Are you addicted to stress? Are you someone who keeps on going even when you are exhausted? Are you getting messages to slow down and you are not listening? If you have answered yes to any of these questions you might one day experience adrenal exhaustion, if it is not happening already. I want to encourage you to start paying attention to the signs, signals and messages your body is giving you. Adrenal exhaustion may show up as physical signs, such as a change in sleeping habits, energy blockages, digestive difficulties, hormonal changes, chronic fatigue, or illness. Or it may manifest as emotional changes - in attitude, lack of motivation, loss of patience, anxiety, irritation, changes in eating habits, depression and so on. It may also take the form of reduced concentration levels, memory loss, and a feeling of disconnection spiritually. So the questions to ask are what can you do to make sure you do not end up with adrenal exhaustion and what can you do if you are at that stage?

I am someone who has experienced adrenal exhaustion firsthand. It had been coming on for many years. I am a healer and know my body quite well, yet I refused to stop and make changes that would help support my body, nervous system, adrenals and organs. I have always given out energy to others and not always given enough back to me (I did not fill up my "cup".)

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to help take people's pain away and help them to feel better. So because of that motivation, I have been more focused on giving healing energy and love out to others and have not regarded myself as a priority. Finally, my energy became depleted. My mind had been programmed to think I could do it all and handle it just fine. To be quite honest, in the past I have been addicted to stress and to pushing myself beyond my limits and, as a result, have experienced adrenal exhaustion.

Over the past few years, I have been going through many hormonal, emotional and bodily changes. I can certainly feel that the prolonged periods of stress have affected me on every level, especially my adrenal and thyroid glands.

Our adrenal glands produce hormones and one of these is cortisol. When we go through times of stress or become addicted to stress, our body can use up more cortisol than our glands can produce. This can lead to illness, chronic fatigue, depression and extreme changes in the body. In my case, I developed thyroid cancer. The blessing here is that this has forced me to make changes in my life and to change my stress patterns. I am learning how to make myself a priority. Old patterns can sometimes be hard to break, but those necessary changes can be made with practice and awareness.

Fhe first warning signs of my adrenal exhaustion were emotional - feelings of depression, not sleeping soundly through the night and mood swings. I would do everything I knew on all levels to move through the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. I then began to experience frequent urination, especially during the night and heaviness after urinating. This led to headaches, a slowed down digestive system and low energy levels. I did not realise that my endocrine system was out of balance until I had some blood work done and it was all there in black and white. Further tests showed me I had cancer of my thyroid. Boy was my body talking to me and wanting me to change my stress patterns!

The following steps will help you to change your stress habits and avoid adrenal exhaustion or just help you if you are going through any type of imbalance: * Practise breathing more deeply, as your breath is your lifeforce.

Breathing is one of the most unconscious patterns we have, but in order to improve our breathing patterns we first need to be more aware of them. Many people I have found breathe very shallowly. This puts a lot more stress on the physical body, the adrenals and can create more tension, tightness and pain in our body. Begin now to become more aware of how you breathe and especially how you breathe when you are under pressure or concentrating on something. Breathe fully into your belly and then bring your breath up into your chest as if you are blowing up two balloons. Hold your breath for a count of two and then breathe it out fully. You can imagine breathing in all the good things and breathing out the stress. Continue several times and do as often during the day as you can. You may need to write notes to yourself as a reminder to breathe! * Acutapping your stress away

Acutapping will help you to release stress and tension, to feel more alive and keep your energy moving. You will feel more alert and energised. It is quick and easy to do and stimulates the organs and blood flow, allowing the digestive and lymphatic system, organs and glands to work more effectively. Acutapping is great to do at any time, especially first thing in the morning, or in the shower, where it will really wake you up.

If you are feeling tired during the day or after work, spend approximately five minutes doing a full body energy tap to help you re-energise and let go of the pressures of the day. As you do the tapping, send healing energy into your body and remember to breathe fully as you do this exercise. Instead of reaching for another cup of coffee, try acutapping instead.

