19 Aug STRESS

It cannot be emphasised enough how much stress plays a part in digestion and bowel function.
Have you ever been nervous before an exam and felt it in your tummy? Have you ever been
so struck with fear that your bowels seem to freeze? Have you got so nervous before a driving
test and can’t get off the toilet as you have constant diarrhoea? Most of you have had the
experience of getting a fright, feeling terrified or excited and it affecting your gut. You may have
experienced diarrhoea, nausea or butterflies.
There is a direct link between the brain and the gut and chronic stress can lead to all sorts of gut
issues including irritable bowel, ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease.
There are different types of stress and one type of stress produces a lot of adrenaline which gives
you diarrhoea before an event like taking an exam. Other stress causes your body to contract and
your bowel muscles to hold on. Find someone to talk to about your stress or get professional help.
Take half an hour every day to do something that really relaxes you. This could be exercise, music,
art, gardening or meditation.
Constipation itself has a big effect on mood. I’m sure you’ve noticed how much better you
feel when you have a good movement every day! Often worrying about the future causes more
bowel movement and anxiety. Being stuck in the past causes more constipation and depression.
Exhaustion often begins in the gut. The gut is the main source of nourishment for the rest of
your body. Your digestion and assimilation need energy to function. If your energy, chi or prana
are low then absorption suffers and consequently energy is reduced. The average diet in the
western world taxes our digestive system over time. The nerves to the bowel get affected by
stress and nutrient absorption may become suboptimal and then there is even less resistance to
stress further leading to poor bowel function.
Along with dietary changes, look at getting help for emotional pain and stress. There are many
good therapists out there and I can recommend E.F.T. and N.E.T. and hypnotherapy as well as
traditional therapists.
You can get so used to being stressed you don’t realise the impact it has. To help, start to add
things to your life that ease your stress. There is lot of evidence that meditation has a huge
impact on stress.