Can you tell the state of your emotions by the state of your bowels? You know you have IBS, so you watch your diet and do your best to deal with your stress, but aren’t really sure how to do it?
When I was a younger I had terrible unexplained gas pains and then as I got older I had different kinds of stomach pain. There was about a month when I was dating someone who wasn’t right for me when my stomach hurt ALL THE TIME. Sometimes greasy foods or foods I wasn’t accustomed to eating to send me to the ladies room, stat. One of the most embarrassing times this happened was in my boyfriend’s (who turned out to be my husband) grandma’s house. The house was tiny and the bathroom was right off the kitchen, where my future mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law were eating. I know.
What I did not know was that all that stomach upset was due mostly to anxiety that I did not realize I had. But now I know. And I know how to improve the situation. Do you want to know too?
Here are 2 steps to help you on the road to managing your IBS:
- The first and most important step is to BREATHE. Not the short shallow chest breaths you’re used to doing, but big, in through your nose, fill up your belly AND chest breaths. And they have to be SLOOOWWW. The cool thing is that not only can deep slow breathing help you when you’re feeling anxious, but the more you do it, the less anxious you feel!
- Usually, beginners have to lie down to help their breathing muscle, the diaphragm, work the best.
- Start by breathing in for 4 and out for 4. Then in for 4 and out for 6. As you get better at this, increase the time for the inhale and the exhale
- Do 20 slow deep breaths in the morning, and then 20 slow deep breaths at bed time. Sneak some more in there when you’re in the car, or at the movies.
- Learn to relax your muscles. Easy, right? HA!
- Find a comfortable position (lie on your back, on your side, in child’s pose or with your legs up the wall)
- Imagine that you are HEAVY. Like someone has poured lead into your skull and into your pelvis. Let your hips melt. Soften the base of your tongue. Rest.
- Then do this all the time. When you notice your shoulders up around your ears, let them drop. When you notice yourself clenching your jaw, soften your face
These 2 steps can be life changers when it comes to IBS. If you need more help, check out the rest of our website, or schedule an appointment to come in.