How Stress Messes with Your Gut (And What You Can Actually Do About It)

By Kelly van den Ham

Let’s talk about something unsexy but very real: stress and digestion.

Ever notice how your stomach goes on strike the minute life gets chaotic? Like suddenly you’re bloated, gassy, constipated—or sprinting to the bathroom like it's cardio? Yeah. That’s not just bad luck. That’s biology.

Your nervous system has a lot to do with how well your gut behaves, and when you're living in survival mode (hi, modern life), digestion is often the first thing to get shoved to the back burner.

What’s Actually Happening in There?

When you’re stressed, your body flips into fight or flight mode—because evolution thinks you're being chased by a bear, not replying to 47 unread emails.

This lovely internal alarm system does things like:

• Reroute blood away from your digestive tract (because who needs to digest lunch when you’re running for your life, right?)

• Slow digestion way down

• Ramp up stomach acid (hello, reflux)

• Throw your gut bacteria into a little chaos party

All of which can show up as:

• Bloating

• Constipation

• Diarrhea

• Cramps

• General digestive weirdness

Sometimes all in the same week. Even the same hour. Yay.

How to Support Your Gut When You’re Stressed

Here’s the thing: we can’t always avoid stress. But we can support our bodies through it. Here are a few things that actually help:

1. Breathe Like You Mean It

Slow, deep breaths activate your parasympathetic nervous system (aka rest-and-digest mode). Try five breaths with extra-long exhales. Bonus: you might feel like a functioning human again.

2. Eat Like You’re Dating Your Food

Put your phone down. Take a breath. Chew slowly. Savor. Digestion starts in your mouth, not in your inbox. The more present you are, the easier it is on your gut.

3. Hydrate Without the Pressure

Water keeps everything moving. Dehydration = sluggish digestion. No need to chug a gallon all at once—just sip steadily like you’re caring for a houseplant (that houseplant is you).

4. Move Gently

A walk after dinner. Some stretching. Gentle yoga. Anything that gets your body moving without triggering another to-do list counts as support.

5. Herbal Helpers

Chamomile. Peppermint. Ginger. These are the grandma-approved gut-soothers. Sip a tea. Add them to meals. Ask a pro before diving into supplements—especially if you’re on meds.

Final Thoughts (and a Little Reminder)

If your gut is acting up and stress is high, you’re human. There’s no perfect fix, but small, steady habits can create big shifts over time.

If you’re tired of guessing what your body needs—or you just want someone to walk alongside you through it—I’m here.

✨ Book a free discovery call and let’s talk about how to get you feeling like yourself again.