April 11, 2024 • 16 mins
In today's podcast episode, I explore the hidden addiction many ambitious women have to stress hormones. Drawing on my experience as a burnout coach, I talk about how a culture of chronic stress and relentless work ethic can lead to detrimental impacts on your health. I share my own journey and case studies from powerful women like Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo, and Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo.
Throughout the episode, I address four typical signs that indicate an addiction to stress hormones. If you thrive under pressure, struggle to relax, have emotional regulation issues, or neglect your health for work, you could be addicted to stress hormones. I provide insightful strategies like managing stress, a healthier lifestyle, prioritizing sleep, and saying “no” to help you break free from feeling stressed and burnout.
Get ready to take incremental but consistent steps towards stress management and healthier lifestyle choices. Learn preparation methods for whole foods to nourish your body, how to add movement in your day for a little fitness action, and about the power and relief of learning to say no.
Join me as we work towards a life less filled with stress and more filled with health, happiness and success. Remember, managing stress is a journey, not a destination. So let's get started!
Connect with me:
1. IG - @bithiah sel
2. Website - www.bithiah.co
Get your free guide to feel 10x more energized while having a restful sleep:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I woke up this morning with a realization that sometimes, especially for ambitious
women like us, we can be secretly addicted to stress hormones,
and chances are we don't even know it.
I myself used to be a walking example of this for many years.
And all the things that I was doing, such as constantly pushing myself,
(00:24):
the sleepless nights, the reliance on caffeine and sugar for energy.
Trust me I blamed it
on everything like my genes the weather
it was a never-ending list and never
once did it occur to me that it could just be my body talking to me my body's
(00:45):
response to chronically elevated cortisol levels and I guess the question today
for you is if you have have ever felt the same way too.
Have you ever felt like sacrificing your well-being was okay because you just
have less on your plate and because you thrive on a pressure?
(01:07):
As a burnout coach, I see this all the time.
This is honestly very common, especially for ambitious women.
So I'm not sure if you guys know who Marissa Mayer is.
She is the former CEO of Yahoo. who and
years ago she famously bragged about only sleeping for
four hours a night because she just
(01:29):
had to work basically she was you know trying to tell everyone that she has
a very good work ethic and I feel like some people actually might admire that
kind of hustle and honestly I was one of them too I used to be the type of girl
where you know if I have to get things done I'll I'll get it done.
(01:49):
It's okay if I don't get eight hours of sleep because my work is more important than anything else.
But honestly though, it's just not sustainable and not healthy in the long run.
Because you're constantly being in that fight or flight mode.
When your fight or flight mode is always on, your cortisol levels are going
(02:10):
to spike up and then this is going to lead to a whole lots of problems.
So I guess this brings us down to today's podcast episode.
How do you know if you might also be addicted to stress hormones?
I've compiled five different signs.
Okay, wait, sorry, just four different signs for you to watch out for and to
(02:35):
realize sooner than later that you you could potentially be addicted to stress hormones.
So the first thing I have on my list is if you are someone that thrives under pressure.
I used to be.
That type of girl. I loved being under pressure.
Honestly, I felt most energized and productive when I have so much on my plate.
(02:59):
And it came to a point where deadlines kind of was more of a motivator than
a source of anxiety for me.
And if you guys know who Indra Nooyi is, well, Well, she's a former CEO of PepsiCo.
She once said that she thrives in the eye of the storm.
(03:19):
I mean, I do respect her for being able to rise to the challenge,
but chronic stress essentially takes a toll on your health.
Now, what is more important here? Your health or prioritizing everything else above your health?
Pick and choose your battle. Number two is if you are someone that has trouble relaxing.
(03:46):
So what that means is whenever you have any kind of free time or downtime,
you just can't stay still.
Your mind is basically constantly racing, planning or worrying.
It's almost like it's super hard for you to just switch off and unwind.
And honestly this
(04:09):
happens to a lot of ambitious women
as well and michelle obama
actually described feeling this way
where she just can relax in her book becoming she mentioned that you know it's
just super hard for her to unwind after leaving the white house third sign to
(04:32):
look look out for is if you struggle with emotional regulation.
If you find yourself going off at the tiniest things, or maybe you just feel
irritable, anxious, or on edge more often than not,
then chances are you are just extremely stressed, and it's time for you to unwind,
(04:57):
relax, relax, and take care of yourself.
And the last thing I have here is if you're someone that neglects your health.
Now, I don't mean by, you know, when you're sick.
And now I don't mean by, say, if you are sick and you just don't go to the doctors.
