The Unsung Hero of Stress Management: Your Breath
Did you know the way you breathe can transform how you manage stress? Discover the science of breathwork, how to break free from shallow breathing habits, and simple techniques to promote calm and balance in your daily life.
Did you know your brain, which weighs just three pounds, demands 20% of your blood’s oxygen supply? This essential organ thrives on oxygen, yet few of us consider how we’re breathing as we rush through our days. Here’s a surprising truth: the way you breathe affects far more than your oxygen levels—it’s a direct line to managing your stress.
As a healthcare practitioner, even I overlooked the power of breathwork for years. Breathing seemed so automatic, so basic, that I didn’t recognize its potential as a tool for calming the mind and body. But the more I explored it, the more I realized: breath is the unsung hero of stress management, heavily misunderstood and underutilized.
The Science of Breath and Stress
Breathing patterns are directly tied to your body’s nervous system. When you breathe quickly or shallowly—as we often do when we’re stressed—your body activates the sympathetic nervous system, also known as the fight-or-flight response. This signals to your brain that you’re in danger, even if you’re just stuck in traffic or late to a meeting. Over time, this kind of breathing can make you feel chronically anxious.
On the other hand, slow, deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation. Think of it as your body’s “rest-and-digest” mode, a state where you feel safe and calm. By simply changing the way you breathe, you can shift your body from a state of stress to a state of ease—no medication, no fancy equipment, just your breath.
Why Breath Matters More Than You Think
Breath isn’t just about survival—it’s about thriving. Your breath sends constant signals to your body and brain, acting as a bridge between your conscious and subconscious mind. By learning to control your breath, you’re not just oxygenating your body; you’re also gaining a tool to:
Lower your heart rate
Reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) levels
Improve mental clarity and focus
Enhance emotional regulation
What’s remarkable is how quickly these effects can take hold. A single minute of focused breathing can calm your racing mind and help you regain control in stressful moments.
The Problem with Accessory Muscle Breathing
Many people, often without realizing it, use their accessory muscles to breathe instead of their diaphragm. These accessory muscles include the neck (scalenes), shoulders (trapezius), and chest muscles (pectoralis minor). While these muscles are designed to assist during physical exertion or distress, relying on them for everyday breathing is inefficient and can lead to problems.
Why It Happens:
Stress and Anxiety: Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, leading to shallow, rapid breathing (also called chest or thoracic breathing). This often engages the accessory muscles.
Poor Posture: Sitting for long hours, especially with slouched shoulders, compresses the diaphragm, making it harder to use effectively. As a result, the body compensates by relying on accessory muscles.
Habitual Breathing Patterns: Over time, shallow breathing becomes a default pattern for some people, even when they’re at rest.
Why Diaphragmatic Breathing is Better:
The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle designed for efficient, deep breathing. It allows for better oxygen exchange and helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the calming side of the nervous system). In contrast, accessory muscle breathing is less efficient and can lead to fatigue, tension in the neck and shoulders, and even feelings of anxiety due to insufficient oxygenation.
How to Tell if You’re Using Accessory Muscles:
Visual Cues: Watch for movement in the shoulders and chest rather than the abdomen during inhalation.
Physical Symptoms: Complaints of neck or shoulder tension and fatigue can be a sign of over-reliance on accessory muscles.
Breath Quality: Rapid, shallow breathing is another indicator.
Simple Breathwork Exercises to Get Started
If you’re new to breathwork, don’t worry. These simple techniques are easy to learn and can be done anywhere:
1. Box Breathing
This method is great for grounding yourself in moments of stress. Here’s how it works:
Inhale for 4 seconds
Hold your breath for 4 seconds
Exhale for 4 seconds
Hold your breath for 4 seconds Repeat this cycle for 1-2 minutes, and notice how your body begins to relax.
2. Diaphragmatic (Belly) Breathing
Most of us breathe shallowly into our chest, but belly breathing taps into your body’s relaxation response:
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing your belly to rise while keeping your chest still.
Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your belly fall. Practice this for 5 minutes to feel more centered and calm.
3. Coherence Breathing
This method involves equal-length inhales and exhales, which helps synchronize your heart rate and breathing:
Inhale slowly through your nose for 5-6 seconds.
Exhale gently through your mouth for the same count. Aim for about 6 breaths per minute and notice the sense of balance it brings.
How to Make Breathwork a Daily Practice
The key to unlocking the benefits of breathwork is consistency. Start by integrating it into your daily routine:
Morning Reset: Begin your day with 5 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing.
Midday Pause: Use box breathing during lunch or between tasks to recenter yourself.
Evening Wind-Down: Practice coherence breathing before bed to promote restful sleep.
Breathwork doesn’t need to feel like another item on your to-do list. Think of it as a moment to reconnect with yourself amid the busyness of life.
Breath: The Tool You Always Had
Breathing is so fundamental that we take it for granted, yet it holds incredible power to transform how we manage stress. By slowing down and paying attention to your breath, you’re telling your body that it’s safe, and in doing so, you’re reclaiming control over your emotional and physical well-being.
So, the next time life feels overwhelming, remember: your breath is always with you, ready to help you find calm. All you need to do is pause and breathe.
Breathwork can be a transformative tool for managing stress, but everyone’s journey is unique. What breathing techniques have you tried before? How have they helped you find calm or clarity? Share your experiences in the comments below—we’d love to hear from you!
Trauma and Chronic Stress: Healing Big and Little Wounds
Trauma, whether big or small, leaves an imprint on the mind and body. Learn how Big T and Little t Trauma contribute to chronic stress, and discover holistic strategies for healing and resilience.
When we think of childhood trauma, it’s often the big, earth-shattering events that come to mind—the kind that forever alters someone’s life in an instant. These are often referred to as Big T Trauma, such as neglect, losing a parent, being physically/sexually abused, having a serious illness, or being in a life-threatening situation. But trauma isn’t always loud and obvious. In fact, adults who have suffered through Little t Traumas often feel like they do not deserve to even talk about it as it is not as significant.
The truth is, whether childhood trauma is big or small, it matters—and it matters deeply when it comes to the development of chronic stress. In this blog, we’ll delve into how both Big T and Little t Trauma shape our nervous systems, contribute to chronic stress, and impact our overall health. In this blog, we’ll examine how both Big T and Little t Trauma influence the nervous system, contribute to chronic stress, and impact overall health. Let’s explore these connections and their significance.
What Are Big T and Little t Trauma?
Big T Trauma
Big T Trauma refers to experiences that are overtly threatening to one’s safety or life. These events often leave a clear imprint on the brain and body, making them easier to identify and diagnose. Examples include:
Neglect (physical or emotional)
Abuse (verbal, physical, or sexual)
Loss of a parent
Illness or significant medical events
Big T Trauma can lead to conditions like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), where the nervous system remains locked in a state of fight, flight, or freeze long after the event has passed.
Little t Trauma
Little t Trauma, on the other hand, involves events that are less dramatic but still deeply distressing to a child. These experiences might not threaten physical safety but can significantly impact emotional well-being. For instance, a child who grows up with constant criticism may develop anxiety or perfectionism as an adult, unaware of how these early experiences shaped their tendencies. Examples include:
Being chronically criticized or bullied
Feeling pressured by a parent to perform a certain way
Feeling unloved and unaccepted
Lack of emotional support or being told you’re “too much”
Little t Trauma often accumulates over time, creating a chronic state of stress and tension in the body that is unbeknownst to the person. While it may not lead to full-blown PTSD, it can manifest as hypervigilance, emotional reactivity, anxiety, depression, or present as chronic headaches, digestive issues, or chronic pain.
