There. I caught your attention didn't I? So did the wellness author-turned-influencer who touted that as the latest topic of discussion of a podcast! Your gut microbiome plays an integral role in your body's ability to digest food, use nutrients for energy, protect itself from sickness, and excrete waste. Is it that your gut microbiome is making you sick and stressed?
Let's make one thing clear: your gut microbiome is important and does deserve care and attention. It's been the cornerstone of some evolutionary research over the last decade. Scientists and clinicians have recently discovered that the gut microbiome can influence your mental health, your physical performance in athletics, your ability to ingest foods that may or may not trigger an adverse reaction. However, is it that powerful that it will make you sick and stressed? What happens when you are sick and stressed? Is fixing your gut health going to help you never get sick or stressed again?
Let's get straight to the point: your gut microbiome is not going to make you sick or stressed.
Consider the fact that your gut microbiome is in YOUR body and your body only compromises itself in instances of autoimmune disease, cancer, and allergic reaction. Your body is a series of systems designed with one, collective function; to make sure you can keep doing what you're doing. Living.
Wellness author-influencers won't share that with you until after the fact, because the reassurance you get from reading or hearing "your body wants you to live" is going to make you breathe a sigh of relief instead of following and listening to his/her/their content. The author-influencer loses engagement, therefore attention and potential income, and you can skip away into the sunset as an empowered individual.
Sounds like a terrible world, doesn't it?
What is making you sick and stressed?
As a creative- entertainers, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders- there are plenty of ailments that you can attribute to making life happen.
Lack of sleep in order to get a project done. Saying "yes" to everything in order to get a project running on its feet. People-pleasing because you know your livelihood relies on it. Having every last minute of your working day scheduled so precisely that there is little room for deviation. Anxiety when you think about the uncertainty surrounding what could go right or could go wrong.
All of the above would probably make you stressed, right? For some creatives, this happens on a daily basis. The anxiety, the people- pleasing, the pressure to perform creates a specific situation: chronic stress. That's what's making you sick.
Chronic stress weakens the body's functions such as; digesting food, using nutrients for energy, thinking clearly, being able to relax and sleep soundly after a long day, fighting off potential viral sickness as it's passed through the human population.
Your gut microbiome isn't the one causing the stress!
However, it will not help you respond to sickness and stress if your gut health isn't in a good place.
Will having good gut health mean you never get sick or stressed again?
Probably not (although, the wellness author-influencer will tell you that yes you can fix your gut health by buying his/her/their supplements, detox programme, two week weight loss plan, etc).
Having better gut health can mean that your body's response to stress and sickness might be different.
You may not experience crippling stomach cramps when you're having a particularly stressful or anxious day.
You may not deal with surprise constipation or diarrhea when work and social commitments feel particularly overwhelming.
You may not get your quarterly head cold because you're run down from work and family obligations piling up on you.
You may still be able to handle your stress load, and more, and sleep well at night.
You may still be able to have the energy to work out regularly in spite of busier working periods.
That's what having better gut health can mean for you.
What can you take away from this?
Your gut microbiome isn't making you sick and stressed. Your lifestyle could be.
Your sickness and stress aren't making your gut microbiome attack your own body.
You can prioritize gut health in order to have better handling capabilities of your sickness and stress.
You don't have to let wellness author-influencers scare you into believing any differently!
Bronwyn x
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