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When a Health Coach Gets Stressed Too
Practicing What I Preach During One of the Most Stressful Seasons of My Life
By Wendy Francis, NBC-HWC
Board-Certified Health & Cognitive Coach
If I’m being honest, the last couple of weeks have caught up with me.
As a health coach, I spend a lot of time teaching people about stress, cortisol, nervous system regulation, hydration, sleep, movement, and getting back to the basics. But lately, I’ve had to stop and look in the mirror and admit something:
I haven’t been practicing what I preach.
I recently sold my house, and I am in the middle of packing up my entire life and preparing to move to Florida. I’m downsizing, donating, organizing, making decisions nonstop, and emotionally processing a huge life transition all at once.
And even though it’s exciting… my body knows it’s stress.
That’s the thing about chronic stress. Sometimes it doesn’t arrive as one giant traumatic moment. Sometimes it quietly builds over days and weeks until suddenly you realize you're:
- Not sleeping well.
- Running on adrenaline.
- Bloated.
- Mentally foggy.
- Eating whatever is convenient.
- Not hydrating enough.
- Moving constantly but not truly exercising.
- Feel “off,” but you keep pushing through because there’s too much to do.
That’s exactly where I found myself.
And honestly, it happened fast.
It only took a couple of stressful weeks for me to feel the difference in my body. My sleep has been inconsistent. I haven’t been getting my normal workouts in. I’ve been so busy that meals became an afterthought. My nervous system has clearly been in overdrive, and I can feel the physical effects of elevated cortisol.
The bloating.
The fatigue.
The brain fog.
That wired-but-tired feeling.
And I know I’m not alone.
So many people are walking around in chronic stress mode without even realizing how much it’s affecting their body and brain.
We normalize exhaustion. We normalize overwhelm. We normalize running on caffeine, poor sleep, and survival mode.
But eventually, the body keeps score.
The Good News? The Body Can Respond Quickly
The good news is that the body also responds incredibly fast when we begin giving it what it actually needs again.
That’s why I’ve decided to stop ignoring the warning signs and do something about it.
I’m Kicking Off a 5-Day Cortisol Reset Challenge
And I want you to come along with me.
Over the next five days, I’m going back to my Four Pillars:
Simple basics. Nothing extreme. No gimmicks. No punishment.
Just intentionally calming my nervous system and supporting my body the way I know I should.
And I’m going to share the process honestly.
- What I’m eating.
- How I’m resetting my sleep.
- What movement I’m doing.
- What I notice happening in my body.
- What feels hard.
- What starts improving.
Because maybe you’re feeling it too.
Maybe your cortisol feels out of whack. Maybe your body feels inflamed or swollen. Maybe your brain feels foggy. Maybe you’re carrying weight that won’t budge. Maybe you’re emotionally exhausted and physically drained.
If that’s you, I want you to join me.
Not perfectly.
Not all-or-nothing.
Just one step at a time.
Over the next five days, let’s reset together.
Let’s remind our bodies that they are safe. Let’s calm the chaos. Let’s get back to the basics.
Because sometimes healing doesn’t start with doing more.
Sometimes it starts with finally slowing down long enough to listen to what your body has been trying to say all along.
Join Me for the 5-Day Cortisol Reset
Over the next five days, I’ll be sharing daily videos, tips, meals, movement, nervous system resets, and real-life updates as I go through this challenge myself.
If you’ve been feeling stressed, inflamed, exhausted, foggy, or just not like yourself lately, this is your sign to reset with me.
Follow along on social media and let’s do this together.
HealthCoachWendy.com
Disclaimer: This article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or replace medical advice from your physician or healthcare provider.
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