Why All Trauma Matters
Source: 70/30 Campaign – Empowering Communities to Protect Our Children. Visit www.70-30.org.uk for more information
The Nervous System Doesn’t Differentiate
One of the most important things to understand about trauma is that the body’s nervous system doesn’t differentiate between Big T and Little t experiences. Whether the stress comes from a life-threatening event or a series of subtle emotional wounds, the body responds the same way: by activating the stress response. If the emotions associated with the trauma aren't adequately processed, the nervous system can get stuck in a state of hyper-vigilance (fight or flight) or shutdown (freeze).
When we mentally replay traumatic experiences, our nervous system doesn’t know the difference between remembering and reliving—it reacts as though the event is happening again, unintentionally retraining itself to stay in a heightened state. Over time, this can result in the body taking over the loop so that when you experience events that remind you of your traumas, symptoms begin to present themselves even if your conscious mind does not recognize the trauma. This dysregulation can lead to chronic stress and the chronic secretion of stress hormones that impact physical health, emotional resilience, and even cognitive function.
Accumulation of Little t Trauma
While a single instance of Little t Trauma might not seem significant, repeated exposure to these stressors can create a cumulative effect. Imagine carrying a backpack where each minor stressor adds a small stone. Over time, that backpack becomes unbearably heavy, even though no single stone felt overwhelming on its own.
The Link to Chronic Stress
Both Big T and Little t Trauma are significant contributors to chronic stress, which is a major risk factor for a range of health issues, including:
Heart disease
Autoimmune disorders
Digestive problems
Sleep disturbances
Mental health conditions like anxiety and depression
Healing the Body That Remembers
Trauma lives in the body, even if the events are in the past. The emotions generated from that trauma and the story we tell ourselves to make sense of the trauma is often what keeps us trapped in the loop. When we recall those events in our heads, our brains and nervous system create the same chemicals and neurotransmitters as if we are reliving that trauma again. The body becomes a canvas of those events when we bring them up in our minds over and over again. As Dr. Bessel van der Kolk says, “The body keeps the score.” However, healing requires more than just “thinking” your way out of it—it involves addressing the body, the emotions, and the mind together. Here are some approaches to consider:
1. Somatic Practices
Modalities like yoga, somatic experiencing, and breathwork help release trauma stored in the body. They focus on reconnecting with physical sensations of the body without tying it to any narrative or judgment. Learn to build a sense of safety by allowing yourself to hold space for this human experience.
2. Therapy
Therapies like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and trauma-focused counseling can help process both Big T and Little t Trauma. Find experts who are skilled in helping you process your trauma.
3. Mindfulness and Meditation
Practices like mindfulness meditation can help calm the nervous system and bring awareness to patterns of stress and reactivity. However, for some trauma survivors, traditional meditation may feel overwhelming at first, so it’s important to approach it gently.
4. Supportive Relationships
Healing often happens in the context of safe, supportive relationships. Whether through close friends, family, or support groups, feeling seen and heard can be profoundly healing.
5. Breathwork
Here are two of my favorite breathwork exercises to help you regulate your nervous system and create space between triggers and your emotions. These techniques engage the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and helps manage stress responses. Emotions typically last only a few minutes when fully felt; however, they can linger much longer if tied to a story. These exercises can help you gain some control over your emotions:
For Anxiety:
Coherent Breathing:
Inhale for 6 seconds.
Exhale for 6 seconds.
Effect: Harmonizes heart rate variability, reducing anxiety and increasing emotional resilience. I like to imagine a ball of light rising from my spine to the space between my eyes as I inhale and exhale.
When to Use: For general anxiety management or as a daily practice.
For Anger:
Physiological Sigh (For Intense Emotions):
Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
Exhale slowly through your nose or mouth for 6–8 seconds.
Effect: Activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping you release the heightened energy of anger.
When to Use: During or after an anger-inducing event to calm down and regain control.
Conclusion: Trauma Is Trauma
Whether it’s Big T or Little t, trauma matters. Both forms of trauma leave imprints on the body and mind, shaping how we experience the world and interact with others. Recognizing the impact of all forms of trauma is the first step toward healing and breaking free from the cycle of chronic stress.
