Did you know that stress either mental, emotional or physical can cause digestive issues?
When you are experiencing stress or feeling fearful, anxious or worried the sympathetic (flight or fight) nerves slow down the digestive process. In extreme stress they shut down digestion.
When you feel relaxed your parasympathetic nervous system signals gut secretions and walla your digestion works easily. Able to digest, absorb, assimilate and eliminate.
But when you are stressed, eating on the run or eating while driving in traffic your digestive capacity is comprised. Continued stress or unmanaged stress in your body or mind affects the body’s ability to heal and perform.The digestive tract repairs and replaces itself every few days and it is one of the first places where our bodies alert us that all is not well. upset tummy 🙁
Like I said at the beginning of this post, stress and emotions play a major role in many digestive problems such as:
ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhea and GERD, allergies and skin issues.
Stress also plays a role in autoimmune issues because the nervous-immune system begins reacting to normal foods and environmental triggers as if they were dangerous.
Rest and relaxation help to restore nervous-immune balance.
Basically under stress your digestion does not work, shuts down. So even if you are eating whole, organic, real food your digestion can not digest, absorb or assimilate the vital nutrients to fuel you for energy.
So here are some tidbits to help reduce stress for better digestion:
Breathing exercies – you can do this anywhere and anytime
k ready let’s go
close your eyes – breathe in deeply through your nose filling up your belly on a count of 1-2-3-4 in breathing in peace
breathe out through your mouth on a count of 1-2-3-4-5-6 breathing out all your stressors
do a few of these and you will feel calmer, it releases toxins from your body and will reduce your stress
k how do you feel? better 🙂
Exercise – walking, running, dancing, swimming, skating, skiing, curling, vollyball, soccer, basketball, bicycling etc…
Get outside – a brisk walk in the crisp cool air will lower your stress level and increase your energy
Journal – getting it on paper helps to empty your mind of clutter, even if you only write a sentence or two – I have been journalling for over 25 years and wow major emotional healing for sure – be thankful, write down what you are thankful for
Smile at strangers 🙂
Listen to music that is soothing and encouraging – dance in your living room
Forgive – this brings healing to your celluar level
Prayer/Meditation – spending time in nature
Yoga or thai-chi, helps to ground your nervous system and balance out your moods, keeps you in the present
Laughing – I like watching Big Bang Theory
Be mindful when eating – sit down at a table and give thanks, create a peaceful, fun and enjoyable environment for eating
Make time for yourself – take up a hobby like guitar or painting
Turn off the cell, tv and computer, light some candles and just ‘be’
Bath with epson salts and lavender – very relaxing and epson salts has magnisum which sooths and calms your muscles
Chamomile, lavender, holy basil tea – very calming and restful
Calcium and Magnesium before bed – helps to relax your nerves and muscles
Ok there you have a bit of digestive information
If you have any comments or questions, please post and I will be happy to answer
Here is to a healthy functioning digestive system
blessings 🙂
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