Adrenal Fatigue, Anxiety, Depression and finding rest peace and hope through it
At first I am going to start of with saying. This year hasn't been easy but it has also seen a lot of revelation and growth through it all.
This year I decided to study as well as continue ski racing which was already a lot in itself. We had pretty intense schedule and I also had to keep up with all my training which was pretty hard work.
I was rushing from place to place with literally no rest. I would also stay up till around midnight most nights and get up pretty early in the mornings. I was also over- training to try to make up for the time I had lost skiing and I got obsessed with being fit and wanting to be a better athlete and trying to be in better shape that it took a toll on my health.
At the start of last year I was struggling with fatigue and wondering why I was feeling tired all the time. I ended up even getting tested for glandular fever with the results coming back negative I sort of brushed it off. I started doing crazy amounts of training and countless intensive workouts, along with going through the stresses of my study I was always pushing myself way too hard and not finding the time to rest. I was also getting sick pretty much every other week and always feeling tired and not being able to train properly anymore.
Towards the end of my ski season I started to get really sick and run down. I would have to sleep pretty much every day and sometimes for 4 hours, along side that I started to get pretty emotional. The smallest things would make me cry and I really wasn't feeling like myself.
Things got even worse after the ski season. I got to the point of feeling completely drained I wasn't sleeping much at night and I was always feeling dizzy and fatigued. I ended up having to spend pretty any amount of free time I had my bed resting. Thats when I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue. I also found myself struggling with depression and anxiety. There was still so much to do and a lot of stress coming to the end of my course but I was completely drained physically and mentally. This was a very uncomfortable and hard time for me but God really broke through and gave me the strength to carry on and he taught me a lot through all of this.
I am going to break it up and sum up all things that God revealed to me through this season.
I learned to hold on to Gods truth and HIS word and NOT my feelings or my emotions.
Isaiah 55:89-9 (NIV) - "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts " says the Lord and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Through this season I was often uncomfortable, exhausted and very discouraged. God really revealed to me that I needed to rely on him and his word not my feelings. I held onto his word and his promises instead. I decided to be more optimistic and trust that even though I didn't feel great or understand what God was doing I trusted that he was working things for Good in the background. I decided to try to think more like God and in faith. Instead of sitting there feeling sorry for myself.
I learned to run to him, first when I was feeling anxious or depressed and not to other things.
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) - So let us come boldly to Gods throne of grace, so that we may receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us in our time of need
I noticed myself sometimes through my depression and anxiety running to other things first and not to God. I realised the reason behind it was simply too tired and I felt like I had to strive to be in his presence and I didn't have the energy to. In fact I was so consumed with my problems and my struggles that I found it hard to run to God right away. But when I finally did I found so much peace in him. In sitting still in his presence and giving him all my emotions and feelings and trusting that he was working everything out in the background. Also I discovered that praying for others really helped me I thought I was too exhausted to at the time. I got to a point when I didn't pray as much because I didn't think I had the energy to, but when I finally did I was so surprised. Almost instantly I felt his peace within me. Never underestimate the power of prayer even if you don't see it right away God hears you and things are moving in the background. God brought me so much peace and joy and hope in this season when I ran to him escaped into his presence.
I learned that God was strengthening me through this and refining me and that I was going to turn out stronger and wiser on the other side.
1 Peter 5:10 (NIV) - And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
I took great joy in the fact that even though things were difficult. I knew that God was strengthening and refining me into a better person and that my character was being built up. I was also humbled by the fact that God revealed some things to be through this that I needed to work on. For instance I really wanted people to feel what I was going through and I would get very upset with people when they wouldn't show me show me symphothy or understanding. I learned that only God truly understands what we are going though. I also did find myself running to things again such as boys, shopping etc before God. Which seemed unusual because I would usually seek God first. I noticed when things started getting harder I found myself finding comfort in my old ways.
I learned to look after myself and that I need rest!!
Exodus 33:14 (NIV) - “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
I learned that in order to function mentally and physically that you need rest and that you can't just keep going and going. Eventually you will burn out!!! Ive learned that I am valuable and that I need rest. This rest is vital, it is super important to rest and the busier and the tired you are the more you need it. I found that having rest time and spending time relaxing in his presence fills you and restores you and brings you so much peace and healing. Also to give out to others and to love others you need to look after yourself and be a friend to yourself too.
And finally I learned to live off his strength and not my own!!
Philippians 4:13 (NIV) - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
I woke up many days feeling week and inadequate. But I trusted in his strength and let go and relied on his strength rather than relying on my own strength.
Thank you for reading this I hope you got a lot out of it. I feel like God puts us through these seasons to test our faith and really to see who we run to first. And to refine our faith and build up our character to give us strength and wisdom so that he can mould us into who we created us to be. These times are hard but sometimes you need to be uncomfortable in order to change, grow, and develop. But in the long run it will make things so much better. Take heart trust in him and remember these times are only seasonal.