If you’ve ever felt like your pain doesn’t “qualify” because it wasn’t a major event, know this: your experiences are valid, and your healing journey matters. You are worthy of care, attention, and the time it takes to reclaim your sense of safety and peace.
Interested in learning how to manage chronic stress? Explore our related blogs on breathwork and gut-brain connection.
Part 2 A Balanced Approach to Healing SIBO
Discover a balanced approach to treating SIBO by addressing root causes like stress, gut motility, and nutrient-dense foods. Move beyond food fear to foster gut resilience and long-term healing. Read on to learn how!
Managing Stress, Gut Motility, and Food Relationships
If you’ve been managing SIBO with dietary restrictions, you’re not alone. While elimination diets like low-FODMAP can provide symptom relief, they don’t address the root causes of SIBO or lay the foundation for long-term healing. That’s where a balanced approach becomes essential.
In functional medicine, we often use the 5R protocol for gut healing. Each "R" represents a crucial step in creating a comprehensive treatment plan:
Remove – Eliminate harmful substances, such as pathogens, inflammatory foods, or toxins.
Replace – Introduce elements your body needs to function properly, such as digestive enzymes, stomach acid, or bile salts.
Repair – Support the intestinal lining with nutrients like glutamine or zinc.
Re-Inoculate – Restore healthy gut bacteria with prebiotics and probiotics.
Rebalance – Address lifestyle factors like stress, sleep, and emotional well-being that impact gut health.
While all these steps are important, Rebalance is often the most neglected—and yet it’s critical for preventing SIBO from becoming a chronic issue. This article places a strong emphasis on Rebalance, because addressing stress, motility, and your relationship with food plays a pivotal role in breaking the cycle of recurrent SIBO.
By going beyond dietary restrictions and focusing on these key factors, you can give your body the tools it needs to heal and build resilience. Let’s explore how you can start integrating these practices into your life.
Managing Stress, Gut Motility, and Food Relationships
Rebalancing is the key to breaking the cycle of chronic SIBO, and it goes far beyond food restrictions. By addressing stress, supporting gut motility, and rebuilding a positive relationship with food, you can create an environment where your gut can truly heal. Here’s how:
1. Manage Stress and Support the Gut-Brain Axis
Stress-reducing techniques like deep diaphragmatic breathing, mindfulness, yoga, and regular exercise can significantly improve gut-brain communication. These practices help calm the nervous system and create a foundation for healing.
However, for lasting change, it’s important to explore the deeper patterns of stress in your life. Are there recurring situations that leave you feeling drained or overwhelmed? Perhaps it’s time to set healthier boundaries or to reassess a job or relationship that no longer serves your well-being. By identifying and addressing these patterns, you can break free from the cycle of stress and create a more balanced environment for your body and mind.
2. Focus on Gut Motility with Meal Spacing
To support the Migrating Motor Complex (MMC), aim to space your meals 4-5 hours apart and avoid frequent snacking. Meal spacing can be transformative for individuals with chronic SIBO. If you feel the need to snack between meals, assess whether your meals are providing adequate nourishment. If they are, ask yourself: Could the snacking be a response to something else, such as boredom, stress, or habit? Identifying the root cause can help you address your body’s needs more effectively.
Incorporate gentle movement into your routine, like walking for 10 minutes after meals, to naturally enhance motility. If bloating persists, consider an abdominal massage to support digestion and provide relief.
For an abdominal massage, apply a small amount of oil (such as coconut, olive, or castor oil) and massage your abdomen in a clockwise motion. Start at the lower right side (near your appendix), move upward along the right side, across the top under the ribs, and down the left side toward your pelvis. This technique follows the path of your colon, helping to stimulate digestion and reduce discomfort.
