Top hidden gut stressors

The sneaky thing about stress is that it can hide. Things can stress our body, contributing its inability to cope, heal, detox or relax, without us even realizing it.

Some of my clients don’t identify as stressed. But when I run a hair tissue mineral analysis test on them we see that the body tells a different story.

Mental or psychological stress is what most people think of as stress. But physical stressors can take a massive toll, yet fly under the radar.

It may seem like a contradiction that you can be happy or calm but also physically depleted. And things that make the mind feel good may be damaging to the body. Alcohol or sugar are some examples. Or having so much fun that you neglect sleep.

Most of the hidden stressors in this post are physical or body stressors. By bringing awareness to these types of stressors and their effect on the body, we can make different choices. And it can help us understand why we feel the way we do when nothing seems to be “stressing” us.

The body is conservative by design. It thrives with predictability and routine. Changes in environment, food, sleep schedule or location is stressful to the body. If it is not resilient, this stress is damaging. Exciting or fun things like travel, socializing, or exercising can be really hard or stressful on the body.

Personally, I’ve learned that transitions are very stressful for MY body and it takes a long time to recover and rebalance. Traveling, jet lag and a disruption in my routine takes a big toll on my body. I need a lot more rest and pushing myself during that recovery phase can be particularly damaging.

As a society, we worships the mind and ignore the needs of the body. It’s like neglecting a treasured pet. We push our body to accomplish our goals, even when it’s not ready for it.

Do you use your body like a tired work horse? Pushing despite depletion? Many of my clients do.

It could be why the body pushes back, sending warning signals in the form of symptoms. This is normal by design.

Typically, health issues don’t start to surface until the stress has been long term or chronic.

We don’t go from being health to unhealthy overnight, we push our body past its balance point and symptoms begin. It can no longer keep things in balance and needs support to heal.

Sometimes getting the body back into balance is challenging, especially with hidden stressors.

If we understand how we got there in the first place, it’s much easier to reverse.

The top stressors below can that take a toll on the body, both causing symptoms and preventing healing.

The adrenals, mitochondria, immune system and thyroid are particularly sensitive to stress and need lifestyle interventions to recover.

If you want to know how stress has affected these top healing systems in your body, the hair tissue mineral analysis test (HTMA) gives us a full picture.

Hidden stressors that can cause symptoms

Blood sugar imbalance

Blood sugar instability is a huge physical stressor that can also affect energy and emotions. It is closely tied to the health of the adrenals. We can control blood sugar through diet but factors such as stress, sleep and intense emotions can also impact it.

Low blood sugar is just as stressful as high blood sugar. Skipping meals, not eating enough and eating meals that are too low in carbohydrates can cause low blood sugar. High blood sugar comes from eating too many refined carbs, starches or sugars. Mental stress also spikes blood sugar.

Good blood sugar balancing practices consist of eating regular meals with minimal snacking. Three square meals a day, balancing protein, fat and complex carbs in each meal, is ideal.

The HTMA test shows the average blood sugar balance for 2 to 3 months, as does the HbA1c blood test at your doctor’s office.

Traveling

Travel can be a joy in life and hard to see as a stressor. Travel is great if done right. Many people push themselves when they travel, not prioritizing rest of recovery or eating well.

Air plane travel is particularly disruptive to the biome, mitochondria and circadian rhythm.

International travel introduces new gut bugs (both good and bad) and is disruptive to daily routine (especially if there’s a time difference).

A different bed, different activities, different meal schedule and lots of unknowns disrupts the internal clock and balance. The lack of predictability is exciting to the mind yet stressful to the body.

The nervous systems is balanced by routine and predictability. Novelty and change is good for the mind, but bodies need a lot of adjustment. A restful beach vacation with plenty of sleep (early bed time), no alcohol and lots of rest can minimize stress and be beneficial.

Constipation is a common reaction to traveling, even with healthy people, as the body figures out a new rhythm. Magnesium, fluids, rest, slowing down, sleep and 3 healthy meals can help the body adjust.

Over or under exercising

Exercise is one of the most common hidden stressors. Too much can cause inflammation or too little leads to stagnation. Body fluids need to flow for optimal health. The lymph is an important detox system and needs movement to flow. Stagnant lymph will make you feel tired and puffy.

Over exercising is glorified in our society. But it’s damaging if you don’t have a lot of energy reserves. People with digestive symptoms often don’t but exercise can be addictive because it dampens pain and releases mood-lifting endorphins. But it can also exhaust the adrenals, deplete your thyroid and inflame the body.

Boosting self image and confidence is a reason many people exercise, but when you’re healing, less is more. Walking, stretching, gentle yoga and pilates are enough to reap the health benefits of exercise.

Not eating enough

When you pair not eating enough with exercising too much the result can be digestive issues. When we don’t get enough nutrition or calories the body goes into starvation mode. It slows everything down. This is how motility and constipation issues can occur. The mitochondria goes into cell danger response, the thyroid is stressed and the adrenals pump out cortisol to deal with low blood sugar.

For some people this is a cause of digestive issues, for others it happens after digestive issues when they react to foods. Eating enough is very important for healing and metabolism. I work with clients, using hypnosis techniques to help them get over the fear of food and eating.

Repressing emotions

Repressing emotions is a common strategy most of us use to be functional, get things done, and fit in. We are taught that displaying big emotions is inappropriate.

Unfortunately bodies, much like a cat or dog, are not socialized. They need to move emotional energy to maintain nervous system balance. When we clamp down on big emotions, we store them in our hips, shoulders, solar plexus, back or jaw.

