It all seems so easy. Just grab a bite, and your body will do its job. It will push the food from the esophagus all the way down to your stomach, where chemical digestion will take place, and then further down to your intestines for absorption and excretion. So easy, yet so many things can go wrong along the way. You may have a low stomach acid, not enough digestive enzymes, a leaky gut allowing food particles to escape into the bloodstream and causing an auto-immune reaction. Maybe you suffer from gut dysbiosis that enables pathogens to thrive on certain foods like refined sugars. Perhaps it's slow gut motility that makes the food stay longer in the intestines, causing you bloating, constipation, and more.

Why are these issues happening?

Your gut is an enteric nervous system with its 500 neurons only secondary to the brain. That means that whatever is going on with you physically, emotionally or mentally, has a profound impact on your gut.

The gut is proven to create a mirror image of your feelings. For example, have you ever had a 'gut-wrenching' experience or 'a knot in your stomach'? Perhaps you felt 'butterflies in your belly? It might not entirely be your heart that rules over your emotions like a passionate mastermind, but actually your gut! Because of these nerve cells sitting in your bowels, your gastrointestinal area is sensitive to your feelings. Anxiety, joy, anger, sadness, worries, happiness, you name it – all trigger the gut symptoms through neuronal connections managed by your psychobiotic bacteria.

The same happens when you experience acute or prolonged stress.

Then, your body overproduces the stress hormone cortisol which can put your gut into a threat mode. That means that your digestion isn't a priority as your body prepares for a flight or fight. Unfortunately, digestion isn't an essential function for survival and your body secrets less stomach acid and digestive enzymes. In addition, the excessive presence of cortisol can harm the gut microflora and even sterilize it, causing gut bacteria to be out of balance.

But what causes you stress? Is it really a life-threatening situation or rather a busy work schedule? If that's work-related, ask yourself these questions: Do you often second-guess yourself? Do you look to others for validation? Does having everything under control make you feel safe?

If stress is relationship-related, check if: Am I being fully seen and heard? Do I truly feel safe being who I am? Am I more preoccupied with the feelings of my partner than my own? Am I afraid of being abandoned or rejected?

Your gut can be in a threat mode due to old emotional wounds that make you feel unsafe or repress your feelings daily as you are too busy to deal with your own needs.

The body keeps the score. So let's try to decode some of your symptoms.

Bloating often happens when you are attached to a person or situation you are afraid of letting go of. This person or a situation can be very important to you and you feel anxious about losing them/ it. The loss can be emotional, spiritual, intellectual, or material. As a result, you feel insecure, and this emotion is basically fermenting inside of you.

Intestinal pain or bowels prone to spasm may occur when you swallow something 'hard to digest' like a nasty comment, a critic, a conflict, especially coming from a family member or a partner. Intestines are the center of absorption and assimilation of nutrients and your reality. But, unfortunately, they don't distinguish between real (e.g. rotten salad) and imagined ( e.g. shame, confusion, insult). So if someone makes you feel worried, hurt, ashamed, guilty, anxious, it may cause your intestines to suffer as it is a situation that is difficult to digest.

Constipation is associated with a diet lacking in fiber. That may also indicate that you have an excessive need to control every aspect of your life—this need for control results in internal insecurities. For example, you may be the person that is dependent on the opinions of others and that you are a people pleaser. You also like to hold onto people or things as this retention gives you an illusion of having control, hence a sense of security.

Unfortunately, no diet or pill alone will heal your digestive issues. The holistic approach is the only way to find long-term relief and that is why I created my method G.E.M which consists of gut healing, emotional release, and mindset—an all-in-one solution to your digestive health. If you have tried doctors and dietitians and still experience unpleasant GI symptoms, you may want to get in touch with me.

Article originally published on brainzmagazine.com on 27.10.2021

About the author: Hanna Hanula is a Certified Nutritionist, Naturopath and Mindset Coach specializing in Gut-Brain Connection. She helps women overcome anxiety and low-mood to feel comfortable in their bodies and experience more joy.