The impact of emotions on IBS
You already know about the gut-brain connection and that stress can impact your digestive symptoms. But did you also know that other emotions might be changing your gut motility, slowing down stomach emptying, or increasing transit time? This episode explores the negative emotions we don’t like to feel but which are closely linked to digestive symptoms.
Your personality type might also influence how likely you are to have IBS in the first place. I’ll discuss some of the things I find helpful to explore with my clients when managing emotions to support better digestion.
How emotions affect digestion
Everyone experiences a range of different emotions, from fear and embarrassment to sadness. Not everyone can interpret these feelings, and some people struggle to identify their emotions.
We know that visceral sensations—emotions and feelings—can affect physical changes in the gut. Stress can activate the fight-or-flight response, but emotions such as anger, embarrassment, or shame about your body can also trigger similar physical reactions.
IBS symptoms, such as bloating, changes in body shape, and embarrassment about digestive noises or smells, can lead to emotional distress. You might feel resentful that others can eat what they want without consequence. Chronic IBS can impact your relationships, social interactions, and work life, making these emotions even more difficult to manage.
The role of the fight-or-flight response
Our reactions to emotions are built into our brains, particularly in the amygdala, which controls the fight-or-flight response. This primitive part of the brain determines how we experience the world and whether we feel safe.
Early life experiences shape our emotional responses. If your upbringing involved trauma or insecure attachments, your brain may be more wired towards fear and anxiety. This doesn’t mean you can’t change, but it helps to understand why emotional responses can feel deeply ingrained and difficult to manage.
Fear, anxiety, and IBS
Fear, anxiety, and excessive worry are common in IBS. You might feel afraid to leave the house in case of an accident or worry about trying new foods, sticking instead to a very limited diet.
When we don’t eat enough, our brains become hypervigilant, leading to obsessive thoughts and heightened anxiety. Poor nutrition can also contribute to cognitive difficulties, making it harder to break free from negative thought patterns.
Some common behaviours include:
Constantly checking your body for changes, such as bloating.
Feeling panic over small digestive changes.
Restricting your diet to a handful of safe foods and fearing new ones.
The fight-or-flight response affects digestion by reducing stomach acid production, slowing motility, or, conversely, speeding up bowel movements. This can cause food to sit heavily in the stomach or trigger urgent trips to the toilet.
Anger and digestive symptoms
Anger is another common but often suppressed emotion in IBS. You might feel frustrated that your body doesn’t function like others’, leading to resentment towards people who eat freely without consequences.
Anger triggers the release of cortisol and adrenaline, which can cause similar physical reactions to fear, including digestive issues. When we’re tired or in pain, we’re more likely to experience irritability and frustration.
Interestingly, research suggests that suppressing anger can slow stomach emptying and digestive transit. This might be due to physical tension in the body, especially if expressing anger feels unacceptable. Suppressing emotions can lead to real physical consequences, particularly for digestion.
Embarrassment and shame in IBS
IBS can be an embarrassing condition. You might worry about noises in the bathroom, unpleasant smells, or the way your body looks when bloated. Beyond the symptoms themselves, there’s often shame around not being able to ‘fix’ the problem. Many people feel they should be able to manage their symptoms alone, which can add to feelings of frustration and isolation.
Depression and low mood
IBS can also be linked to depression or general low mood. This doesn’t always present as extreme sadness; some people experience anhedonia, where they struggle to find enjoyment in things they used to like.
This emotional state can be situational, caused by constant discomfort, lack of sleep, or reduced social life due to IBS symptoms. Even if it’s not clinical depression, feeling down all the time can significantly impact your quality of life.
The link between emotions and physical symptoms
Your emotional patterns and personality traits influence not just your mental health but also your immune system, hormones, and nervous system. Neuroticism—characterised by worry and catastrophising—can make IBS symptoms feel more intense and overwhelming.
Some people with IBS also struggle with alexithymia, a difficulty in identifying and describing emotions. This can make it challenging to distinguish between emotional distress and physical symptoms. Research suggests that alexithymia is common in IBS, affecting up to two-thirds of those with functional digestive disorders.
Managing emotions to support digestion
Recognising the connection between emotions and digestion gives us an opportunity to make positive changes. Here are some approaches that can help:
Talking therapy
Therapy can be hugely beneficial for IBS sufferers. Speaking with a counsellor or therapist can help you process difficult emotions in a supportive space. Many clients I work with find therapy a vital part of their recovery.
Accepting emotions
It’s important to acknowledge that feeling negative emotions is normal. If you were raised to suppress anger or always appear happy, you might struggle to express frustration about your condition. Suppressing emotions can make them worse over time. Journaling can be a useful tool to explore and process your feelings.
Gratitude practice
Practising gratitude can help shift focus from what’s going wrong to what’s still positive. Writing down three small things you’re grateful for each day—even something as simple as good weather—can improve your overall outlook.
Spending time in nature
Being outdoors, particularly in green spaces, has a calming effect on the nervous system. Walking in nature can be a simple but effective way to reduce stress and improve digestion.
Final thoughts
Emotions play a significant role in IBS. Some of the feelings we experience are a direct result of living with a chronic condition, while others actively contribute to digestive changes.
By addressing both the physical and emotional aspects of IBS, we can improve overall wellbeing. Whether through therapy, journaling, or simple lifestyle changes, taking steps to process emotions in a healthy way can make a real difference to digestive health.
If you found anything there, you’d like to ask me more about, please do send in some questions. That can be to my email address, info@goodnessme-nutrition.com
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, where I am @goodnessme_nutrition. Okay, thanks for listening to this episode of the Inside Knowledge. Better digestion for everyone.