(05:19):
No, that's not what I mean. Obviously, whenever we're sick, we're going to take
medication, go to the doctor or whatever, just so we can recover.
And that's great. And I hope everyone is doing that. But what I mean in this
example here is more in terms of your lifestyle.
You know are you neglecting living a
(05:40):
healthy lifestyle you know I mean
I totally understand though like I used to be just
have no time at
all for cooking I just didn't have any time for cooking or going to the gym
basically anything that had to do with prioritizing my health I I just didn't
(06:01):
have any time for it because work kind of sort of always just came first.
So if you nodded to any of the signs above, then chances are you might be addicted to stress hormones.
And the good news is there, of course, are ways that you can break free from
(06:25):
the stress hormone addiction cycle.
And here are a few key strategies that you can start implementing slowly and steadily.
The first thing that you have to
start doing is just simply managing your stress. It is as simple as that.
Now, I know a lot of people, whenever they hear the word stress management,
(06:50):
they're like, well, I just can't go have a massage every week because I can't afford it.
Or my insurance only covers up to four sessions.
So, well, okay. Yeah, massage. Having a massage is one way where you can reduce your stress.
(07:10):
But honestly, there are so many ways where you can manage your stress and you
don't have to pay a single dime.
And I'm going to share with you a few examples here.
Spending time in nature, it's free, girl. Go spend some time in the nature.
Go for a walk, 30 minutes, whatever.
(07:32):
It is spring right now. So no excuses when it comes to the weather because it is getting warmer.
You can also just practice meditation. And there are so many meditation videos
that are good on YouTube.
Just watch that and start meditating.
Or take up yoga classes online, offline, whatever works for you.
(07:56):
Again, YouTube is my go-to for yoga classes and meditation classes.
Because they're free and they're also
effective and then you can also do
some deep breathing exercises if you've got apple
watch chances are your watch is most likely going to remind you to just take
(08:18):
some time and do some deep breathing exercises and if you don't have apple watch
that's totally okay too because youtube has a lot of deep breathing exercises for free Great.
But essentially, what I want you guys to remember is that stress management
doesn't necessarily mean having to break the bank.
(08:44):
There are activities that you can do that are absolutely free.
And the most important thing is to do activities that resonates with you and
helps you calm your mind and body.
Don't force yourself to do yoga
but then every time you do yoga you feel
anxious because you just can't get you
(09:07):
know a certain position right and then
you just feel bad about yourself no the whole point
of doing any sort of stress management activities
is so that you can reduce your
stress stress right okay the next
thing that you can do is prioritizing your
sleep it's really not that hard
(09:30):
if you are living a healthy and wellness lifestyle honestly a lot of my clients
tell me that it is just impossible for them to get seven to eight hours of quality
sleep each night because Because they just have so many things to do.
And also because they do get tired in the afternoon.
(09:54):
And then in the evening, they just don't feel tired. And in fact,
they just feel more energized.
Well, do you know why all of this is happening? It's because you're just not
living a healthy lifestyle.
Maybe because you're drinking lots of coffee. And if you don't already know
(10:16):
this, coffee has a health life of, I believe, six hours.
So if you're drinking in the afternoon, it's still going to be in your body.
And it's going to take about six to 12 hours for it to completely digest.
But by that time, because your body's also working hard, it's also going to
be harder for you to fall asleep, right?
(10:38):
But anyway, if you are getting a healthy lifestyle, trust me,
getting that seven to eight hours of sleep is not going to be hard.
And if you're wanting to learn more about how you can get that restful sleep
every night, check out my previous podcast episode because I literally gave
you guys lots of examples that you can start incorporating.
(11:01):
All right, the third thing is to just nourish your body with whole foods.
Again, this is also, I would say, super easy.
All you have to do is eat lots of vegetables, lots of fruits,
whole grains, and lean protein.
Because all of this will provide your body with nutrients that it needs so that
(11:24):
it can cope with stress better.
But if you're eating, say, processed foods, which is probably very common for
ambitious women that are always on the go because, let's be honest,
processed food, it's cheap and it's fast, right?
But processed food is essentially junk.
It is too highly processed and there is barely any nutrients left that your
(11:47):
body can absorb and can benefit from it. So start incorporating whole foods into your diet.
And you're going to see how it's going to help you reduce your cortisol levels.
And the fourth thing is to just move. Move your body.
Exercise is a fantastic stress reliever.
(12:10):
Before you think that exercise equals to going to the gym, let me tell you, it is not.
And I blame social media for this because whenever someone posts anything about
exercise, it's always something to do with weightlifting or just being in the gym.
