Latest / Arise Women of God / How to Recover from Mom Burnout
Transcript
- 0:00Hey friend, how do you recover from mom burnout?
- 0:04Over our last couple of episodes, we have unpacked the deep causes of our exhaustion from the biological cortisol still that triggers mom rage to the massive mental and emotional load we carry as the air traffic controllers of our
- 0:19homes.
- 0:20But what happens if you have already crashed?
- 0:24What if you're sitting right there now, completely broken, emotionally fragile and physically incapable of keeping up with your daily life?
- 0:34You're desperate for a recovery plan.
- 0:36Well, stay tuned, my friend.
- 0:37You're in the right place.
- 0:39And by the end of today's episode, you'll learn why it is completely biblical to seek out doctors, how to navigate normal blood work when you still feel exhausted, and why biblical recovery starts with radical rest.
- 0:55Let's dive in.
- 0:57Ordinary women Extraordinary Faith Walking with Christ we arise God strong.
- 1:06Hello and welcome back to the Arise Women of God podcast.
- 1:10I'm your host, Tamara K.
- 1:11Andersen, and today we are taking everything we've learned about our physical biology and our mental load and answering the question, how do you actually recover when you have already hit the wall?
- 1:27Here's what we're going to touch on today.
- 1:29First, the dizziness crash, where I'm going to share how my body literally forced me into bed for a week because I ignored the warning signs.
- 1:40Number two, the healing journey.
- 1:43Why getting your blood work done is step number one and what to do if the doctor says you are normal but you still feel awful.
- 1:53Step number three, the great Physician's advice.
- 1:56What Jesus actually taught about going to Doctors in Matthew 9 and Mark 5.
- 2:02And fourth, we're going to cover the importance of a break and I'm going to share about my first real break after having kids and the cheerful promise my husband made to me.
- 2:13Let's start by looking at what happens when we ignore our bodies.
- 2:17Two episodes ago, I shared how chronic stress triggers your body to pump out cortisol and steal your calming hormones.
- 2:24That biological crash usually leads to exhaustion and rage, but if you keep pushing through without stopping, your body will eventually pull the emergency brake for you.
- 2:37I was lucky in a weird way.
- 2:40Many years ago, I had pushed too hard for too long as a young mom and my body sent me a massive physical sign that I was burned out.
- 2:50I got super lightheaded and I couldn't even sit up.
- 2:54The dizziness was so intense that I literally had to lay down for about a week until I could walk around without the room constantly spinning.
- 3:03And unfortunately, this happened three different times over the course of several years before I finally got the memo.
- 3:11Ladies, I wasn't listening to the gentle warning signs.
- 3:16So my body screamed at me until I crashed and burned.
- 3:21Oh, my sister.
- 3:22Sometimes true burnout doesn't need a new planner or a tighter discipline strategy.
- 3:29Sometimes true burnout needs a week off.
- 3:32If you're feeling emotionally fragile and physically broken today, I invite you to recognize that you have sustained internal and emotional injuries.
- 3:44You don't need a task list right now.
- 3:46You need time to heal.
- 3:49And even God, when he created the world, took time to rest.
- 3:55It is okay to rest.
- 3:58It is okay to say my body is not okay.
- 4:01I need help.
- 4:03I need to pause.
- 4:04I'm going to cancel everything for the next few days and just let myself rest.
- 4:10If you need permission, I'm giving it to you right now.
- 4:14Tamara said, I need rest.
- 4:15You need rest.
- 4:17After that intense dizziness crash, I realized I couldn't just sleep it off forever.
- 4:23I needed professional help.
- 4:25I finally took the time to go to a doctor and get comprehensive blood work done.
- 4:30Now I want to pause right here and speak to the mama who has already done this.
- 4:36Sometimes you go to the doctor, they run the tests and the blood work comes back quote unquote normal and you want to cry because you know you aren't functioning normally.
- 4:49I want to validate you right now.
- 4:51If traditional blood work doesn't give you the whole picture, it is okay to go to other practitioners.
- 4:58When my kids were young and I was profoundly exhausted, one of my chiropractors realized what was happening, that I was crashing and exhausted, and he put me on an adrenal supplement to keep me going.
