How to Untangle the Knot of Anxiety in Your Stomach

Does your stress have your stomach in knots?

Well, your anxious stomach is caused by your gut health and the way you think about what's happening to you.

If it’s a chemical imbalance or stomach bacteria issue, you're gonna need to change what you eat and how you eat it.

If it's your anxiety that's causing you stomach issues, there are things you can do to make yourself feel better -- QUICKLY.

The SECRET origin of your stress and anxiety is your own THOUGHTS.

The way you perceive and interpret what happens to you during the day will determine how your challenges are impacting your brain and body.

Your perception is based on brain habits that you’ve developed. These brain habits interpret your daily challenges as stressful.

The way you THINK about your stress is determining how it affects you.

You can CHANGE your brain habits and train your brain to process your stress differently.

The process of changing your brain habits will take some time, as changing any habits will. By forming new brain habits, you will reduce your stress and anxiety.

Here’s are some things you can do:

Intentional deep breathing?– slow, deliberate “belly” breathing will help your body’s nervous system calm down. Either with your eyes closed or open and focusing on a specific spot, feel your breath as you inhale deeply and exhale slowly. It’s best if you extend your exhale twice as long as your inhale, to reduce your heart rate and blood pressure. For instance, inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and then exhale for eight seconds. This 4-7-8 breathing technique is a quick way to help you calm down.

Sensory regulation?– when feeling anxious, it’s best to attune to the needs of the sensory part of your brain processing your anxiety. Calming your senses through music. aroma, pleasant imagery, warm soft touch and more will help ease your anxious brain. You can listen to some calming music, rub your hands with lotion, chew gum, enjoy the aroma of essential oils, or drink cold water and your brain will be calmed by the sensory attention. You can even?try a nature walk, which offers lots of sensory activation and regulation.

Counter automatic negative thoughts with evidence?– Anxiety can overwhelm your thoughts in a split second and magnify into panic and terror. You need to counter your distorted thoughts with actual factual evidence to use your thinking brain to overcome your emotionally-hijacked brain. Once your thoughts start to become distorted and fear-based, you can factually recite to yourself what you actually see, hear or are experiencing to take control of the negative thoughts before they magnify into more anxiety.

Reframe negative thinking with positive self talk?–?try forming simple “mantras,”?that you can easily remember and recall when feeling stressed. These simple phrases (“I can handle this” or “I am in control of this,” as examples) should be specific to your in the moment challenge. Those short and powerful phrases can?reframe and redirect your thoughts?from becoming more toxic.

Practice gratitude?– practicing gratitude will energize and electrify the parts of your brain that will help you have more positive regard and focus, reducing your anxiety. Find one or two things and one or two people to be grateful for. Gratitude is paying attention to what you have rather than focusing on what you don’t have. Gratitude is more than being thankful. It also includes deeper understanding, respect, and appreciation for someone or something.

Becoming more mindful of staying in the moment?– Mindfulness is a key tool in beating your social anxiety. It’s vital to not allow your?automatic negative thoughts?to take over and control your emotions in the moment. By being mindful, your thoughts won’t ruminate and sour your emotions. Practicing mindfulness will help you train your brain to be in the moment, which is usually safer for you than anxious thoughts of past or future.

Daily journaling?– expressing your thoughts and feelings through daily journaling can be a powerful tool to beat your social anxiety. Whether it’s sentences, phrases, pictures or doodling, free-form journaling can help you process through what may be making you feel anxious. Journaling empowers you and gives you a sense of control to work out your anxious feelings. It will help you track and notice triggering emotions and provide you the power to process through some problem-solving strategies.

Yoga and progressive muscle relaxation?– anxious thoughts will cause tension in your body. Any type of movement or stretching will help release tension and bathe your brain in pleasurable neurochemicals. Yoga and progressive muscle relaxation can increase your mind-body awareness and reduce your anxiety. You can develop a sequence of steps to tighten and then relax different muscle groups in your body. You will become more aware of your tension, learn how to let go of it, and to recognize what it feels like for you to be relaxed.

Develop a Personal Stress Plan?– having some pre-planned in-the-moment strategies for when you feel your thoughts becoming anxious can help you quickly get to a calmer place in your brain.?Your Personal Stress Plan?can include breathing and other sensory regulation, as well as more active strategies like drinking cold water or chewing gum.

Find the ways that you can calm your “dysregulated” brain when you feel stressed and anxious. New thinking pattern and sensory connection will help you change your brain habits.

In addition to improving your GUT HEALTH, you have the power to UNTIE those anxious knots in your stomach.

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