Stress is one of the main causes of digestive problems. Hormones produced during stress temporarily paralyze our digestive processes. This mechanism was equipped by Mother Nature for cases of sudden life-threatening danger. When we need to escape and save ourselves, all the most energy-consuming processes are put on hold. We don’t think and we don’t digest.

What does a lion on the savannah have in common with a mortgage?

Unfortunately, this mechanism that is supposed to ensure our survival does not recognize the types of threats. Once, a lion on the savannah was a real risk that triggered mechanisms in our bodies. Today, we have replaced it with a 30-year mortgage, stressful jobs, and constant rush. However, the primitive mechanisms in our bodies remain the same. So, in a situation of permanent stress, they do what they are supposed to do: cut off our rational thinking (which is why it still seems normal to us that we have to work so much in order to rest for a few days a year, and only when our boss gives permission). These mechanisms also disrupt our digestion.

What Kills Our Gut Microbiome – You Wouldn’t Expect This!

Research was conducted on individuals involved in serious accidents. It was found that on the second day after the incident, only one-hundredth of the microbiome that should normally be present was detected in their stool. Exposure to stress virtually eliminates our gut bacteria!

What/who can’t you stand? (in Polish we say: digest)

According to total biology, digestive problems are a conflict of the so-called undigested morsel, which represents everything metaphorically that we do not digest/cannot tolerate. Intense emotions, long-held memories of past injuries, anger – all of these affect our digestive system and cause various ailments. Expressions like “I can’t stomach him/her/it” or in Polish: “this problem lies heavy on my liver” or “the bile has covered him” didn’t come out of nowhere. Our ancestors were in tune with their bodies and knew how to find the cause of their well-being.

Don’t stress, ma’am! 🙂

Many of us have surely already heard such advice from a doctor or therapist. Such advice for mothers, corporate employees, or people paying installments is absurd and brings a condescending smile to our faces. So, how can we reduce stress in life and its effects? Think about what stresses you. It will probably turn out that there are two most common stressors: either you dwell on past difficult situations, feeding emotions with thoughts like: how could he do that, what a disaster, I could have done this or that, etc., meaning you are stuck in the past. Or you worry about what will happen, once again generating endless scenarios of things that do not exist yet because they belong to the future. What’s worse, these are often black scenarios that gladly nestle in our thoughts and create comfortable nests made of dirt news, tragic events, and stories of human misfortunes.

Basic health and safety of mind – here and now

What to do when the spiral of our thoughts starts spinning and it’s hard to stop? We can’t sleep or work then. Ekhart Tolle in “The Power of Now” repeats that the only thing we have is here and now. The tangible evidence of this is our breath – the one we take at this moment. The one that was – is no longer, just like the next one we plan, it is not yet here. By observing (not controlling) our breath, we distract our attention from thoughts. This exercise teaches us mindfulness in the present moment. We begin to treat our thoughts like clouds in the sky. They no longer awaken such emotions in us because the only thing we have is inhaling and exhaling, and we already know that clouds change and float away, and we don’t have to strain ourselves or ignite a fog of emotions with each of them. After some time of such exercises, you will notice that the flood of thoughts will no longer be a nuisance that keeps you up at night. Rest will take on a completely new dimension and become a source of true regeneration.

Additional stress management on daily basis

Stress causes many different ailments and is likely the cause of most diseases. Let’s do everything we can to relax. Warm baths, meditation, walks in nature, massages, or home sessions with tuning forks before sleep will help restore balance to our bodies. They will also take the burdens of everyday life off our shoulders. They will calm our minds and help us enjoy being in the here and now. By listening to the sounds of tuning forks, the sounds of the forest, feeling the wind on our faces, observing our breath, or feeling the waves in the bathtub, we can experience deep relaxation and a change in our perspective on daily matters. We begin to become observers: of our thoughts, our sensations in the body, and what is happening outside. Slowly but steadily a completely new world opens up to us!