Emotions And Our Guts!

[Gutsy Girl]

Having big time gut problems, we tend to be acutely aware of how emotions affect our GI system. I personally lived my whole life from childhood in school, through college, and in the workforce KNOWING that if I experienced almost any emotion rather strongly, I was going to have to make a mad dash for the loo and pray I arrived in time before the package was delivered.

Though I seem to handle mild excitement and happy feelings fairly well, I found that any negative emotions or startles were a big big problem. From the most to least problematic, being:

Startled/Surprised (typically by bad news)

Scared/Afraid

Embarrassed

Frustrated

Significantly Angry

I also have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which certainly compounds the problem.

Have ya'll found some solutions or ways to manage these emotions so that they don't give you a full colon cleanse 3-5 minutes after they register in your brain?

Do you (like me) sometimes not even realize you were feeling ________ (insert offending emotion) until AFTER your guts have gone haywire?

Have ya'll done any reading up on research connecting the mind with the GI tract? Some doctors call the GI system the "second brain". Most of your neurotransmitters are actually created in your GI system too! (Lightbulbs going off for folks wondering why so many of us bad gut people have emotional/mental health challenges?)

Cheers! And thanks for the help and hopefully not-so-stimulating discussion, if you get my stink-free drift.

[Gutsy Girl]

Geez...does nobody but me have this problem? Any solutions out there?

[RideAllWays]

I used to get that with anxiety (I too have GAD) so usually in any situation I knew I was going to find hard to deal with I took two immodium. I also really have missed out on certain situations because I refuse to go if I know there isn't a bathroom close, because I know what happens every single time I experience anxiety symptoms. It has gotten tons better since going gluten-free, and the longer I've been gluten-free the better it has gotten, I'm not even on Prozac anymore and I don't see a counselor regularly So stick to the diet and try and work though the anxiety (obviously easier said than done, I get that trust me)..if anybody else has better suggestions that would be fantastic.