But exercise could be just doing any sort of activity that can help boost your
(12:35):
cardio, such as going for a breeze walk or dance class or even yoga sessions.
Whatever that's going to get your heart pumping, do it. But make sure you find
joy in it. For me, I love dancing.
And I also love rollerblading and biking.
(12:56):
The last thing I have here is just learning to say no.
I feel like this is probably the toughest one that I have on my list here.
But it's honestly super important that you start learning to say no.
No, because you don't have to do everything.
You don't have to take on all the projects.
(13:16):
You have to learn to set boundaries and delegate tasks.
Otherwise, you are going to just burn out quicker than ever.
And then the performance is going to go down.
And then what? You're not going to be...
A high achiever at that point because your body just can't keep up.
(13:37):
So it is important for you to be selfish when it comes to your well-being because
well-being is essential.
It's essential for your body. It's essential for your health.
It's essential for you. Let me share with you a stress-relieving activity that I truly enjoy.
It's basically me cooking in the kitchen while singing along to my favorite tune.
(14:03):
Yesterday, I believe I was listening to David Guetta and Neo.
It's that work hard, play hard, good song.
Yeah, I mean, I just don't remember the title. I honestly love any dance music or EDM music.
It just gets my blood pumping. And then it makes the whole cooking process so
(14:25):
fun and just so enjoyable.
And you know what? The singing also helps with lowering your cortisol levels
and it also releases endorphins, which is your feel-good hormones.
So it's like a win-win for me. I am cooking whole foods, eating healthy while reducing my stress.
(14:49):
Honestly, cooking right now is like the best activity that I always look forward
to because of how enjoyable I make the entire process of cooking to be.
Before I end the episode, I want you guys to remember that managing stress essentially
is a journey, not a destination.
If you asked me two years ago, Lithia, were you singing and cooking?
(15:14):
I'm definitely 100%.
Going to think that you are crazy because I'm going to be like,
what? I don't have time for that. Who has time for that?
Cooking and singing? No, girl, I'm like working. I'm working hard because work is important.
But here I am two years later, enjoying cooking and singing at the same time.
(15:40):
So I guess what I'm trying to say is just take baby steps.
But the most important important thing is you taking action
today even if it's something small that you're
doing but doing it every day makes
it consistent and then eventually it becomes a habit
and then before you know it you're going to
be living a almost stress-free and
(16:03):
healthier lifestyle and if you're interested in
learning more about stress management or holistic
nutrition or burnout out relief tips
i would love to connect with you you can
find me on instagram at b-i-t-h-i-a-h-s-e-l that's
my handle or visit my website www.bithih.co thanks
(16:27):
for joining me on this episode of the podcast and remember you are strong you're
capable and you're worthy of feeling your best Let's ditch the stress hormone
addiction and embrace a life filled with health, happiness,
and success, all on our own terms. Bye for now.
I woke up this morning with a realization that sometimes, especially for ambitious
women like us, we can be secretly addicted to stress hormones,
and chances are we don't even know it.
I myself used to be a walking example of this for many years.
And all the things that I was doing, such as constantly pushing myself,
(00:24):
the sleepless nights, the reliance on caffeine and sugar for energy.
Trust me I blamed it
on everything like my genes the weather
it was a never-ending list and never
once did it occur to me that it could just be my body talking to me my body's
(00:45):
response to chronically elevated cortisol levels and I guess the question today
for you is if you have have ever felt the same way too.
Have you ever felt like sacrificing your well-being was okay because you just
have less on your plate and because you thrive on a pressure?
(01:07):
As a burnout coach, I see this all the time.
This is honestly very common, especially for ambitious women.
So I'm not sure if you guys know who Marissa Mayer is.
She is the former CEO of Yahoo. who and
years ago she famously bragged about only sleeping for
four hours a night because she just
(01:29):
had to work basically she was you know trying to tell everyone that she has
a very good work ethic and I feel like some people actually might admire that
kind of hustle and honestly I was one of them too I used to be the type of girl
where you know if I have to get things done I'll I'll get it done.
(01:49):
It's okay if I don't get eight hours of sleep because my work is more important than anything else.
But honestly though, it's just not sustainable and not healthy in the long run.
Because you're constantly being in that fight or flight mode.
When your fight or flight mode is always on, your cortisol levels are going
(02:10):
to spike up and then this is going to lead to a whole lots of problems.
So I guess this brings us down to today's podcast episode.
How do you know if you might also be addicted to stress hormones?
I've compiled five different signs.
