We are told that stress affects digestion, but is there a connection between certain emotions and symptoms?

According to Chinese medicine, there are three emotions that are important to have in the body at a certain intensity, and when they are unbalanced, they may cause digestive problems:

* Anger (also includes anger, frustration, resentment, resentment)

* Fear

* Worry or multiple thoughts.

Anger, nerves, frustration, resentment, resentment - according to Chinese medicine, these feelings do not allow the energy flowing through our body to flow smoothly (this may sound a bit "spiritual", but think about the movement in your body when you are frustrated or angry - everything is constricted).

When energy becomes stuck, it can cause stomach pain, bloating, constipation, and intermittent diarrhea, or a condition called descending energy in Chinese medicine - meaning energy that flows in the opposite direction from where it should flow: nausea/burping/vomiting (energy that goes up instead of down).

Worry - When it is unbalanced, it manifests itself in multiple thoughts. According to Chinese medicine, multiple thoughts also exhaust the body and therefore may cause loose stools, gas, abdominal discomfort, frequent bowel movements, and more.

The more thoughts there are, the more likely a condition called "dampness" in Chinese medicine can develop, and it will manifest itself in everything I listed above, along with an urge to defecate, difficulty holding back, a need to defecate without defecating, and mucus in the stool. A relatively thick coating is usually visible on the tongue.

Fear - keeps us from doing things that could harm us (like jumping off a cliff), but if fear is unbalanced and we have too much of it, it can cause diarrhea, especially diarrhea that occurs early in the morning (in Chinese medicine, this is called "diarrhea with the crowing of the rooster"). Sometimes there will also be urgency and frequency in urination.

What can we do? Be aware of our emotions, do breathing exercises (I will write more about them in the coming weeks), talk to professionals or get therapy.