The Bucket
In Naturopathic Medicine we often use the bucket analogy.
- The bucket is you. You are the bucket. The bucket is filled with all the burdens and challenges that occur in life – physical, mental, metabolic, environmental, dietary, etc.
- Some people have big buckets and can handle a lot of input. Others have smaller buckets that fill up fast. We can’t change our bucket; these are things like our genetics.
- Each bucket also has a drain. If the drain is clogged the bucket fills faster but a clear drain removes burdens faster. Our drain literally involves elimination systems of the bowels and urinary tract, as well as detoxification and liver function. It also includes stress coping and emotional processing.
- When the bucket is full you start experiencing symptoms – fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, brain fog, etc.
- We may have little control over some of the things that fill the bucket. But others we can. If we can reduce the rate or amount of stresses coming in and improve the drainage, then the bucket fills up slower.
Bringing it all back
- Before we wrap this up its important to understand that stress isn’t fundamentally bad. Stress allows for change and growth and improvement. But that growth doesn’t occur during the stress. When you lift weights, you are literally breaking apart muscle fibres. Your body says “Whoa if this is going to keep happening, I better get better at dealing with this” so it repairs the muscle in a stronger way. If you continued to lift and lift, you’re not getting any stronger and will eventually hit a wall. The same is true for other stresses. If we’re not taking (or making) time to repair and recover, we’ll eventually hit that wall. The dam can start to crack. Or heaven forbid – collapse.
Now, how do you feel about stress? Overwhelmed?
If the things that used to work don’t work anymore; if you don’t know where to start; or if you just want to stay ahead of the game instead of falling behind, Dr. Ryan Nakama ND can help with a customized approach to fit your unique needs.
Dr. Ryan Nakama ND helps people to be their best, to have more energy for what they need and love. To move beyond the limits of pain and fatigue.