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Have you ever had a day where you suddenly felt good again?
You got things done. You had motivation. You checked things off your list. Maybe you even thought, Oh my gosh… am I finally getting my energy back?
And then later – or the next day – you completely crashed.
If you live with Hashimoto’s or another autoimmune condition, this experience is incredibly common. And there’s a reason for it.
What you felt may not have been real energy at all.
It may have been adrenaline.
Understanding the difference between real, sustainable energy and stress-fueled adrenaline energy can be one of the biggest missing pieces in autoimmune healing. One restores you. The other slowly burns you out.
Why This Matters So Much for Hashimoto’s
When you have Hashimoto’s, your body often struggles to get thyroid hormone where it actually needs to go – into your cells. And when that happens, your body looks for backup systems to keep you functioning.
That backup system is stress hormones.
Adrenaline and cortisol step in to help you survive when your thyroid can’t fully do its job. This is not a failure on your body’s part. It’s actually very intelligent.
But survival energy and healing energy are not the same thing.
What Real Energy Actually Is
Real energy comes from thyroid hormone successfully reaching your cells and from your mitochondria – the little power plants inside your cells – turning that hormone into usable fuel.
Real energy feels:
- Steady
- Grounded
- Calm
- Consistent
- Present
You can do things without pushing or forcing yourself.
You feel productive without urgency.
You don’t “pay for it later.”
You wake up feeling refreshed. Your brain feels clearer. Your mood is more stable. Your body feels capable instead of fragile.
This is the type of energy we are trying to rebuild on a healing journey.
What Adrenaline Energy Feels Like
Adrenaline energy is sneaky. Especially if you’ve been fatigued for a long time.
It can feel amazing at first.
Adrenaline energy feels:
- Wired
- Urgent
- Restless
- Buzzing
- Go-go-go
You feel like you need to get everything done right now. Sitting still feels uncomfortable. You might feel productive, motivated, and capable… until suddenly you’re not.
Because adrenaline is not fuel.
It’s your body sounding the alarm.
It’s survival mode, not sustainable energy.
And the biggest giveaway?
You crash afterward.
Sometimes the crash is immediate. Sometimes it’s the next day. But eventually, it comes.
Why Adrenaline Feels So Good When You’re Exhausted
If you’ve been living with Hashimoto’s fatigue, adrenaline can feel like a miracle.
I suddenly have energy again! feels incredible when you’ve been dragging yourself through your days.
But that doesn’t make it healthy.
When thyroid hormone isn’t converting properly or isn’t being taken up by your cells, your body relies on adrenaline and cortisol to function.
This can look like:
- Pushing through exhaustion
- Random bursts of motivation
- Feeling tired but wired
- Late-night energy
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Crashing after doing too much
- Relying on caffeine to function
- All-or-nothing productivity cycles
This isn’t a personality flaw, it's just biology in action.
A Quick Self-Check: Which One Are You Running On?
You may be running on adrenaline if:
- You feel “too good to be true”
- You start projects impulsively
- You feel irritable or snappy
- Your heart rate feels elevated
- You can’t relax even when you’re tired
- You crash later
You’re more likely in real energy if:
- You feel steady and safe
- You can do things without rushing
- You don’t crash afterward
- You can rest or be productive without guilt
- You don’t rely on caffeine to get going
- You feel present instead of frantic
Many people with Hashimoto’s have never experienced real, grounded energy. Adrenaline has felt normal for so long that it gets mistaken for health.
Why Adrenaline Blocks Healing
Living in adrenaline mode has real consequences for autoimmune healing.
When you’re constantly running on stress hormones:
- Inflammation increases
- Digestion slows
- Blood sugar becomes unstable
- Your body stays in fight-or-flight
- Your immune system becomes dysregulated
- Thyroid hormone conversion worsens
This is why so many people still feel terrible even when their labs look “normal” or they’re on thyroid medication.
Adrenaline keeps you moving, but it doesn’t help you heal.
Real energy, on the other hand:
- Lowers inflammation
- Stabilizes mood
- Improves digestion
- Supports thyroid hormone conversion
- Helps nutrients absorb properly
- Calms the immune system
Healing requires safety.
How to Shift From Adrenaline to Real Energy
This is the work I teach because it changes everything.
Rebuilding real energy requires addressing the root causes, not just pushing harder.
1. Nervous System Regulation
Your body needs to feel safe before it can heal.
Breathwork, grounding, and somatic practices help signal to your nervous system: I am safe now.
2. Gut Healing
If your gut is inflamed, thyroid hormones cannot convert properly.
Healing the gut is foundational for energy.
3. Blood Sugar Balance
Blood sugar spikes and crashes drive adrenaline spikes.
Stable blood sugar equals stable energy.
4. Sleep Support
Your mitochondria repair while you sleep.
No sleep = no energy.
5. Gentle, Supportive Movement
Punishment-style exercise drains autoimmune bodies.
Gentle movement like walking, yoga, and Qi Gong regulates instead of depletes.
6. Real Rest
Scrolling on your phone is not rest.
True rest might look like reading, napping, meditating, or enjoying time with people you love.
7. Identifying Hidden Patterns
Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and overachieving keep many autoimmune bodies stuck in adrenaline mode.
When these patterns unwind, the nervous system can finally exhale.
You've just been in survival
If you’ve been wondering:
- Why can’t I keep up anymore?
- Why do I always crash?
- Why does everything feel harder now?
Your body is not failing you.
It’s been surviving for a very long time.
And no organism can live in survival mode forever without consequences.
When you learn how to shift out of adrenaline and into real energy, life feels different.
You can take walks without crashing.
You can run errands and still feel okay the next day.
You can live your life without constantly paying for it afterward.
That’s not a fantasy.
It’s what happens when your body finally feels safe enough to heal.
If perfectionism, overachieving, or people-pleasing resonate with you, that may be the next place to look. These patterns often keep adrenaline running long after the original stress is gone.
Your body is asking for real energy.
And it’s possible to rebuild it.
One of the BEST places to start? With the Pressure Relief Reset. This short, contained experience is designed to reduce the internal pressure that quietly drives fatigue, flares, and burnout – especially if you’re living with hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, or any other autoimmune disease.
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