How to do Acutapping * Stand up as it better than sitting * Use your fingertips (the fleshy parts, not the nails) * Imagine sending loving, healing energy and light to your body as you tap Notice which spots are sore or tight and breathe more deeply into those areas. * Begin to tap down one arm (front and back) * Move to the other arm and do the hands * Move up and tap across the chest and diaphragm * Move down and tap all across the belly * Move down and tap the pelvis, hips and buttocks * Move down the legs tapping both sides and the feet and toes (you will need to bend or sit to support your lower back when you do this) * Move up and tap your lower back and move up the back (if you have someone with you, get them to tap on either side of the spine where you cannot reach) * Move up to tap your shoulders and neck. Finish tapping your head and face Stand for a moment after you finish, close your eyes and notice how you are feeling. Can you feel your body tingling? Do you feel more awake and alert? This is the blood and energy circulating through your body.

* Along with acutapping, do some sort of exercise for at least 15-20 minutes every day. This could be anything like walking, stretching, yoga, team sport, jogging, swimming, or bikeriding. Make sure it is something that you enjoy and that motivates you. Get someone to do it with you as well to make it more fun. * Create a daily spiritual practice. This can include going to church, temple or whatever you can do that reconnects you with your spirit on a regular basis. Take the time to tune into your self daily. Start to build a relationship and rapport with your body by asking it on a daily basis what it needs from you and take the time to be still and listen. Bless, thank and send healing and loving energy to each part of your body on a regular basis. Take the time to meditate, pray and slow your mind down. Be grateful every day for what you have in your life.

* Your emotional health directly affects your physical health and wellbeing. Take care of your emotional health by recognising and expressing how you are feeling and getting it to move. You can express your feelings in many ways such as writing it out, speaking it out, dancing it out, exercising it out, or singing it out.

• Your mental health directly affects your physical wellbeing. Stop trying to be perfect. Make sure you spend time laughing, doing the things you enjoy and being creative. Watch your thoughts and stay conscious around your self talk. If your thoughts are not supporting you positively, change them right away. Become more aware of self criticism and self judgment. What you focus your attention on is what you get. This helps to lessen your stress and tension levels and bring about more peace and balance in your life. One of the things to ask yourself is "Am I loving myself by having this thought or taking this action"? If the answer is no, then do something or say something that does express loving yourself.

• What foods are you putting in your body? Become more aware and disciplined about the food you are eating. Spend more time making sure you feed yourself healthy, fresh, organic and nourishing food. Avoid fast food and eating on the run as much as possible. Eat and chew more slowly to help your system digest better. Either silently or out loud (whichever you prefer), bless your food before you eat it, whether at home or in a restaurant.

• Keep your body hydrated. Make sure you are drinking at least 4-6 glasses of purified water per day. No other liquids take the place of water. Cut back on coffee and caffeine.

• Keep your home and work environment free from clutter. Spend the time making sure that your living and working environments support your health and wellbeing. Be more aware of the radiation and chemicals you ue and have around your home. These can certainly affect our health.

• Avoid being near radioactive waves. If you use a mobile phone, it is important to use an earpiece with it so that the phone is not up against your head.

• Rest, rejuvenate and renew on a daily basis. Get plenty of fresh air on a daily basis. Do not wait to do this until you are on a holiday - do it now. Have a regular massage or healing session to help your body and mind to relax and let go of stress.

• You are precious so remember to love and nurture yourself every day. You cannot take care of others unless you are taking care of yourself first. Don't take things too seriously - lighten up more and worry less. Be grateful on a daily basis for all that you have.

• There is no time like the present. Make yourself a priority and take the time daily to replenish and recharge your body, mind, emotions and spirit. Don't wait until exhaustion sets in before you listen to body and take action to do something good for yourself.

Laurie Levine is the director of Sydney's Positive Living Spiritual Centre and the author of Spiritual Medicine and Blessings of Gratitude.

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