How To Deal With Bloating And Digestion Issues (Part 3/3)

This is the third and final video of the 3-part video series about bloating and digestion issues in recovery.

• In the first video, we talked about the reasons why you are having issues with bloating and your digestion.
• In the second video, we discussed some key steps you should take to overcome these symptoms.
• And in today’s video, we will talk about how to deal with these symptoms.

Disclaimer

And before we start I wanna say that I don’t recommend you to recover alone and always seek professional and medical advice.

And everything I share in this video is for general information purposes only.

We are all different and what is right for you and what YOU should do for your recovery is something you must discuss with your doctor.

 

So now let’s talk about what are some things you can do to deal with bloating and digestion issues in recovery.

1. Wear comfortable clothes.

The first one is maybe obvious but still worth mentioning – and that is to wear comfortable clothes.

When you are already dealing with the uncomfortable symptoms with bloating and your digestion then wearing clothes that are too tight will just make you feel worse.

This is why in recovery rather wear close that are more stretchy, looser, and flowy.

For example, things like leggings and loose shirts. Dresses, flowy skirts, peplum style shirts that are wider on the waist. And don’t wear clothes that are too tight or fitted until the symptoms pass or get better.

And also remember that your body is not wrong for experiencing these symptoms but its just part of healing and recovering. And you don’t need to fit into clothes but the clothes have to fit to YOUR body.

2. Use hot water bottle or take a hot bath

Another thing that can ease the symptoms is to use hot water bottle or take a hot bath.

Putting something warm against your belly has a soothing effect and it helps to relax our stomach muscles and ease any digestion discomfort.

I personally love taking a hot bath, especially when I have period cramps. And I like to add some magnesium salt to my bath water that helps to relax muscles. And magnesium also promotes good sleep and helps to reduce stress and all of these things help with our digestion.

But if you don’t have a bath then taking a hot shower can feel very good or using a hot water bottle against your belly.

3. Eat foods with probiotics

Another thing I can recommend is to eat foods that contain natural probiotics. Because these foods can help to build up healthy gut bacteria and restore the gut microbiome.

• For example, foods like natural yogurt with live active cultures.
• Also kefir that is a fermented probiotic milk drink.
• And sauerkraut – but make sure it’s the unpasteurized sauerkraut because pasteurization kills the good bacteria.
• Another thing you can try is kimchi
• Or pickles

But also, don’t overdo it. Maybe add some of them as a side dish or more like a supplement to your meals, not as a full meal.

And since we are already talking about probiotics you could also try taking some probiotic supplements or prebiotics or digestive enzymes. But, as always, first consult your doctor.

I personally didn’t take any supplements in my recovery and my digestion got better just following what I have already recommended you, but these are just some suggestion you can consider.

4. Drink warm and soothing herbal teas

For example:

• peppermint tea
• chamomile tea
• ginger tea

And there are more examples but I think these are the most common ones you can try.

But again, don’t overdo it, don’t start to drink tons of tea all of a sudden. A little bit goes a long way.

And don’t drink tea with your meals to not dilute the digestion juices, but drink rather between meals. And drink with small sips at a time and drink it slowly.

And of course, avoid all the “skinny teas” or any “detox teas”. I definitely don’t recommend any of those and they are very harmful.

And it’s best to avoid or limit any caffeinated teas and also coffee in general since it can cause more irritation to your stomach and make digestion upset worse.

5. Minimize triggers

We can’t completely avoid triggers in recovery but we can at least minimize them.

When you are dealing with bloating and digestion issues and you already feel discouraged by the symptoms then you don’t want to be exposed to any negative messages, like messages from diet culture or comparing yourself to others.

So limit things like social media. Unfollow people who are triggering to you or make you feel bad about yourself.

An instead, follow accounts that make you feel good about yourself or even accounts that have nothing to do with recovery or your body and focus on something else entirely. For example, accounts about funny animals, arts and crafts, or travel.

