Last year it became clear I was increasingly miserable. I was fighting a losing battle to clear my skin, and get my health back on track. Because no matter what I did it just kept getting worse.
I felt frustrated, alone, and it was a real struggle to stay positive.
I knew logically there were worse things in life than a skin condition. Though it’s interesting how debilitating it was, and is for so many people – not just me.
And it almost defeated me.
But before that point, I was determined to accept myself as I was. I was sick of feeling sorry for myself, so I worked on it, learned to appreciate it, and it helped a lot.
But it was only after I also changed my food, that it radically transformed my mood.
And my skin started to improve, fast!
All of a sudden my motivation, energy, and enthusiasm was back. I started writing again and doing all the things I enjoyed.
But then, it all came crashing down.
I became complacent because of my rapid progress. I ate something that upset my body and started experiencing panic attacks. Now in fear, I took some advice to further things along…and within three days, I was worse than I’d ever been.
My gut was destroyed and my skin was ruined. No longer able to eat ANYTHING without flushing burning hot red, or blowing up like a big balloon. I was in inflammation overload.
There I was, in my room, collapsed on the floor with tears streaming down my face. Ready to give up. I didn’t want to do another day feeling like I felt. I felt like saying “fuck you universe, this is bullshit!”
But then another thought came, a thought that hadn’t come before. I felt like my mind was possessed by my body as I said to myself, “just let me die.” And it terrified me.
But really, it wasn’t me, it was my “gut feeling”. I’ll explain what I mean by this later on.
As bad as my case became, my feelings were TOTALLY uncharacteristic and didn’t feel like me.
Not in a state to understand what was really going on, I verbally beat myself up for it – completely ashamed of how I looked, how I felt, and now, how I thought.
At the time I thought it was purely circumstantial, but it was largely physical.
Fast forward to last week for a bit of deja vu.
I was on a total healing streak – fasting, feeling inspired, excited and energised.
I was almost overcome with feelings of “invincibility”. Meaning, I thought I could eat whatever I wanted. I was wrong.
“I’ve been so good, I feel so good, I deserve to eat what I want,” I thought. So I did. I got complacent again. I broke my fast ‘incorrectly’ and following that, I ate food I hadn’t dare go near in 9 months.
After that, I was increasingly negative, temperamental, and after a few days I realised I was depressed, unmotivated and “didn’t see the point in anything!”
It was insane.
Or was it?
It was my “gut feeling” again. And it’s not just me…
I have so many women message me every week struggling to stay positive. Restricted in diet, in a desperate attempt to fix their skin and their gut problems.
With more and more research showing how our food affects our mood, it is clear that our gut is one key to maintaining positivity.
If you know the definition of the word “hangry” you’re probably not completely unfamiliar with the gut-brain connection. Or at least how a lack of food can affect our mood.
But how does this happen?
The gut and the brain communicate via the vagus nerve – sending signals back and forth.
They’re so similar, the gut is often referred to as our “second brain” as it kind of ‘thinks’ for itself – it’s large, complex and contains between 200-600 million neurons! Hence why I refer to it as my gut’s feeling, rather than my own.
One thing I do when I’m struggling to stay positive is, adjust my diet.
And within a day or two, I’m back to feeling great again.
Even people with seemingly healthy digestive systems have been shown to reduce cortisol levels (the stress hormone) by increasing the number of beneficial bacteria in their gut.
Our food affects our mood. So what we put in our mouths matter. And how much.
For instance, often people diagnosed with candida, and other digestive issues are told not to eat raw food and to steer clear of fruit.
This is problematic for our positivity, as fructose is responsible for helping our bodies absorb many nutrients into the bloodstream. Least of which is the amino acid tryptophan, required to produce the “happy hormone” serotonin.
95% of serotonin is produced in the gut. And a lack of it can cause depression.
It’s not surprising, therefore, that when our guts are not working optimally, we feel bad. And it’s no coincidence that people with digestive issues have an above average incidence of anxiety and depression. Same with people with food sensitivities or intolerances, and for people with skin conditions – an often overlooked symptom of digestive upset.
You’re not alone!
I know first-hand how frustrating it is to feel anxious or down for no apparent reason, and maybe not knowing what to do about it, or what to eat. That’s why I’ve started sharing recipes here (on the blog) and now in my recipe book.
The recipes I’ve put together in my book “breakfast on the go, for a happy mind and a healthy glow” have been carefully put together to have a synergistic effect on the body – i.e., I’ve combined ingredients to allow for maximal absorption. And it’s now available for download.
My recipe book and this blog focuses on what to eat, rather than what to avoid. And that’s not often obvious either. But stay tuned, there will be a post on that real soon.
For those looking for more social support and skin issue/digestive condition specific advice. Join my free community of women going through the same thing – I’d love to see you there!
xx Jess
PS. if you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments below!