This year I decided to study as well as continue ski racing which was already a lot in itself. We had pretty intense schedule and I also had to keep up with all my training which was pretty hard work.
I was rushing from place to place with literally no rest. I would also stay up till around midnight most nights and get up pretty early in the mornings. I was also over- training to try to make up for the time I had lost skiing and I got obsessed with being fit and wanting to be a better athlete and trying to be in better shape that it took a toll on my health.
At the start of last year I was struggling with fatigue and wondering why I was feeling tired all the time. I ended up even getting tested for glandular fever with the results coming back negative I sort of brushed it off. I started doing crazy amounts of training and countless intensive workouts, along with going through the stresses of my study I was always pushing myself way too hard and not finding the time to rest. I was also getting sick pretty much every other week and always feeling tired and not being able to train properly anymore.
Towards the end of my ski season I started to get really sick and run down. I would have to sleep pretty much every day and sometimes for 4 hours, along side that I started to get pretty emotional. The smallest things would make me cry and I really wasn't feeling like myself.
Things got even worse after the ski season. I got to the point of feeling completely drained I wasn't sleeping much at night and I was always feeling dizzy and fatigued. I ended up having to spend pretty any amount of free time I had my bed resting. Thats when I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue. I also found myself struggling with depression and anxiety. There was still so much to do and a lot of stress coming to the end of my course but I was completely drained physically and mentally. This was a very uncomfortable and hard time for me but God really broke through and gave me the strength to carry on and he taught me a lot through all of this.
I am going to break it up and sum up all things that God revealed to me through this season.
I learned to hold on to Gods truth and HIS word and NOT my feelings or my emotions.
Isaiah 55:89-9 (NIV) - "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts " says the Lord and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Through this season I was often uncomfortable, exhausted and very discouraged. God really revealed to me that I needed to rely on him and his word not my feelings. I held onto his word and his promises instead. I decided to be more optimistic and trust that even though I didn't feel great or understand what God was doing I trusted that he was working things for Good in the background. I decided to try to think more like God and in faith. Instead of sitting there feeling sorry for myself.
I learned to run to him, first when I was feeling anxious or depressed and not to other things.
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) - So let us come boldly to Gods throne of grace, so that we may receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us in our time of need
I noticed myself sometimes through my depression and anxiety running to other things first and not to God. I realised the reason behind it was simply too tired and I felt like I had to strive to be in his presence and I didn't have the energy to. In fact I was so consumed with my problems and my struggles that I found it hard to run to God right away. But when I finally did I found so much peace in him. In sitting still in his presence and giving him all my emotions and feelings and trusting that he was working everything out in the background. Also I discovered that praying for others really helped me I thought I was too exhausted to at the time. I got to a point when I didn't pray as much because I didn't think I had the energy to, but when I finally did I was so surprised. Almost instantly I felt his peace within me. Never underestimate the power of prayer even if you don't see it right away God hears you and things are moving in the background. God brought me so much peace and joy and hope in this season when I ran to him escaped into his presence.
I learned that God was strengthening me through this and refining me and that I was going to turn out stronger and wiser on the other side.
1 Peter 5:10 (NIV) - And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
I took great joy in the fact that even though things were difficult. I knew that God was strengthening and refining me into a better person and that my character was being built up. I was also humbled by the fact that God revealed some things to be through this that I needed to work on. For instance I really wanted people to feel what I was going through and I would get very upset with people when they wouldn't show me show me symphothy or understanding. I learned that only God truly understands what we are going though. I also did find myself running to things again such as boys, shopping etc before God. Which seemed unusual because I would usually seek God first. I noticed when things started getting harder I found myself finding comfort in my old ways.
I learned to look after myself and that I need rest!!
Exodus 33:14 (NIV) - “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
I learned that in order to function mentally and physically that you need rest and that you can't just keep going and going. Eventually you will burn out!!! Ive learned that I am valuable and that I need rest. This rest is vital, it is super important to rest and the busier and the tired you are the more you need it. I found that having rest time and spending time relaxing in his presence fills you and restores you and brings you so much peace and healing. Also to give out to others and to love others you need to look after yourself and be a friend to yourself too.
And finally I learned to live off his strength and not my own!!
Philippians 4:13 (NIV) - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
I woke up many days feeling week and inadequate. But I trusted in his strength and let go and relied on his strength rather than relying on my own strength.
Thank you for reading this I hope you got a lot out of it. I feel like God puts us through these seasons to test our faith and really to see who we run to first. And to refine our faith and build up our character to give us strength and wisdom so that he can mould us into who we created us to be. These times are hard but sometimes you need to be uncomfortable in order to change, grow, and develop. But in the long run it will make things so much better. Take heart trust in him and remember these times are only seasonal.
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