Gut Feelings: Exploring the Relationship between Emotions and Gut Health

If you’ve ever gotten butterflies in your stomach or chosen to “go with your gut” on a decision, you know that your “gut” is more than just a digestive system. Your gut is often referred to as your “second brain”, and for good reason! Your digestive tract is surrounded by the enteric nervous system (ENS), the most complex system of neurons aside from your brain. With over 500 million neurons, the ENS is in a constant feedback loop with your brain, affecting your digestion, mood, and even your immunity. Ancient healing traditions like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda have long understood the critical role the gut plays in your overall wellbeing (even the Western father of medicine Hippocrates knew: “all disease begins in the gut”).

So why is gut health just now becoming a trendy thing to talk about? In short, we’re desperate. As a woman who once dealt with depression, anxiety, and painful bloating that made me look 6 months pregnant, my life changed completely once I began to prioritize my gut health. After 20+ rounds of antibiotics (repeatedly wiping out beneficial bacteria), processed foods (which feed opportunistic “bad” bugs), 5 years on the pill (which contributes to leaky gut), and a lifetime of perfectionism and people pleasing (energetic/emotional distress), my gut was a WRECK. But until I dove into the holistic health world, I had no idea how these things were driving my symptoms! If you’re feeling constantly overwhelmed, low energy, and generally “down”, let’s explore what could be going on.

The Gut-Brain Axis

Remember that feedback loop we talked about? Your enteric nervous system and your brain talk constantly in order to ensure proper gastrointestinal function. But, this connection means that emotional states such as stress, anxiety, and depression can manifest as digestive issues (constipation, diarrhea, and other IBS-like symptoms). Conversely, gut imbalances like leaky gut, SIBO, candida overgrowth, and h. pylori can lead to emotional distress. Over 90% of your serotonin is produced and stored in the gut, so if your mood is really struggling, it might not just be a “you” thing (without sufficient serotonin, it’s virtually impossible to feel happy).

Understanding the delicate balance between a healthy gut and a happy mind can be frustrating but also incredibly empowering. I remember being SO frustrated that I hadn’t known this all along and that my doctors didn’t know either! But as I healed my gut and watched my emotions clear like the sun after a stormy sky, I began to understand just how much the body can heal itself if given the chance- and proper support.

But the thing that took me the longest to accept? It wasn’t the scientific understanding of how bacteria (our microbiome) impact gut health or how toxins in our modern world can contribute to a leaky gut. It was accepting that my emotions directly impacted my body in the physical world. For my whole life, I had assumed that emotions were something that happened in my head or my spirit and had no “real” or lasting impact on my body. How wrong I was…

What Traditional Chinese Medicine Says About Emotions

From the viewpoint of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the relationship between emotions and gut health is recognized as essential. In TCM, each organ system is associated with specific emotions, and those emotions interfere with the proper functioning of the whole body.

• Stuck/unable to let go - Lungs + Large Intestine - constipation, gas or bloating

• Fear - Kidneys - craving salty foods

• Anger - Liver - alternating diarrhea/constipation/IBS

• Grief - Lungs - lack of appetite/no hunger, slow digestion

• Worry/Over-thinking - Spleen - indigestion, gas and bloating, craving sweets

As women, we don’t tend to process all our emotions, only the “socially acceptable” ones like sadness (i.e. crying during a rom-com). Deep emotions like grief and anger are labeled as inconvenient for our fast-paced, hyper-independent world, and so they get stuck in our bodies where they wreak havoc.

Along with treating the conspicuous causes of gut health issues like eliminating processed foods, toxins, and restoring balanced gut flora, trapped emotions and the nervous system must be addressed as well. If your body is trapped in feelings of worry, grief, anger, and fear, it feels unsafe. And safety is required for proper digestion- and health overall!

Nurturing the Gut-Emotion Connection

Below are some practical ways to support emotional balance, regulate your nervous system, and allow your brain and “second brain” to function smoothly.

1. Acupuncture/ Acupressure

This practice focuses on the flow of energy through your body’s meridians (energy channels that connect your physical body to your energy). Acupuncture can be incredibly helpful for moving stuck and stagnant emotions out of the body, and this can support healthy digestion. Acupressure can be performed on yourself either with your fingers or an acupressure pen!

2. Mindfulness (Especially When Eating!)

Taking time to shift your body out of fight or flight into the “rest and digest” mode is essential for happy gut function and overall health. Before you eat, put down your phone, take three deep belly breaths, and eat slowly. Everything in our modern world is SO fast-paced which is inherently stressful for our nervous system. Incorporating moments of mindfulness and slowness throughout your day makes an incredible difference.

3. Somatic Movement

Be honest: how often do you actually feel like you’re in your body? So much of our lives are spent focusing on the neck up instead of actually being in our whole body! Allow yourself to move, to shake, to jump, to dance (it doesn’t have to look good!) Whatever practice gets you feeling your fingers and toes and not just your swirling thoughts is a WIN. This is how you move emotions through your body instead of having them trapped.

4. SLEEP

It’s not the most sexy thing, but getting good sleep is essential for all your body’s healing functions. Sleep helps to clean the brain and support digestion. Create a luxurious wind down routine that keeps you off your phone- take an epsom salt bath, read, go for a sunset walk, or chat with a friend (and stop eating 2-3 hours before bed!)