Do you suffer from regular IBS and bloating – and you want lasting relief? Here is something outside the usual realms of diet and gut health that can help you.
How much are you bloating?
Some people bloat a little. It doesn’t look much from the outside, but there is the feeling of a lot of gas and pressure on the inside.
I started out bloating like this, and progressively the bloating got worse. Before finally beating IBS, I was bloating up two dress sizes every day, and looked pregnant.
I found some welcome relief with essential oils, but to reverse it I had to find the root cause.
What causes bloating?
So your specialist has told that you are eating the wrong foods, swallowing too much air, and you have too many bad bacteria in your gut. AKA it’s all your fault.
Well, there is a pattern I first noticed in myself, and then in my clients.
Beyond the food and all the other reasons we think we are bloating, there is emotional bloating.
And the emotion I find the most often in clients is stuffed down anger.
Often we are not aware of repressed anger in us. However I am intuitive, and I can often actually sense the fizzing, cramping and pressure going on for someone.
This can come from the frustration of dealing with IBS and bloating itself. Or something deeper.
Where does repressed anger start?
Anger is a very helpful emotion that shows us where we have a need, or a personal boundary.
Often, the habit of holding anger in is linked to some time or event in childhood when we felt angry (for a very good reason), and we didn’t feel safe to express that anger.
Maybe that’s why bloating is so common.
Were you encouraged to express anger as a child? Probably not.
And yet we can be on the receiving end of an adult’s anger, and it can be very frightening. We instinctively know that if we get angry too, there will be consequences.
This is how we learn to hold anger in.
I repressed my anger so much it burst one day at school and I ended up in a fight with a tall angry teenager whose parents had divorced.
It was violent and we hurt each other physically. I was shocked at what had happened, and I vowed I would never let my anger out again. EVER.
And the bloating started.
Repressed anger is known to create a whole host of conditions, from depression to digestive issues.
We can keep anger tucked away, afraid of hurting or scaring someone. Or we can be afraid of setting off another person’s anger…
Repressed anger can feel overwhelmingly strong. And we can find ourselves avoiding conflicts to keep anger down.
However, the overwhelm often comes from a backlog of feeling angry and not being able to express it.
After all, anger is usually a signal that we have a need, or a boundary is being crossed.
Luckily there are ways of disarming anger, so it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming any more.
And it can go back to being a useful indicator of our needs, wants and boundaries – rather than something we fear.
Notice your emotions
If you have decided to reverse your IBS, gently start to notice what you are really feeling as you go through your day.
Emotions are more powerful than you might think!
So see if you can notice when someome really riles you – and you take it. And if it sets of a flare.
Gently get honest about why (without blaming yourself).
Is this kind of situation very familiar? Does it feel wrong to express your feelings? Or difficult to deal with conflict outright?
It did for me. And it does for most of my clients.
Do your feelings feel too strong to express?
Are you trying NOT to be like someone who was angry with you?
If you avoid conflict and suffer from IBS and bloating, this could be worth considering.
If you relate, would you like some solid support so you can release bloating for good?