It takes energy to clamp down emotions, especially difficult ones. Muscles become tight, causing pain, motility issues and tension. This also disrupts the healthy flow of body fluids. Emotional repression has many physical side effects.

These intense or traumatic emotions are always with us and can get triggered unexpectedly. In a culture that’s obsessed with detox, we don’t value a good emotional detox to clear unwanted contraction, tension and stress.

We can dislodge emotions physically without reliving the experience that caused them. Somatic therapies are becoming more and more popular. TRE is one example, but there are other ways to gently move and release tension from the hips, shoulders or jaw .

If lots of trauma is involved, getting professional guidance is key. Once emotions start moving it can be overwhelming. With this work, going slow is best.

Work life balance

In a workaholic culture we often lose balance, with little time or energy for self care. Work stress is more obvious when you don’t like your job. It’s a hidden stressor when you love your work or work compulsively because you want to avoid certain emotions. Exercise addiction and work addiction are big in our society.

Over working, over giving at work and over scheduling your time are big red flag stressors that are not easy to fix. When you are not appreciated for it, it can trigger stored trauma.

Burn out is a big issue these days. Busyness is glorified, success is celebrated but we need the health to enjoy it.

Over working is typically an addiction issue, so consciousness and self compassion and taking baby steps to correct it can help slow the stress response.

Time with family

Family can make us feel comforted and safe or triggered and misunderstood. This is probably one of the biggest stressors for people and the most emotional. Yet there is shame or guilt associated with it.

This is a good way to practice developing self compassion and boundaries. Somatic therapy work can help here.

When we are triggered it is always about what is going on inside of us. It’s not about making someone wrong. They are doing the best they can. The only thing you can control is yourself.

There’s no easy solution for this stressor, but knowing it’s a contributing factor to stress can start the healing process.

Inner child work is a powerful therapy for subconscious and familial wounds. Most of our stress triggers come from childhood wounds. Self love and self care are vital here. As is getting support.

Perfectionism and pushing too hard

Trying to eat or heal perfectly or pushing the body to heal quickly is the most common issues I see with clients. It’s not a coincidence.

Almost all of my clients are perfectionists, and perfectionism is a HUGE stressor. Perfectionism never comes from a healthy place. It’s based in a lack of confidence/faith or lack of self worth.

The energy around perfectionism is controlling and contractive, a bit like holding your breath. The desperate energy to get it right often slows down the healing process. It comes from fear and lack. And is a destructive to health.

Recognizing that your perfectionism is not serving you is the first step. Finding ways to feel safe, secure and finding trust in yourself is the way to relax perfectionism. And will provide the most powerful healing results. This is the long exhale after years of holding your breath.

Really accepting deep down in your body, that healing has its own time frame is so powerful. Being ok with small steps, the unknown and slow progress will change your whole life.

Simply recognizing perfectionism as a toxic strategy begins to relax it. Noticing where you are pushing and controlling and expecting can relax it more.

Clinging to perfectionism, taking pride in it and using it to feel in control and worthy is physically, emotionally and mentally destructive. And as long as you hold on, letting go will be an impossible task.

It’s not easy to relax the contraction of perfectionism but it is very worthwhile for your health.

House guests and weak boundaries

I threw this in based on personal experience. I stressed myself out this month by saying yes to a string of visitors that came one after the other.

I never thought I was a people pleaser, but it turns out I am. We are all people pleasers to a degree. It is part of our survival strategy to fit in.

A month-long string of guests was incredibly disruptive to the daily routine that keeps me in balance. And it takes a lot of energy to be responsible for someone and have them in your home. People pleasing, being responsible for others, having weak boundaries is a BIG stressor. While it was nice to have the company, it took a huge toll on my mental and physical health. I gained weight (inflammation), at badly and slept less.

This was a mix of a few stressors for me. I repressed emotions to make people feel comfortable, I travelled with them, I did not get enough exercise.

It shows me how supportive my daily routine is for my body (digestion, sleep, energy, mood, etc.)

Extreme heat or lack of sunlight

In the summer, extreme heat waves can cause a lot of physical stress. It keeps you inside with air conditioning running. There’s not much you can do about this just remember to take it easy if you’re feeling sluggish and unmotivated. Don’t push yourself. Heat waves stress the body and can even cause irritability and depression.

In some winter climates, lack of sunlight can be a big stressor for circadian rhythm and is well known to cause season depression and malaise. Sun light lamps may help and vitamin D from Cod liver oil or other sources. If you do live in a climate where there is morning sun in the winter, getting outside in the first half hour after waking supports a healthy circadian rhythm, sleep and mood.

Measuring hidden stressors

We can’t always achieve “perfect” balance in life, but awareness of our stressors can help us start minimizing them. When we understand what destabilizes and depletes us it puts us in control.

We can make conscious choices instead of following unconscious (subconscious) programs.

Knowledge is the most powerful self care there is. Understanding what’s stressing you out is the slow road to getting out of flight or flight.

If you want to measure your physical stress, when it’s below consciousness, I suggest the HTMA test, but there’s other ways.

HRV (heart rate variability) measures the body’s stress levels. The Oura ring and Apple watch use HRV to track physical stress and recovery and provide feedback during the day.

There is also a free app for smart phones called the Welltory. HRV tell you about stress in the moment, but the HTMA tells you about stress patterns in the last few months.

I have an Oura ring and have often been surprised by my high stress reading when I don’t feel stressed. Likely one of these hidden stressors are having an effect.

Telling ourselves we are fine when we are not is how we get into trouble. Recognizing what’s actually going on is the way out.

How many of these stressors do you identify with and what’s one small change you can make to minimize them?