In this episode, Dr. Toni discusses how setting and enforcing boundaries is essential to prevent burnout with Dr. Liz Bolen. If you are exhausted and find yourself automatically saying yes when you mean no, it’s time to look at your boundaries. Too many of us put the needs and feelings of others ahead of our own. It’s time to reclaim your space and energy, instead of hoping and wishing that someone will do it for you.
Dr. Liz Bolen is a naturopathic doctor and the founder of the Bolen Health Institute. Liz is a wonderful guide on the journey of bridging science, medicine and magic in the field of Quantum Healing. Feeling trapped and a black sheep all her life, Dr. Liz fostered her inner resilience by pushing herself to find freedom that allows her to thrive. The poster child for perfectionist and overachiever, Dr. Liz has adopted imperfect action and finds triumph through wielding the magic of being high functioning. She is a truly authentic soul that sees everyone’s inner magnificence and listens nonjudgmentally while holding a sacred space for transformation. She has the ability to call people out for their BS as she compassionately guides people forward, despite themselves, to guarantee their success.
In today’s episode, we cover:
The difference between putting a wall up and setting healthy boundaries
Why listening to yourself is the foundation for having healthy boundaries
The magic formula for setting and enforcing boundaries
How no is a complete sentence
Why you are responsible for being clear with conditions and consequences in order to create safety and respect around your boundaries
How feeling anger and experiencing drama and chaos relates to your boundaries
Why 99% of boundary breaks are about you
The importance of re-programming yourself out of being a good girl
Dr. Liz recommends locking out time for yourself at least one day a week
Dr. Toni is a big fan of overnight chia pudding jars for a quick healthy breakfast at home or to go
What’s Else is Happening?
Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety to support their natural instincts around labour and birth is this month. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register
Join Dr. Lisa’s new Facebook group Wild Woman Adventures Toronto if you want to get out in nature, connect with other women and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Activities include: sunrise/sunset SUP, tree-top trekking, a new moon workshop and more!
We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer:The information provided is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
In this episode, Dr. Lisa discusses how to tell if you are burnt out and on “survival mode” (and so many of us are, unfortunately!). She uncovers the harmful effects of not resting/activating the parasympathetic nervous system, along with ways to prevent burnout. Listen in to discover ways to “fill up your own gas tank” so that you can start feeling your best and living your best life.
What’s Else is Happening?
Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety to support their natural instincts around labour and birth is next month. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register
Join Dr. Lisa’s new Facebook group Wild Woman Adventures Toronto if you want to get out in nature, connect with other women and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Activities include: sunrise/sunset SUP, tree-top trekking, a new moon workshop and more!
We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer: The information provided is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
In this episode, Dr. Lisa reviews ten simple ways to give you an extra boost to prevent that afternoon slump. As the days are getting shorter, it can really help to be more conscious of how you start your day and go through your day to support your energy.
Start day with doing something you love – avoid checking email, social media, news first thing in the morning
Stay hydrated –drink a glass of water upon waking, put pinch of sea salt in water or on breakfast/smoothie, carry water bottle, use Water Minder app
½ to 1 ounce water per pound you weigh
150lbs – 75 ounces
1L = approx 35 ounces – aim for over 2L at least
Get out in daylight within the 1st 1-2 hours of waking or use light box
End shower in 2-3 minutes cold water
Have protein with your breakfast
Practice some breathing exercises – eg. breath of fire, easy box breathing, Calm or Insight Timer app
Take a movement break
dance to your favourite song
get out for a walk around the block
go up and down stairs
stand up for a phone meeting
walk during a meeting you just have to listen in on
Smell some essential oils – eg. grapefruit, peppermint
Take a short rest break – sit in silence and enjoy a cup of tea outside
Iron: Episode 138: Top 5 Reasons Why You and Your Kids Need Iron
Thyroid: Episode 88: Exhausted, Gaining Weight and Forgetful – Is it Your Thyroid? (previously released as Episode 42)
Adrenal: Episode 137: Tired and wired? What you need to know about stress, cortisol and your adrenal glands!
Today’s Mama Must-Have:
Dr. Lisa loves mid-day squares of dark chocolate.
What’s Else is Happening?
Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety to support their natural instincts around labour and birth is happening this fall. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register
We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer:The information provided is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
In this episode re-release from June 2020, Dr. Toni and Dr. Lisa discuss: the benefits of some stress in your life; how stress becomes toxic; and how it impacts your libido, energy, mood, memory, immunity and more. Discover how to test for stress hormone imbalances and what you can do about is using lifestyle changes, meditation, exercise, nutrition, herbs and more.
In this episode, we cover:
What stress is and why you need good stress
How your adrenal glands work
What cortisol, your main stress hormone, does in your body
How you can test your adrenal function
How you can decrease toxic stress and the negative impact of stress on your hormones and health
Why is stress important to talk about?
There are downstream effects in body from stress, including hormonal changes
Stress is related to up to 90% of all illness
Chronic stress is linked to the six leading causes of death in the U.S.: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide
More than 75 percent of all physician office visits in the U.S. are for stress-related ailments and complaints
Your ability to handle stress can be impacted by: events in your childhood; genetics; and tendencies and learned behaviours from your family and loved ones.
How Some Stress Can Serve Us In the Short-Term
Stress can be both physical and emotional. Not all stress is bad!
Why do you have stress? You need it to survive!
If you came across a predator like a bear in the wild, the fight or flight response (sympathetic nervous system response) kicks in the release of adrenalin and results in:
Heart rate and blood pressure increases
Blood vessels dilate to increase blood flow to large muscles (arms and legs)
Pupils dilate to see more clearly
Blood flow to your core organs of digestion is shut down since it’s not a priority
Reproduction and fertility is on hold so your energy is focused on immediate survival
Ideally, stress is temporary, allowing your stress hormones to go down and your body has time to recover and repair.
When Stress Becomes a Problem
Stress can become chronic when you are presented with one stressful situation after another and don’t have time to recover. It is important to note that it can be triggered by perceived threats or actual threats. Stress can build up and be too much for your system to handle, especially if you’re experiencing a combination from different sources like:
Being stuck in traffic
Running late for work
Doing a presentation at work
Not getting enough sleep
Managing kids and home life
Dealing with sick kids or ill parents
Good stress has positive effects in your body!
When stress is very temporary and you’re looking forward to something that gives you “butterflies” in your stomach, like going for a job interview, writing an exam or going on a date, it can be a good thing for your body!
Good stress can:
trigger feelings of reward in your brain after it is over
support your immune system by increasing heat shock proteins
increase your wound healing ability and effectiveness of vaccination
increase your resistance to infection and cancer
reduce inflammation and allergic reactions
boost your energy
support your productivity (to a point)
control your sleep-wake cycle
regulate blood pressure
manage how your body uses carbs, fats and protein
Sources of stress can include:
Mental (worry, anxiety, depression, past trauma)
Chemical (medications, heavy metals, toxic chemicals, mold exposure, chronic bacterial or viral infection)
Physical (dehydration, vitamin deficiency, fasting, pain, injury, structural misalignment, lack of sleep, time zone change)
What are your adrenal glands and what do they do?
Your adrenal glands are triangular-shaped glands located above your kidneys that produce your stress hormones: adrenaline and cortisol (among other hormones as well).
Cortisol reaches its’ maximum level 15 minutes after a stressful situation occurs and:
Increases gluconeogenesis (increases blood sugar levels breaking down glycogen in liver)
Decreases insulin sensitivity
Decreases growth hormone
Decreases T3 thyroid hormone
Decreases your immune system and inflammatory response
Increases fat and protein metabolism
3 phases of the stress response curve:
Alarm phase – adrenalin increases then decreases after acute stress
Resistance phase – cortisol increases and stays high with longer term stress, like work or school deadlines, car accidents, illness or death of loved ones
Can have you feeling hot and wired with issues like:
Too much nervous energy and unable to wind down
Feeling warm or hot
Sweating at night
Different parts of your body feeling red and inflamed
High blood pressure
Weight gain in the mid-section
Needing caffeine or sugar to increase your energy and keep going
Needing alcohol to unwind in evening
Getting sick as soon as you relax or go on vacation
Exhaustion phase – cortisol decreases as you get into burnout
Can have you feeling cold and tired with issues like:
Fatigue and exhaustion
Feeling weak
Get dizzy upon standing
Experiencing low blood sugar
Dark circles under the eyes
Tongue and face appear pale and puffy due to retaining water
Are you stuck in the Resistance phase of the stress response curve?
