I saw my friend today. I had not seen him in a really long time as we are both small business owners. He looked really rundown and I told him that. So tired, so sore, a shell of himself. No days off in sight because running a small business can be all-encompassing. And when I say all-encompassing I mean it. You never have a day off. Ever. Because you are the sole provider for yourself, your family, and possibly other families. Everyone depends on YOU. But are you depending on yourself?
"When was your last day off?" I asked. He said he has not had a day off in over a year. I told him he has to take some time for himself or he will burn out. He said there is too much to be done. It makes me so sad. I am sad that he is working so hard and not taking care of himself. I am also sad that I used to be exactly like him.
How do we fix this problem? I mean, our country isn't going to change overnight. So this isn't a big picture question. More of a micro fix. How can we fix the issue where we expect our bodies to run on borrowed energy? Borrowed time? The inevitable thing will happen. We will burn out. Your brain may not believe this but your body will tell you to bugger off one day. And we can only hope that a little R&R can fix us.
I personally have burned out a few times. I have adrenal glands that, due to a genetic issue, don't always want to play by the rules. If I don't support those tiny little glands, they will ruin my day, week, month, however long it takes me to snap out of it and start some radical self-care. But why do we let it get to this point? Again, the picture of capitalism and small business is a whole other blog post. How can we make it so for those type A entrepreneurs, we don't just spontaneously combust?
S.E.L.F. C.A.R.E.
LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK
SELF-CARE
If we are going to solely rely on our bodies to go go go go go then we have to fuel them properly and support them. Stress is the biggest killer of the immune system so starting with that is key. Supporting the immune system and lessening stress is vital. Easier said than done Kit! Right?
Nope! Wrong. Here is how we can support our immune system and stress response at the same time. Let's talk about adrenals again.
I mentioned a genetic condition up above. My son has what is called salt-wasting congenital adrenal hyperplasia which causes adrenal insufficiency (yeah I know, it's a doozy to say). His body does not produce cortisol and he salt-wastes. For him, these two things can be a matter of life and death. Here is a link to learn more about adrenal insufficiency www.aiunited.org
For me, as a carrier of this condition, my symptoms are for more mild and not life threatening, but deplete me in times of severe stress. So what do I do? How do we support our immune system and our stress levels?
Liposomal Vitamin C
The whole reason I began making this product was to support my family's immune system as well as our body's reaction to stress. High dose Vitamin C does both. Below you can read scientific studies about the benefits of Vitamin C.
I began formulating and making LVC back in 2016. I was so sick. I was anemic, I was hypothyroid, celiac, estrogen dominant and had un-diagnosed MTHFR (that is a whole other post I promise). I survived on a handful of pharmaceuticals ranging from opiates, anti-depressants, muscle relaxers and so much more. I was getting sicker and sicker and no one was helping me find out why. I had gotten incredibly comfortable reading medical journals with my son's rare diagnosis and inadequate treatments at hand, and so I veered my focus to fixing myself, once he was stabilized. My deep dive into the world of fibromyalgia, adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism was an eye-opener. The lack of treatments, testing, and physicians willing to do any of it was truly alarming. I was laughed at on more than one occasion when I asked for help. So I switched gears and started my own research. And I went down a research rabbit hole with Dr. Linus Pauling. His work on high dose Vitamin C was everything I had been looking for and I began formulating in my kitchen like a mad scientist.
Eight years later I am still making LVC. And no matter what, if I don't take any other supplement, I take LVC every single day. I would not have the energy that I have to do my job as a health coach, wife or mom, and rare disease advocate, without it. The energy it provides, the immune support, everything.
I am going to be bringing some LVC to my friend this week. If I can't physically make him take a much needed day off, I can at least make sure his immune system and adrenals are boosted to keep up with the insane demands that owning a small business requires. And the next time I see him I hope he feels better.
-Kit