Updated: December 28th, 2025
- This year, make a resolution you can stick to; manage stress differently to improve all areas of your life!
- Adrenal dysfunction leads to symptoms that can make any resolution tough to manage.
- A faulty stress response can result in complete exhaustion, no matter how much rest you get.
- In 2026, try my tips for resolving adrenal fatigue and having your best year yet.
I have friends who make huge lists of resolutions every year – usually the same resolutions they made the year before!
Take my friend Becca. Last year, after finally getting out of a terrible relationship and starting a new business, she felt so motivated to make positive changes that she made a massive list of new year’s resolutions. Recently, I asked her how it had gone, and she admitted the same goals are on her list this year.
I asked what the big challenges in meeting those goals had been throughout the past year, and what she said really struck a chord with me. I’ve heard it so many times, from so many women!
“Every day, I wanted to do those things I set out to do,” she said, “I never forgot about them, and I’m not lazy. But I was just so exhausted – I could never seem to get started.”
I think I know what the real problem was; her stress response was out of control, and adrenal fatigue was sapping all of her energy away. Just keeping on top of her business took all she had. So this year, I helped Becca make a different kind of resolution. This was the year she’d truly understand – and manage – adrenal fatigue.
If you can relate in any way to Becca’s story, I want to help you make and meet the same resolution. Today, I’ll share some of my top strategies for stopping adrenal dysfunction in its tracks, and helping you get back to the you you want to be!
Is your stress response faulty?
A lot of women struggle to understand whether or not they “have” adrenal fatigue. This makes complete sense, since much of the conventional medical community still doesn’t even believe it’s real. completely makes sense. There’s a lot of overwhelming, confusing, and often contradictory information about what adrenal fatigue is online. And even worse, there’s no conclusive adrenal fatigue test that you can run.
Beyond that, your holistic practitioner might tell you you have adrenal fatigue, while your family doctor simultaneously says this condition doesn’t exist! What’s a woman supposed to do with that?
I want to assure you that adrenal fatigue as I talk about it absolutely exists – and there IS help available.
From what I’ve seen throughout all of my years in practice, most women experience some degree of adrenal fatigue throughout their lives. And I’m less concerned with whether we want to call this adrenal fatigue, adrenal dysfunction, HPA axis dysfunction, or something else– the point is, collectively, our stress responses are suffering.
This may be unsurprising to many of my readers (and to most people who are paying attention to our modern world!). Between personal and emotional stress, watching the news, the lingering effects of a global pandemic, the political climate we’re living in, our busy jobs, our busy lives, rising costs of pretty much everything… it’s no wonder we’re exhausted.
The good news is that there is a way to heal your stress response and your overall health. And it all starts with recognizing that something is off.
Signs of Adrenal Dysfunction
How do you know if your stress response is in need of some TLC? Sometimes, it’s just a gut feeling. If you feel more tired more often than you should, even after a full night’s sleep, that’s one key indication.
Here are some of the most common signs and symptoms of adrenal dysfunction:
- Constant, frequent, or excessive fatigue
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Feelings of anxiousness or overwhelm
- Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Frequent sugar cravings
- Over-reliance on caffeine
- Waking up feeling unrested
- Experiencing an afternoon “crash”
These are all warning signs that your adrenals may have been working on overdrive, leading to what is essentially physiological burnout and an impaired response to stress (of all kinds).
Now, let’s explore what to do about it!
How to Beat Adrenal Fatigue This Year
If you, like Becca, have been dealing with the symptoms and feelings described above, I’m here to tell you that this is your year to make a change. No matter what else you hope or plan to accomplish, know that restoring your adrenal function using these simple, holistic strategies will help to get you there.
- Set boundaries. Let’s start with one of the most challenging but most important resolutions of all. Learning how to say no! SO many women know on some level that certain work commitments or personal relationships are wearing them out, but they’re not sure how to pull back or walk away. This year, take some time to really reflect on the situations in your life that are draining you. Ask yourself what boundaries you can set to relieve this stress (Is it a matter of delegating certain tasks? Taking a break from a friendship? Creating a clear line between work and personal time?) Finally, communicate those boundaries to the relevant people in your life.
- Eat anti-inflammatory foods. What you eat plays a huge role in how well your adrenals function. Opt for a wide variety of whole, anti-inflammatory foods, including healthy fats, lean proteins, leafy greens, and high quality sea salt– and, while you’re at it, say no to pro-inflammatory foods like sugar, refined flour, and anything processed.
- Practice mindfulness in a way that works for you. Everyone’s talking about mindfulness, but all too often the only suggestion is meditation. Meditation just doesn’t work for everyone! There are so many ways you can introduce more mindfulness into your life, and they don’t all involve sitting quietly with your thoughts (though I do find real value in that). For example, you may practice mindfulness by taking a walk every morning without your cell phone or any other distractions. You may practice mindfulness by sitting and listening to a beautiful piece of music, with or without your eyes closed. There’s no right or wrong way to practice– just explore what makes you feel present and connected to yourself.
- Heal your gut. Remember that “gut feeling” that something is off? That can be taken quite literally! Restoring your gut health is one of the most important (and often overlooked) things you can do to improve adrenal dysfunction. It’s important to understand that stress goes beyond the mental and emotional (e.g. feeling stressed about work) – things like leaky gut or an imbalance in your gut microbiome are also stressful for your body, and can throw your hormones and adrenal function out of whack. Consider introducing probiotics into your routine to help balance your gut microbiome, and/or getting a stool test done with your functional medicine practitioner to see if there may be something going on in your gut that you’re unaware of.
This year is about you
New year’s resolutions in and of themselves can be stressful – so maybe it’s time to take a break from the traditional resolutions (and all the stress that comes with trying to follow them exactly)! The best way to approach any changes is as intentions: do your best, understand your “why”, and be gentle with yourself as you go along. That’s the real secret to all of this working, and to restoring your adrenal function, energy, and most vibrant self. Happy new year!
