24 Jul Are you ashamed of your silent health symptoms?

You know when you are having a bad day… maybe you are having a fat day or a day you are suffering from brain fog, feeling a little down or in a “mood” you just can’t shake?

In my opinion these are the worst symptoms because they are the ones that make us suffer in silence and I don’t use the word “suffer” to create drama. I seriously mean it, because it can feel like suffering.

These silent symptoms can drive you to feel crazy and really lonely.

Most people really have trouble admitting they are having these silent symptoms, they push through or ignore the fact that they don’t feel 100%.

Now… take a moment to admit it, if this is you!!

When things look like normal on the outside I know I am guilty of feeling embarrassed to admit I have some silent health issues because I play this record in my head that goes like this…

These are 1st world problems Sarah, get over it.

Sarah, someone is dying of cancer, your issues are nothing to worry about.

Think positive.

When is it ok to stop and say “I feel like crap”?

The truth is gut health symptoms can be silent and I know you feel guilty saying “I don’t feel well today” because everything looks peachy on the outside.

It’s ok to stop and assess your health situation.

Don’t feel guilty.

If you are constantly having brain fog, it is not normal and could be a symptom and symptoms don’t just pop up for no reason. Anxiety is another one!! Holy smoke it’s hard to explain what it’s like to live with anxiety if you have never experienced it before. This is my mum’s description of anxiety and i think its spot on.

“Think of a duck, graciously swimming on a pond, gliding around with ease and grace… now look below the water and you will see the legs moving fast and thrashing about to keep that duck afloat.”

This is anxiety!!

Anxiety can usually be hidden easily but is a very real symptom that can be helped by addressing your gut health. Your nervous system and mental health is also closely linked to your gut health because a large portion of the neurotransmitters are made and absorbed in the gut.

These silent symptoms go deeper than just your mental health. A lot of people suffer from embarrassing gastrointestinal symptoms they are too ashamed to admit. Well i’m here to call you out on it… its ok to admit your not feeling 100%. I get days where i’m still bloated. It makes me feel fat and kills my confidence but I know that will pass.

I personally don’t suffer much from diarrhea but can be a really big issue for people and hey, I can understand why you might not want to admit it… but it’s ok to say “you know what? I’m NOT ok today!!”. You might not have to disclose to everyone why your not feeling ok… but just don’t think its ok to fake the smile and pretend your ok.

A lot of people with these silent symptoms recluse and withdraw from social occasions because they are not feeling ok and think it’s better to suffer in silence rather than pretend or feel like a burden. Having a support network around you is SO important. I would know… because I was a social recluse for a while and it totally backfired on me. Not connecting to the people I loved made me feel more lonely and withdraw more and more. When we connect to our friends and family that we love it has been documented to be stress relieving. Hormones like oxytocin are released when we laugh and share moments of joy with our family, friends and lovers… this is a powerful stress reliever and important to note because everyone knows laughter is the best medicine (for this very stress relieving reason).

Stress can cause all sorts of internal inflammation and health issues. It’s very hard to measure because it affects everyone differently. It could be work related stress, family stresses, relationship stress or stress that you internalize because of your silent health symptoms.

Now I’m not saying stress is the reason for your gut health issues but it could be a contributing factor and withdrawing from social occasions can do more harm than good to your health. One piece to the health journey I left out was valuing my friendships and relationships. I didn’t think anyone would understand what I was going through so I withdrew and suffered in silence which made my symptoms worse because I had no way of relieving this internal stress.

Can you relate to this?

Getting your diet sorted is really important and also getting a handle on some healthy lifestyle habits shouldn’t be overlooked but forgetting to connect could be just what you need to reduce some of that internal inflammation that is contributing to your health. Support from people you love is so reassuring. Connecting to a support group (or facebook group) can make you feel like you are not alone. Having that reassuring feeling can dial down that internal stress that’s stopping you from overcoming your health issues in the first place.

So what are you going to do today to connect to a friend? Text or even better call someone. You don’t have to offload you silent symptoms… or maybe you do… maybe you just want someone to listen. If that’s the case maybe a pre-warning is necessary haha, I know I do this with some of my girlfriends to get something off my chest.

It feels amazing. Give it a try.

Whatever you do, don’t undervalue your relationships. Humans have evolved to live in a tribes, communities and connect with others. Mother nature knows what she was doing when she put us here and there is a reason we evolved to live in tribes. Removing that connection from your life will only create more suffering and exaggerate your health issues… even if you live the most healthful life imaginable and have your diet down pat!