Lastly, consider incorporating prokinetics—such as ginger, artichoke leaf extract, or peppermint—to support motility when needed. Consult a functional medicine practitioner to determine the right approach for your individual needs.
3. Use Elimination Diets Strategically
Elimination diets like FODMAPs can be useful for short-term symptom relief, but they are not a long-term solution. Rather than focusing solely on restriction, shift your attention to incorporating nutrient-dense whole foods. Avoid foods and substances that can harm your microbiome, such as alcohol and food additives, while prioritizing those that support gut healing.
Working with a practitioner can help you create a diet that meets both your gut health and nutritional needs. A personalized approach allows you to address underlying factors contributing to SIBO, such as low stomach acid, immune dysfunction, or structural abnormalities in the gut. Tailoring your treatment plan to your unique needs ensures a more effective and sustainable path to healing.
Rebuilding a Positive Relationship With Food
Nourishing the Body and Mind. Savor the foods that heal
Rebuild Trust With Your Body Through Nourishment
One of the most empowering steps in SIBO recovery is shifting your focus from food fear to nourishing your gut with what it needs to heal. Instead of worrying about symptoms, prioritize nutrient-dense, gut-supportive foods that promote recovery.
Start With Gentle, Healing Foods: Incorporate mostly cooked vegetables, which are easier to digest, along with high-quality proteins like fish, chicken, or eggs to support tissue repair and overall gut health.
Add in Gut-Nourishing Ingredients: Include bone broth, ginger, and small amounts of healthy fats like olive oil to provide anti-inflammatory and gut-healing benefits.
Focus on Variety Over Time: Gradually expand your diet to include a wide range of whole foods, aiming to rebuild diversity in your gut microbiome.
Shift the Narrative: Remind yourself that food is not the enemy—it’s a tool for nourishment and healing.
Prioritize Stress Management: A calm and relaxed state during meals supports better digestion and reduces symptom flare-ups.
Conclusion: Beyond Food Fear
Treating SIBO is about more than cutting out foods—it’s about nourishing your gut with what it needs to heal and fostering resilience by addressing the underlying causes. While elimination diets can provide short-term symptom relief, they are not a sustainable long-term solution.
By prioritizing gut motility, managing stress, and focusing on nutrient-dense, whole foods, you can break free from the cycle of SIBO. These steps not only support gut resilience but also help you rebuild a positive and empowering relationship with food.
If you’re ready to move beyond food fear and tackle SIBO at its roots, consider working with a knowledgeable practitioner. A personalized, holistic approach can help identify and address contributing factors—such as low stomach acid, motility issues, or immune dysfunction—while creating a sustainable plan that promotes both healing and overall well-being.
Ready to take the next step in your SIBO journey? Share your thoughts in the comments, or schedule a consultation with a practitioner to create a personalized healing plan.
Part 1 Why Treating SIBO Requires More Than Diet
Elimination diets like FODMAPs are a common go-to for managing SIBO, offering temporary relief from symptoms like bloating and discomfort. But is cutting out foods enough to treat SIBO? In this blog, we uncover the root causes of SIBO, the limits of restrictive diets, and why a balanced approach is essential for long-term healing. Discover how stress, motility issues, and the gut-brain connection play a critical role in recovery.
Understanding SIBO and Its Root Causes
If you’ve been managing your SIBO with a restricted diet like low-FODMAP, you’re not alone. Many people turn to elimination diets to find relief from symptoms like bloating, discomfort, and digestive distress. But if your symptoms keep returning—or you’ve found yourself stuck in a cycle of cutting out more and more foods—you might be wondering: Is there more to the solution? The answer is yes.
First, if you haven’t already, consider getting a SIBO breath test and working with a practitioner who can provide targeted treatment. At Steddy Health, we treat SIBO using botanicals and create a customized approach tailored to your SIBO breath test results while addressing the root causes of your SIBO. If you prefer antibiotics, consult your primary care doctor or a gastroenterologist to prescribe the appropriate protocol. Addressing SIBO isn’t just about symptoms; it’s about understanding and managing its underlying causes. And yes, it’s “causes,” plural—not a singular issue.
