This Isn’t Just About Food—It’s About Everything You’re Swallowing
I Thought I Was Just Stressed - My Gut Was Screaming for Help
For years, I lived with a low-grade bloat that I brushed off as “just part of being a woman.” I’d skip breakfast, power through rounds, grab something fast between cases, and end the day feeling tight in my scrubs, foggy in my head, and irritable as hell.
I thought it was the job.
I thought it was my hormones.
I thought it was… normal.
Because in medicine—and in many high-stress fields—we’re trained to tolerate discomfort. We see it in our patients. We see it in ourselves. And somewhere along the way, we start believing that bloating, crashing, and skin flare-ups are just the price we pay for ambition.
But let me tell you what I learned the hard way:
Your gut is your second brain. And it’s the first place to suffer when you ignore yourself.
This Isn’t Just About Food—It’s About Everything You’re Swallowing
My wake-up call wasn’t dramatic. It was a Tuesday afternoon.
I hadn’t eaten since 7am. I was bloated, tired, couldn’t focus, and for some reason, a nurse asking me a simple question sent me into a spiral of irritation.
And then I paused.
What was I actually feeling?
Why was my stomach always tight?
Why did my mind feel like static?
I started reading more, reflecting more, tracking more. And what I realized is that it wasn’t just my food making me feel like crap.
It was my stress.
It was the inflammation I had normalized.
It was the unprocessed emotions I kept swallowing to survive.
Here’s What They Don’t Tell You About Stress and the Gut
Most people think gut issues come from eating the “wrong” food.
But for many of us—especially those in high-pressure careers—it starts before the food even hits your mouth.
When you're constantly in fight or flight, your digestive system literally downregulates. It deprioritizes digestion so it can survive the chaos. That means:
Slower motility → bloating and constipation
Impaired enzyme production → food intolerance symptoms
Increased permeability → leaky gut
Higher inflammation → brain fog, acne, fatigue
Altered microbiome → mood swings, sugar cravings, immune issues
Sound familiar?
I Didn’t Need More Probiotics. I Needed Less Chaos.
At first, I did what many of us do. I bought all the supplements. Gut powders. Digestive enzymes. Fancy drinks from the wellness aisle.
They helped a little. But they weren’t getting to the root.
Because the truth was: I could eat the cleanest salad in the world, but if I was eating it while scrolling, emailing, and mentally bracing for the next shift—I wasn’t digesting it. My nervous system was still on high alert.
You can’t digest food when your body thinks it’s in danger.
And let’s be real—when your schedule is unpredictable, your trauma exposure is high, and your boundaries are thin, your body always thinks it’s in danger.
So I had to start with the nervous system.
With my thoughts.
With the pace I was living at.
What Shifted Everything for Me
It wasn’t a juice cleanse or a miracle cure. It was the basics. But I did them differently this time—with intention.
Here’s what helped:
✅ I stopped skipping meals and started creating blood sugar-friendly rhythms (no more sugar crashes at 3pm).
✅ I started breathing before eating—literally just 3 deep belly breaths to tell my body “you’re safe now.”
✅ I looked at my products—soap, lotion, plastics, candles—and slowly started swapping out the worst offenders.
✅ I got honest about what was no longer working: late-night charting, constant notifications, and people-pleasing.
✅ I drank more water—but added electrolytes because my stress levels were flushing them out.
It wasn’t perfect. I still had hard days. But over time, I noticed:
Less bloat
More clarity
Fewer cravings
Better sleep
More emotional bandwidth
If You’ve Been Ignoring the Gut-Brain Connection, This Is Your Sign
This post isn’t just about digestion.
It’s about finally acknowledging that your internal world affects your entire life.
If your body is inflamed, your emotions will be too.
If your gut is blocked, so is your clarity.
If your system is overworked, your mind will be scattered.
If your stress is constant, your body never gets to heal.
We don’t just need better food.
We need a better environment—internally and externally.
Your Gut Isn’t Betraying You—It’s Begging You to Listen
So if you’re bloated all the time…
If you feel like you’re inflamed from the inside out…
If you’ve lost trust in your body…
Let this be your reminder:
You’re not broken. You’re overloaded.
And healing doesn’t have to be a full-time job. It can start with one small shift—a glass of water, a deep breath, a moment of stillness before a meal.
I started listening to my gut. And in return, it started taking care of me again.
Healing starts when you stop ignoring the whispers.
Your body’s waiting.
