include the most important tip — not just for burnout but for over-all health — make sure you are drinking enough water. This is particularly challenging to remember when we work in climate-controlled environments.)

There is such a growing wealth of tips and info out there — please feel free to leave notes that point to other resources — or share your own anti-burnout life hacks.

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