Did you know that your digestion slows down and may even stop when stressed while eating? You trigger the fight-or-flight response when stressed. Here are some common gastrointestinal symptoms due to stress: heartburn, indigestion, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and associated lower abdominal pain.
It’s a deep breathing exercise to do before eating when you are stressed. It’s called the 4-4-8- breath. Yes, you see how much just breathing can do for us in addition to keeping us alive. Whenever you do this, you are tricking your body into believing you are not stressed.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
- Hold your breath for a count of four.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
- This is one breath.
Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths. It works every time. The 4-4-8 breath. How did this feel? Is this something you will try the next you feel stressed and are hungry?