FODMAPS - fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. These are short-chain carbohydrates that can ferment in the small intestine, triggering symptoms in individuals with SIBO. While these foods are highly nutritious, they can be challenging for those with gut imbalances.
The Limits of Diets Like FODMAPs
Many people find temporary relief by cutting out foods like onions, garlic, or wheat. But if you’ve been stuck in an endless cycle of elimination without real progress, it’s worth asking: Is there more to healing SIBO? The answer lies in looking beyond dietary restrictions.
Elimination diets like the low-FODMAP diet are often recommended for SIBO because they reduce fermentable carbohydrates that feed bacterial overgrowth. While this can provide significant symptom relief, they are not designed to treat the underlying issues causing SIBO. Although these foods are commonly associated with triggering symptoms, they are not the root cause of SIBO. Here’s why relying solely on dietary restriction to manage SIBO has its limits:
1. Symptom Management, Not Root Cause
FODMAPs and other restrictive diets help by temporarily starving bacteria in the small intestine, reducing fermentation and gas production. However, eliminating these foods entirely from your diet also deprives the beneficial bacteria in your large intestine of the nutrients they need to thrive. Many FODMAP foods, such as onions, bananas, and asparagus, are rich in prebiotics for the survival of the good bacteria in your large intestine. While FODMAPs can provide symptomatic relief, they do not address the underlying reasons for bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine.
2. The Risk of Food Fear
Elimination diets can unintentionally foster a fear-based relationship with food. When people associate certain foods with symptoms, it often leads to the mistaken belief that these foods are the root cause of the problem. This simplification of association into causation can create stress and anxiety around eating. The resulting hypervigilance during meals—constantly monitoring for bloating or discomfort—ironically disrupts digestion further and negatively impacts gut health.
3. Long-Term Impact on Gut Resilience
For many SIBO patients, the discomfort and bloating that occur after meals can lead to heightened sensitivity around eating. This often results in progressively cutting out more foods that seem to precede symptoms. Social media further fuels this cycle, offering quick fixes and extreme measures like elemental diets, which promise to eliminate bacteria in the small intestine. While these approaches may offer short-term relief, restrictive diets can reduce the diversity of gut bacteria over time. This loss of microbial diversity can exacerbate dysbiosis (imbalances in the gut microbiome), making it even harder for the gut to fully recover and regain resilience.
Feeling the Pressure: How Stress and the Gut-Brain Axis Impact Your Digestive Health at Work.
What Causes SIBO? Root Causes Beyond Diet
SIBO isn’t just about food—it’s a symptom of deeper issues in the gut. To truly address SIBO, it’s essential to understand the root causes that allow bacterial overgrowth to develop and persist. Here are some key factors:
1. Stress and the Gut-Brain Axis
During periods of stress, the body prioritizes the "fight and flight response," which causes digestion to slow down and blood flow to be diverted away from the gastrointestinal tract. This can disrupt the delicate balance of gut bacteria, contributing to symptoms like IBS. If the stress becomes chronic, this disrupts the gut-brain connection, impairing vagus nerve function and slowing gut motility. Stress also affects stomach acid production, immune function, and the balance of gut bacteria, all of which contribute to SIBO.
2. Motility Issues and the Migrating Motor Complex (MMC)
Motility issues can stem from structural problems such as scarring, growths, or vagus nerve damage caused by infections or trauma. Chronic stress can also lead to vagus nerve dysfunction, further impairing motility. Additionally, functional gastrointestinal conditions like IBS often disrupt normal motility patterns. The MMC (Migrating Motor Complex), which serves as your gut’s natural housekeeper by sweeping bacteria and debris from the small intestine during fasting periods, begins to fail. When the MMC is not functioning properly, bacteria accumulate in the small intestine, creating the conditions for SIBO to develop.