Leena Mahtani
Practice Mindful Meditation
Rewire the nerves of your gut-brain axis by practicing mindful meditation for 5-10 minutes a day.
Stress plays a huge role in the development of digestive problems. Stressful events alone can trigger symptoms such as stomach pain and diarrhea. When you face a source of stress, your brain reacts by producing hormones that travel throughout your body to help you adapt to the situation. This includes enhancing your mental alertness and increasing oxygen and blood flow to the brain and muscles in what is known as the 'fight-or-flight response.' This response was essential in the ancient days as it was a matter of dealing with short-lived threats to our survival like being attacked by fierce animals. In modern times, the stressors we encounter are most likely to be daily worries and emotional stress. Instead of short-lived stress that allows your reaction to cool off and your body to return to normal - your nervous system and brain are put under constant pressure which make your stress hormones travel around your body at unusually high levels for a longer duration of time. Common symptoms of chronic stress are likely to be fatigue, anxiety, worry and insomnia to name a few.
Click here for some under 20 minute mindful meditation exercises to help you on your journey to better gut health.