- 5:11And, and that helped me dramatically throughout my journey.
- 5:15I've also been to good acupuncturist, a massage therapist, and an excellent counselor.
- 5:21Healing from burnout is rarely a one size fits all solution, so I invite you to be prayerful about it.
- 5:28Talk to your trusted friends.
- 5:31Get good feedback on doctors, nutritionists and other medical practitioners in your area.
- 5:36And if you go to God, he will absolutely guide you to the right person for your specific needs.
- 5:45Sometimes Christian women feel guilty going to all these appointments.
- 5:50We think, shouldn't I just pray harder?
- 5:53Is it a lack of faith to rely on, say, an adrenal supplement or a chiropractor?
- 6:00Let's listen to what Jesus himself said in Matthew 9:12.
- 6:06They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick, end quote.
- 6:12Jesus validates the role of healers here.
- 6:15Seeking medical care is not a lack of faith.
- 6:18It is an act of stewardship over the physical body that God has blessed you with.
- 6:24Even when Jesus performed incredible supernatural miracles.
- 6:28He always pointed back to the importance of physical care when he raised Jairus 12 year old daughter from the dead in Mark 5.
- 6:36His immediate commandment right after she stood up was that something should be given her to eat.
- 6:43Spiritual recovery and physical recovery go hand in hand.
- 6:48Taking supplements and looking at getting micronutrients microvitamins into your body, getting blood work and seeking counsel is exactly what God wants you to do to restore your body along with getting the right medical help.
- 7:05True recovery requires radical rest.
- 7:10I vividly remember my husband taking me on my first getaway from our young kids.
- 7:16It was my very first cruise and my first real break since we had started having kids nearly a decade earlier.
- 7:25We got away for an entire week and do you want to guess what I did on that beautiful tropical cruise?
- 7:33I slept.
- 7:35I slept for so much of it.
- 7:37I was that exhausted.
- 7:39We still did fun things together, but mostly it was like breathing life back into my completely parched soul.
- 7:48As the ship approached the shore to go home at the end of the week, I turned to my husband with tears in my eyes and I said, please promise me it won't be another 10 years before I get
- 8:00a break again.
- 8:03Yikes, right?
- 8:04It breaks my heart to think I waited a decade to take a breath.
- 8:09My sweet husband promised me right then and there.
- 8:13And we made a firm commitment to prioritize time when he and I could get away, even if it was for just a few days at a time.
- 8:21And let me tell you, this was tricky.
- 8:25There weren't a lot of people who could watch our kids since two of our boys were on the autism spectrum.
- 8:32But we realized that if we didn't prioritize my rest and recovery, I wouldn't survive the marathon of mothering.
- 8:42It is okay to prioritize rest.
- 8:45Oh my dear sister.
- 8:46God wants to restore your soul, but you have to let him lead you beside those still waters and sometimes right into the doctor's office.
- 8:56If you are ready to stop feeling guilty for needing rest and want a practical plan to start your healing, I want to give you our free guide down in the show notes below.
- 9:08Click the link to download your free copy of the Mom's Burnout Reset Guide.
- 9:14Inside we walk you through how to drop the heavy rocks you were never meant to carry, how to implement a new not to do list, and how to start trading survival mode for Christ centered peace.
- 9:29Download your free copy today by clicking the link below and give yourself permission to recover.
- 9:36Oh my dear sister, your Father in heaven loves you fiercely.
- 9:42You are his daughter.
- 9:43And when you're broken, dizzy and exhausted from the demands of life, he does not stand over you with a clipboard demanding more work.
- 9:51He stands over you with grace, offering rest, guidance and healing little bits at a time.
- 10:00Give yourself permission to lay down, seek wise medical counsel and take time to recover.
- 10:08Thank you for joining me today and until next time.
- 10:12May you arise, stand by God and do it God's way.
- 10:18God strong.
- 10:21If today's episode helped you feel a little closer to God, please like and subscribe.
- 10:26It helps us grow and ensures heaven's whispers stay at the top of your feed whenever you need them most.