Okay, wait, sorry, just four different signs for you to watch out for and to
(02:35):
realize sooner than later that you you could potentially be addicted to stress hormones.
So the first thing I have on my list is if you are someone that thrives under pressure.
I used to be.
That type of girl. I loved being under pressure.
Honestly, I felt most energized and productive when I have so much on my plate.
(02:59):
And it came to a point where deadlines kind of was more of a motivator than
a source of anxiety for me.
And if you guys know who Indra Nooyi is, well, Well, she's a former CEO of PepsiCo.
She once said that she thrives in the eye of the storm.
(03:19):
I mean, I do respect her for being able to rise to the challenge,
but chronic stress essentially takes a toll on your health.
Now, what is more important here? Your health or prioritizing everything else above your health?
Pick and choose your battle. Number two is if you are someone that has trouble relaxing.
(03:46):
So what that means is whenever you have any kind of free time or downtime,
you just can't stay still.
Your mind is basically constantly racing, planning or worrying.
It's almost like it's super hard for you to just switch off and unwind.
And honestly this
(04:09):
happens to a lot of ambitious women
as well and michelle obama
actually described feeling this way
where she just can relax in her book becoming she mentioned that you know it's
just super hard for her to unwind after leaving the white house third sign to
(04:32):
look look out for is if you struggle with emotional regulation.
If you find yourself going off at the tiniest things, or maybe you just feel
irritable, anxious, or on edge more often than not,
then chances are you are just extremely stressed, and it's time for you to unwind,
(04:57):
relax, relax, and take care of yourself.
And the last thing I have here is if you're someone that neglects your health.
Now, I don't mean by, you know, when you're sick.
And now I don't mean by, say, if you are sick and you just don't go to the doctors.
(05:19):
No, that's not what I mean. Obviously, whenever we're sick, we're going to take
medication, go to the doctor or whatever, just so we can recover.
And that's great. And I hope everyone is doing that. But what I mean in this
example here is more in terms of your lifestyle.
You know are you neglecting living a
(05:40):
healthy lifestyle you know I mean
I totally understand though like I used to be just
have no time at
all for cooking I just didn't have any time for cooking or going to the gym
basically anything that had to do with prioritizing my health I I just didn't
(06:01):
have any time for it because work kind of sort of always just came first.
So if you nodded to any of the signs above, then chances are you might be addicted to stress hormones.
And the good news is there, of course, are ways that you can break free from
(06:25):
the stress hormone addiction cycle.
And here are a few key strategies that you can start implementing slowly and steadily.
The first thing that you have to
start doing is just simply managing your stress. It is as simple as that.
Now, I know a lot of people, whenever they hear the word stress management,
(06:50):
they're like, well, I just can't go have a massage every week because I can't afford it.
Or my insurance only covers up to four sessions.
So, well, okay. Yeah, massage. Having a massage is one way where you can reduce your stress.
(07:10):
But honestly, there are so many ways where you can manage your stress and you
don't have to pay a single dime.
And I'm going to share with you a few examples here.
Spending time in nature, it's free, girl. Go spend some time in the nature.
Go for a walk, 30 minutes, whatever.
(07:32):
It is spring right now. So no excuses when it comes to the weather because it is getting warmer.
You can also just practice meditation. And there are so many meditation videos
that are good on YouTube.
Just watch that and start meditating.
Or take up yoga classes online, offline, whatever works for you.
(07:56):
Again, YouTube is my go-to for yoga classes and meditation classes.
Because they're free and they're also
effective and then you can also do
some deep breathing exercises if you've got apple
watch chances are your watch is most likely going to remind you to just take
(08:18):
some time and do some deep breathing exercises and if you don't have apple watch
that's totally okay too because youtube has a lot of deep breathing exercises for free Great.
But essentially, what I want you guys to remember is that stress management
doesn't necessarily mean having to break the bank.
(08:44):
There are activities that you can do that are absolutely free.
And the most important thing is to do activities that resonates with you and
helps you calm your mind and body.
Don't force yourself to do yoga
but then every time you do yoga you feel
anxious because you just can't get you
(09:07):
know a certain position right and then
you just feel bad about yourself no the whole point
of doing any sort of stress management activities
is so that you can reduce your
stress stress right okay the next
thing that you can do is prioritizing your
sleep it's really not that hard
(09:30):
if you are living a healthy and wellness lifestyle honestly a lot of my clients
tell me that it is just impossible for them to get seven to eight hours of quality
sleep each night because Because they just have so many things to do.
And also because they do get tired in the afternoon.
(09:54):
And then in the evening, they just don't feel tired. And in fact,
they just feel more energized.
