Restoring Gut Health: Reducing Stress

Stress kills the gut, and the unhealthy gut can wreck your life.

Life has a way of knowing when I'm trying to reduce stress and it throws a million curveballs at me at once and throws me under the bus.

I'm going to have to be a bit selfish.

But, I think the biggest stressor is the stuff and clutter.  This comes back full circle to redoing my kitchen, and, by extension, minimizing my stuff and my home.

Another thing I need to do is let go of wanting greater success.  It's ok if I need a break and the cucumbers turn yellow in the garden.  I'm sick.  I'm healing.  In the absence of others caring for me, I need to care for myself, and that may mean letting things go.  If anyone criticizes, they can put their words into actions and fix it for me.  Weed the garden, if you're upset that I took a much-needed nap instead of weeding it.  If people won't budge a little for me, now, they'll be forced to take it over completely because I'll be in the hospital or bed-ridden.

I've reduced social media.  I have a time limit on facebook and blocked twitter completely.

I don't feel compelled to get out to garage sales because "I might miss something I need!"

I'm not going to worry about projects or aesthetics very much.  Aside from my kitchen redo, I'm not going to stress about maintaining historical aesthetic dreams and hobbies right now.  If I can just throw on a pair of jeggings and a t-shirt, fine.  That's now it's going to be for now.  I need as brainless as possible.  Health first.  Once I am healthy, I can take up other things that bring me pleasure in a more healthy way.

I spent 40 years of my life bending to everyone else's will.  The good girl.  The invisible girl.  The doormat.  The polite girl.  The nice girl.  If I'm not a little selfish now, my body will be selfish later.  If people won't give a little now to let me heal, they'll have to give a lot when my body finally crashes completely.

The best thing anyone can do right now is just be quietly supportive.  Let me do my thing.  Let me heal.