One of the most common symptoms of stress getting stuck in the body and leading to burnout is digestive upsets. Quite often, digestive upsets and anxiety go hand in hand.
In fact, did you know that:
Blood sugar disregulation caused by stress, constant grazing and emotional eating can trigger anxiety?
40-60% of people who suffer from irritable bowel also experience psychological symptoms like anxiety & depression?
Food allergies which then lead to digestive upsets play a role in higher levels of social anxiety?
Nutrition plays a massive role in mental health. That’s because 90% of our serotonin is made in out gut! And so when our nutrition & our gut health are suboptimal so is our mental health.
WHY DO OUR LEADERS NEED NUTRITION TO SUPPORT THEIR MENTAL HEALTH?
Stress & sub-optimal gut health go hand in hand. Any and all symptoms of indigestion, including irritable bowel, bloating, gas, heartburn and gastro-esophageal reflux contribute to procrastination & lack of productivity -- especially after lunch.
As a nutritionist, I can tell you that digestive disorders like irritable bowel & bloating especially contribute to lack of confidence. When we don't like how we look & feel, we do not want to be seen.
It is hard to practice compassion & empathy when you yourself are suffering and need relief yourself.
Often when we try to support our mental health, we encourage our leaders to start with meditation, mindfulness, therapy & coaching. These are the obvious go-to’s because we are conditioned to think of mental health as a mind over matter problem.
But I have many clients who can’t meditate because they are too wired - and they’re diet isn’t helping. Strategic, targeted changes in nutrition can be that vital first step needed to enable a regular mindfulness practice.
The reality is that our mental health is largely impacted by our gut health & our gut health is predominantly dictated by what we eat. So if you’re not addressing your nutrition and supporting your gut health, you’re only using half the tools available to you and may experience frustration in your attempts to de-stress.
Burnout and stress carry physical costs that cannot be resolved without nutritional support that can then impact bodily functions like our stress response & the body’s production of neurotransmitters and hormones that govern our mental health.
Check out my Wellness Coaching Program for Resilient Leaders to empower your leaders with tools they need for stress resilience.
Reach out today and let's get you thriving!
A former capital markets banker, Cristina Tahoces is a nutritional therapist and owner of Thrive Nutrition Practice, a global online wellness business that helps corporate leaders be more physically & mentally resilient to stress. She shared her nutritional approach on the TEDx stage in 2017 as part of the TED Women’s Global Conference. She is a sought-after expert speaker & panelist on burnout, women’s post-natal wellness & metabolic health.