How do you make the “Resistance” phase of stress tolerable instead of toxic?
Chronic stress can be manageable with enough personal resources and support system
Tend and befriend
Spending more time feeling zen and relaxed in the spa in your mind (parasympathetic nervous system) instead of staying in the emergency room in your mind (sympathetic nervous system)
Toxic stress can happen when you don’t have personal resources and/or support system to deal with it and can result in:
uncertainty and feeling lack of control
physical and mental illness
Your normal daily/diurnal cortisol curve:
Cortisol is highest in morning in response to morning light, giving you energy to get up and take on the day
It decreases over the day and has an inverse relationship with melatonin (your sleep hormone)
If cortisol is high at night, then melatonin can’t be properly produced and released by pineal gland
The World Health Organization (WHO) is bringing attention to the problem of work-related stress. WHO is updating its definition of burnout in the new version of its handbook of diseases, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) which will go into effect in January 2022. The WHO:
specifically ties burnout to “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”
defines burnout as “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.”
Chronic toxic stress causes your brain to change!
It shrinks your hippocampus and impairs memory
It weakens the connections in your prefrontal cortex (your rational self) to decrease your concentration, focus, impulse control, decision making ability, regulation of stress response
It increases activity in your amygdala resulting in more hypervigilance, more sensitivity and reactivity to stress (like a toddler having a tantrum)
It induces cerebrovascular changes and increases: neuro-inflammation, oxidative stress and blood brain barrier permeability resulting in brain fog, mood disorders and accelerated aging of your brain tissue.
Other negative health effects from chronic toxic stress include:
Weight gain in midsection
Blood sugar issues and increased risk of diabetes
IBS including gas, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea
Reflux and heartburn
Muscle tension and headaches
Insomnia
Reduced immunity
Mood disorders
Increased blood pressure
Lower bone density
Accelerated aging
How are your hormones impacted by stress?
You need the appropriate amount of cortisol for your thyroid to work properly
If stress and cortisol levels are high, you can’t make enough of your other sex hormones like testosterone and progesterone causing:
How do you find out what is happening in your body?
Testing for stress hormone imbalances includes:
Orthostatic hypotension
Pupillary response
Questionnaires like Identi-T Stress Assessment
Lab tests for adrenal function
Urine – DUTCH and CHI testing for cortisol production and breakdown plus other hormones, multiple samples throughout the day (4 or 5 point testing)
Saliva – multiple samples throughout the day (4 or 5 point testing)
Blood – cortisol AM is of limited value, best for testing thyroid function
How do you keep stress tolerable instead of toxic? How can you prevent burnout?
Keep a regular daily routine
Sleep – aim for at least 7 hours, avoid screens at night, use blue-blocker glasses
Get enough natural light and sunlight during the day
Get in the right types of exercise at the right time of day, avoiding over-exercising
Avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol, caffeine, sugar
Stay hydrated and consider adding pinch of salt in water
Practice mindfulness, meditation and journaling to reduce: worry, negative thoughts and rumination
Get therapy or counselling from a psychologist or psychotherapist. Also, take advantage of the Government of Canada’s free online mental health portal, Wellness Together Canada, to access free online mental health resources and support, including access to therapy, apps, meditations and more.
Talk to your Naturopathic Doctor or licensed healthcare practitioner about taking supplements such as: vitamin C, B vitamins, magnesium, adrenal glandulars, and adaptogenic herbs like: Siberian ginseng, ashwagandha, rhodiola, holy basil, licorice, maca, reishi, cordyceps, shatavari, schisandra.
Get outside: walking in nature and practice “Forest Bathing”.
Today’s Mama Must Have –
Dr. Toni enjoys Traditional Medicinal’s Stress Soother Tea to relax and get into the “spa” state of mind.
Dr. Lisa likes Traditional Medicinal’s Chamomile with Lavender Tea, and their Lemon Balm Tea to wind down in the evening.
Thank you for joining us today!
What’s Else is Happening?
Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety to support their natural instincts around labour and birth is happening this fall. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register
Join Dr. Lisa’s new Meetup group Wild Woman Adventures Toronto if you want to get out in nature, connect with other women and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Activities include: sunrise/sunset SUP, tree-top trekking, a new moon workshop and more!
We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer:The information provided is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
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