Well, do you know why all of this is happening? It's because you're just not
living a healthy lifestyle.
Maybe because you're drinking lots of coffee. And if you don't already know
(10:16):
this, coffee has a health life of, I believe, six hours.
So if you're drinking in the afternoon, it's still going to be in your body.
And it's going to take about six to 12 hours for it to completely digest.
But by that time, because your body's also working hard, it's also going to
be harder for you to fall asleep, right?
(10:38):
But anyway, if you are getting a healthy lifestyle, trust me,
getting that seven to eight hours of sleep is not going to be hard.
And if you're wanting to learn more about how you can get that restful sleep
every night, check out my previous podcast episode because I literally gave
you guys lots of examples that you can start incorporating.
(11:01):
All right, the third thing is to just nourish your body with whole foods.
Again, this is also, I would say, super easy.
All you have to do is eat lots of vegetables, lots of fruits,
whole grains, and lean protein.
Because all of this will provide your body with nutrients that it needs so that
(11:24):
it can cope with stress better.
But if you're eating, say, processed foods, which is probably very common for
ambitious women that are always on the go because, let's be honest,
processed food, it's cheap and it's fast, right?
But processed food is essentially junk.
It is too highly processed and there is barely any nutrients left that your
(11:47):
body can absorb and can benefit from it. So start incorporating whole foods into your diet.
And you're going to see how it's going to help you reduce your cortisol levels.
And the fourth thing is to just move. Move your body.
Exercise is a fantastic stress reliever.
(12:10):
Before you think that exercise equals to going to the gym, let me tell you, it is not.
And I blame social media for this because whenever someone posts anything about
exercise, it's always something to do with weightlifting or just being in the gym.
But exercise could be just doing any sort of activity that can help boost your
(12:35):
cardio, such as going for a breeze walk or dance class or even yoga sessions.
Whatever that's going to get your heart pumping, do it. But make sure you find
joy in it. For me, I love dancing.
And I also love rollerblading and biking.
(12:56):
The last thing I have here is just learning to say no.
I feel like this is probably the toughest one that I have on my list here.
But it's honestly super important that you start learning to say no.
No, because you don't have to do everything.
You don't have to take on all the projects.
(13:16):
You have to learn to set boundaries and delegate tasks.
Otherwise, you are going to just burn out quicker than ever.
And then the performance is going to go down.
And then what? You're not going to be...
A high achiever at that point because your body just can't keep up.
(13:37):
So it is important for you to be selfish when it comes to your well-being because
well-being is essential.
It's essential for your body. It's essential for your health.
It's essential for you. Let me share with you a stress-relieving activity that I truly enjoy.
It's basically me cooking in the kitchen while singing along to my favorite tune.
(14:03):
Yesterday, I believe I was listening to David Guetta and Neo.
It's that work hard, play hard, good song.
Yeah, I mean, I just don't remember the title. I honestly love any dance music or EDM music.
It just gets my blood pumping. And then it makes the whole cooking process so
(14:25):
fun and just so enjoyable.
And you know what? The singing also helps with lowering your cortisol levels
and it also releases endorphins, which is your feel-good hormones.
So it's like a win-win for me. I am cooking whole foods, eating healthy while reducing my stress.
(14:49):
Honestly, cooking right now is like the best activity that I always look forward
to because of how enjoyable I make the entire process of cooking to be.
Before I end the episode, I want you guys to remember that managing stress essentially
is a journey, not a destination.
If you asked me two years ago, Lithia, were you singing and cooking?
(15:14):
I'm definitely 100%.
Going to think that you are crazy because I'm going to be like,
what? I don't have time for that. Who has time for that?
Cooking and singing? No, girl, I'm like working. I'm working hard because work is important.
But here I am two years later, enjoying cooking and singing at the same time.
(15:40):
So I guess what I'm trying to say is just take baby steps.
But the most important important thing is you taking action
today even if it's something small that you're
doing but doing it every day makes
it consistent and then eventually it becomes a habit
and then before you know it you're going to
be living a almost stress-free and
(16:03):
healthier lifestyle and if you're interested in
learning more about stress management or holistic
nutrition or burnout out relief tips
i would love to connect with you you can
find me on instagram at b-i-t-h-i-a-h-s-e-l that's
my handle or visit my website www.bithih.co thanks
(16:27):
for joining me on this episode of the podcast and remember you are strong you're
capable and you're worthy of feeling your best Let's ditch the stress hormone
addiction and embrace a life filled with health, happiness,
and success, all on our own terms. Bye for now.
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