Stress, anxiety and our digestion
I had a client recently who said that it’s so odd that when she eats with her partner her digestion is fine, but when she eats on her own she experiences digestive discomfort.
So we did a little digging and we found out that her partner is very much in a routine. He likes his meals to be a slower process where they sit at the table and lay down the place settings. When they eat they have no distractions, it’s just the 2 of them having a conversation.
When she’s at home she sits and eats while working on her computer or is on her phone or in her car while on the run and eats quickly.
She also experiences digestive discomfort when sitting with a group of people because she experiences anxiety in larger crowds based on something from her past.
In my case, I am extremely sensitive to food and also the energies around me. If I watch a fast paced action/thriller I’m fully in it and feel all the anger and fight going on in the pit of my stomach. And I know I’m not the only one.
When our bodies go into flight, flight or freeze mode it produces adrenaline to help us through the intense situation that we find ourselves in. In the long distant past it was running away from imminent danger in the form of a wild animal. When we are in this state our bodies are on high alert, focused, and hormones are released to shut off the digestion process, as well as many others.
Nowadays we don’t have that kind of stress anymore.
Instead we are constantly stressing about earning enough money, running a household, looking after the kids, making sure they get to school and have their homework done, we stress about the kids in general.
We stress about if we look ok, if people like us.
People are talking about something you do not like on social media and you read the comments which stresses you out and makes you angry.
The news has permanent bad news which causes you anxiety.
This means that we are always stressed, and our digestive system is mostly always suppressed.
No wonder so many people struggle with digestive issues.
Let’s talk healthy bowel movements
It’s a topic that many people do not like to talk about, but it is so critical for our health.
When I was a kid I remember suffering from the worst stomach pains. My memory of them would specifically be from when we would go to my parents friends house for supper. We would be playing around and probably eating crisps, not real food. The meal was usually a lot later than we would have at home. So the combination of eating the crisps, which clearly didn’t work for my body, and eating late used to leave me with the most intense cramps. I remember laying down on one of the beds in the house rolling in agony. Eventually we’d eat our main meal which presumably I would pick at because I was too uncomfortable. (Remember to keep your kiddies well fueled when you go out because their bodies are sensitive and function differently to adults with years of practice)
Add to this I would eat a lot of bread every day which doesn’t help with bowel movements. I would probably only go to the bathroom every few days and when I did it was extremely painful.
Many years later I remember a friend saying that he could calculate the time based on his bowel movement in the morning…which I thought was the craziest thing and did not understand it.
Many more years later when I started to eat healthy and experience this for myself and then study about it, I realised that in a healthy functioning body we are meant to go to the bathroom soon after waking, without any stimulants such as coffee.
If we eat 3 meals a day then we should go up to 3 times a day.
If we do not do this, it means that the toxins and waste that should be leaving our bodies don’t. The body reabsorbs some of the toxins, which causes all sorts of stagnation and putrification.
This is one of the reasons why my skin would break out, my body needed to remove the toxins somewhere, so it came out in my skin.
If we are blocked, this can be the start of many health issues.
A diet overhaul would be needed which I will talk about more below, but something that is super helpful to get the sludge out of the system is to do your own enema, or go for regular colonics.
Just plain and simple water ones, no need to go do all the coffee enemas.
The difference this can make to your overall health is so worth the discomfort and embarrassment.
Solutions
✨Prepare your food when you’re in a calm space. Take a few deep breaths before preparation, and then again before eating. This gets you in the present moment and not concentrating on all the things that are stressing you out which hampers your digestion.
✨Be mindful while you eat. Do not eat on the go, in front of a screen or while doing any work.
It may seem like it will take too much time, but eating this way can help your body digest the food properly. Which means you won’t have to feel uncomfortable and sluggish and less productive so you take longer to complete tasks.
✨About 80% of our energy goes into digesting food so make sure it’s a lighter meal when you need to perform at your best during the day.
✨Properly combine food. It actually does make a difference.
Eat proteins with vegetables/salad. Eat carbs with vegetables/salad. But don’t eat proteins with carbs. eg: A burger with chips, meat and rice, etc, it’s a recipe for sleep if you struggle with your digestion.
✨Consume a lot of water to help with bowel movements.
Try not to drink anything with your meals though, because the liquids tend to dilute the digestive enzymes that break down the food. Have liquids half an hour before or after your meal.
✨Eat fibre rich fruits and vegetables, and their juices and smoothies.
Dragon fruit and papaya are particularly good for digestion. Eat these as a fruit salad or blend them up and make a smoothie. You can add one or two papaya seeds to the smoothie as these are rich in enzymes.
✨Ememas and colonics. I mentioned this before, but I cannot tell you how much better you feel after you’ve done this.
A lot of people have around 2-8kg backlog in their intestines because they are not eliminating fully. You have to cleanse your system in order for it to properly absorb nutrients and heal your body.
This is a fun youtube clip on how to do your own enema – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEqQlOYXSo
Thrive And Shine 