When you hear the phrase “Oh yeah, I get tired too…..” do you want to  smack them in the face?!?

But it’s been my truth when I’ve had fatigue and someone says this to me, and it makes me kinda scream on the inside.

I never knew there were so many different types of tired before I began this journey! Who knew!??

Here’s all kinds of types of tired…….

Partied out tired:
I could party all night, work all day and function. Yes I’d be tired but I would Still Function. I knew my bed was calling me and that it was a safe bet that I’d be in at some point during the evening. This is a “I’m tired but I’ll be in bed soon tired” (I mean, invariably I’d end up partying again but hey….you know what I mean by this kind of tired). Eventually I wake up somewhere dribbling. Not so much these days. Obviously.

Exercise tired.
The best kind of tired in my humble opinion. When I’ve worked my butt off, sweated myself insane (and look the most unflattering I have EVER looked) and I get in the shower where my legs can barely hold me and then……once I’m blow drying my hair……I realise I’m ok! Then it hits me. Just before bed. I’m realllllly tired out. Worn out. Phew! Physically worn out. My mind is ok. My body is thanking me and hating me at the same time! I’m ready for some sleep kinda tired. Awesome.

Mummy tired
Now in my experience, this is a sneaky kind of trickery. I didn’t know HOW tired I was until I was no longer tired. My babies were sleeping through the night/not getting in my bed/not draining my soul from me each day (bless them) and I suddenly thought “SHEESH!!! I WAS SO TIRED!!!!”. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Sometimes I would notice how tired I was. Clues to this were putting the milk in the washing machine drum or perhaps trying to open the front door with the car key “blipper thingy”, talking to someone for half an hour then realising they are NOT the person I thought I was talking with but generally, Yip, generally not a clue about how tired I actually was. Pushing on through Mummydom.

Then there’s fatigue tired.
Trudging up a hill through treacle in lead boots.
Having to close my eyes “just for a second” whilst driving the car (I know, scary!)
Wondering if I would ever not ache/hurt/cry because it took all my energy to stand up and slice a piece of cucumber/put a pizza in the oven for the kids. #nojudgementplease it was all I could manage. (I cried the first time I cooked a meal for my children without having to sit down).
Not even having enough energy to THINK about showering, let alone have one.
Leaning on the child in the supermarket trolley seat whilst doing the shopping.
Putting my feet up wherever i was sitting as I didn’t have the energy to sit up straight.
Falling asleep EVERYWHERE – car (as noted previously), sofa, whilst cleaning teeth, in the doctor’s/consultant’s/surgeon’s waiting room, whilst eating dinner, you get the picture.
The. List. Is. Endless.

BUT it can get better. A great little book is James Wilson 21st Century Stress Syndrome. It talks about adrenal fatigue and how to take steps to fix it. There are even pictures, cartoons and lists. (Clever man. He knew there’s no way a fatigued person can read a book!!!!!!!) And where there is low thyroid function, there is generally low adrenal function.

I’m going through a minimal fatigue patch at the moment. I’ve gone back to training at the gym and think i may have tipped my body over the edge as it slowly gets used to having to produce more energy. Now, what I WANT to do is drink coffee, keep going, push myself and get through it. But now I know better. I’ve cut out the caffeine, am going to up my vitamin C (adrenals love this!), go to bed by 10pm every night for a couple of weeks so my body knows what its doing and rest/sleep/laugh as much as i can annnnnnnd i’ve just booked myself a massage to help my body chill, rest and recover.

Self care is key. Especially as next week is the Easter holidays!! Two small children, self employment, a ton of you lovely people to help out and War & Peace to read at bedtime (a bucket list job) in an attempt to stay off my phone in the evenings!

So that’s me done. Please take care of YOU. You are precious. There is only one of you.

And Don’t smack anyone in the face. Remember that they just don’t get it.

Jules x

Jules Chandler, mBANT is a registered nutritional therapist providing evidence-based nutritional therapy from a naturopathic, person-centred approach. She offers 1-1 consultations from clinics in Keynsham and Queen’s Square, Bristol and via Skype. Her specialty is thyroid disorder and she believes a thyroid disease is never a diseased thyroid.
She is a member of BANT, CHNC, MTI and the World Health Heroes, a network of health and well-being practitioners, promoting affordable health and well-being across local communities. She is an Assistant Clinical Supervisor at the College of Naturopathic Medicine and gives regular talks and workshops on health.

Today sees 2018’s International Women’s Day. A time for us women folk to come together, celebrate how fabulous we are and press for progress for what we believe in.

Women have always been powerful healers. We know this.  It is in all of us.  Over the medieval years the world changed, and medicine was developed as a new “industry”.  All of a sudden, if you were female, you were not allowed to practice.  Anything practiced by women was termed “a bit dodgy” particularly if you were a herbalist or healer.

We’ve all heard about the Witch Trials. But did you know that an estimated total of 40,000-60,000 people were executed during the European witch trials? Shocking. Just for burning incense, giving out free hugs or popping on a mud poultice on a scratched leg. Makes me so crazy mad. So crazy mad. Thank GOODNESS that times changed.

We can all heal each other to a certain degree. Women it seems more so than men. We instinctively know what to do as human beings when one of our tribe is poorly. Sooooo many people tell me they don’t know how to massage……we all have it in us.   It goes as basic as giving a hurt part of the body a rub. This in scientific terms, increases circulation bringing fresh nutrients to the area to help it heal.  Giving someone a hug when they are hurt or sad can increase the hormone oxytocin and calm them down, giving them a sense of feeling better.

Its basic science.  And the amazing thing is, THIS is how we have been designed. We are built to help each other. And when you become a mother – wow – that increases a millionfold.  Ever woken up just before your baby has projectile vomited everywhere?! That’s nature.  Ever “just had a feeling” that something isn’t quite right with someone? Whether its family or your child or your partner? That’s nature.  Ever known EXACTLY what it was that made you sit on the loo all night (“it was that ONE piece of chicken tikka!”).  That’s nature. Ever known what you really REALLY need to eat that day (whether it be greens or a burger?!). That’s nature.  We are programmed to self heal.

So what’s my point? I wanted to acknowledge all those women that lost their lives or were prevented from practicing something they truly loved doing. I wanted to say HEY WE ARE SO LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO LIVE THIS WAY and that we can appreciate and love natural medicine for what it is.  Science based, root cause, natural medicine. Adaptive medicine, functional medicine, biochemistry, nutritional therapy, whatever you want to call it…..it’s come a long way but it’s the same as it was. Healing. It’s just that with the incredible ability of modern technology and science, we can take bits apart, study cellular dynamics and make it even more tailored, preventative, restorative and amazing!   It’s just awesome. Have a great day and remember when you next see a female health professional, tell them they’re great!

Jules Chandler, mBANT is a registered nutritional therapist providing evidence-based nutritional therapy from a naturopathic, person-centred approach. She offers 1-1 consultations from clinics in Keynsham and Queen’s Square, Bristol and via Skype. Her specialty is thyroid disorder and complex cases.
She is a member of BANT, CHNC, MTI and the World Health Heroes, a network of health and well-being practitioners, promoting affordable health and well-being across local communities. She is an Assistant Clinical Supervisor at the College of Naturopathic Medicine and gives regular talks and workshops on health.