And also stop weighing yourself. In general, you should not weight yourself in recovery unless it’s needed for a medical reason and even then you can do it in your doctor’s office and ask to do a blind weight-in.

The best approach is to just get rid of the scale, throw it out completely because it’s just an unnecessary trigger.

And also, quit habits like body checking.

It’s normal to see yourself in a mirror, for example when you are getting ready in the morning. But if mirrors are contributing to body checking and more anxiety over your body then you must stop this behavior.

And limit and avoid engaging in diet-talk. Talk to your family and friends about recovery and what you need from them, tell them how they can support you and what conversations are not helpful for you.

So make your environment as trigger free and as comfortable as possible.

6. Try some meditation and breathing techniques

You can try meditation and some breathing techniques for digestive health.

Because as we talked about through this video series that stress takes a huge toll on your digestion.

And if your mind and body are in state of anxiety and constant stress then it will affect our digestion.

So this is why it’s important to incorporate some practices that help to ease the anxiety and bring you back to balance.

For example, you can try my free meditation called “Guided Meditation For Overthinking and Anxiety”. See HERE.

In that specific meditation, I guide you through a specific technique called Yoga Nidra. 

And Yoga Nidra technique is all about relaxing your entire body, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes and that also includes your stomach. And Yoga Nidra is a very effective meditation for good digestion and gut health.

And secondly, what you can incorporate is a deep belly breathing practice. Because if we are anxious and stressed we tend to breathe from our shoulder and upper chest area but it’s only a surface-level breathing that is not very effective to reduce anxiety. So what you can start practicing is this belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing technique.

And you can do it by placing one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. And when you breathe in, then breathe through your belly and notice that the hand on your belly starts to rise and fall as you breathe in and out. And notice that your chest is almost not moving as you are breathing through your belly. And you can practice this for 5 minutes every day, 3 times per day.

 

So try the meditation and the breathing and incorporate them as a daily practice and they will both really help to calm the body and the entire nervous system. And as a result, it will have a positive effect on your digestion as well.

7. Find healthy distractions

The next tip is to find some healthy distractions.

Because sometimes there is not much you can do about a situation but to just wait it out.

And instead of just dwelling on the uncomfortable symptoms, researching endlessly about the symptoms (that can actually further increase your stress levels) then instead find some ways to distract your mind while the body’s recovery happens in the background.

Maybe you can spend your time in learning something new or reading something. Maybe you can find some new hobbies like writing or doing some DIY projects.

Find something else to do that will engage your mind so you can think about something else and not just keep focusing on the symptoms.

And also, if there is not much you can do physically to speed up the recovery process then maybe you can instead focus on your mental recovery. There are so many books and videos about body positivity, self-love, and how to change your mindset. So maybe start focusing more on your mental recovery because it’s all connected as we have talked about.

8. Be ready that it takes time

And lastly, know that it will all take time as well.

Because even if you are doing everything the best you can in recovery then it doesn’t mean the symptoms will stop overnight.

Your body is in a process of healing and this simply takes time and this is the part where you must learn to trust your body and wait it out.

The symptoms are signs that the body is working very hard right now and you must give your body plenty of time to do it.

You cannot rush your body to do it quicker than it can. Because healing takes time.

I told myself in recovery: “I’m willing to do whatever it takes, as long as it takes”.

One thing that recovery taught me was to be patient and to trust my body and also to let go of control. To let go of trying to control it or force it to happen. And instead, I learned to surrender to the process and just be willing to do whatever it takes, as long as it takes. But know that in time things will start to improve and get better as well.

So keep doing what I have suggested in this 3-part video series, be consistent, but also let go of control, give it enough time to work, and let your body do its own part however long it takes.

See the first post of this series HERE, and the second post HERE.

And if you want to know more about recovery and how to do it step by step then please read my book “BrainwashED”

If you wish to work with me one one one, then I offer 12-Week Recovery Coaching where I can help you go through your recovery step by step and offer support and accountability. Read more and apply HERE.