Stress triggering your IBS? Four things you can do right now that will help.
Stress is a biggie for all of us. And we tend to have a lot of stress in our lives no matter who we are or what we do. For those of us with IBS, stress can bring on painful symptoms that have a negative effect on our lives. If you’re wondering why stress is such a big deal for people with IBS, read on.
Your nerves: Your gut has hundreds of millions of neurons (nerve cells) that are all in constant communication with your brain. A high level of stress has an effect on gut-brain communication that can trigger pain, bloating, and other gut discomforts. Understanding this connection is a really important piece of controlling your IBS symptoms.
Your gut bacteria: Your gut is also home to millions of bacteria. A balanced gut biome is required to have balanced emotions. Stress can cause changes in your gut bacteria and in turn have a negative influence on your emotions.
Your mind: The way you think about a situation has a real impact on your body’s response to it. That’s why, for some of us, driving in traffic is extremely stressful while for others, it’s not stressful at all.
What to do: Reducing your stress level is the fix for this. And, there are many ways to do that! If you can dial down some of your professional and/or personal commitments to allow yourself some space, that’s a great place to start. Separate from that, there are a few simple things over which you have complete control that have been proven to help reduce stress. Give them a try. You will be glad you did.
Maintaining a healthy social support network - Humans thrive on social interaction and, in fact, require it to maintain their sense of well-being. Right now we’re all a bit isolated but don’t let that stop you. Reach out to one friend or family member each day and say hello. You can call, text, Zoom, email, or best of all, meet for a socially-distanced walk together. And extend that interaction to strangers! Be kind. Say thank you and mean it. Look people in the eye. It will make you and them feel good.
Engaging in regular physical exercise - This does not mean killing yourself for an hour. It can be as simple as going for a ten-minute walk around the neighborhood. Or even going for a walk around your own home! Set an achievable goal for yourself — and that might start with just putting your shoes on! Once you’re comfortable with that goal, up the ante just a bit. This is NOT about doing an Iron Man. It’s about doing yourself a small favor that starts with only a few minutes a day.
Getting enough sleep - Sleep is the key to so many things! Having a bedtime routine that allows you to fall asleep and stay asleep is very important. Especially when you are feeling stressed. This routine is different for each of us. For me, a cool dark room, a cup of ginger tea and a good book have me snoring in minutes. For you, it might be a hot shower or bath, meditation, or quiet music. Also important is choosing to avoid caffeine, especially late in the day, alcohol, and screen time right before going to bed (or, worst of all, screen time IN bed). All of these things can disrupt your sleep.
Mind management - This one is the most interesting to me because, with mind-management, you can retrain your thinking and your response to stress. A feeling of stress comes from a thought. If you can work on modifying your thoughts you can reduce your body’s stress response. If you are new to mind management, this may sound like a bunch of “hooey.” In the IBS Game Changer program, we work with you to teach you how to manage your mind and EFFECTIVELY reduce stress WITHOUT quitting your job or joining an ashram.
And be sure to read our post: Three minutes a day to breathe stress away.
