Does the bloat have to be beaten?
Being bloated is uncomfortable. But we rarely, if ever, stop to question the nature of this discomfort. Are we uncomfortable because of true, physical bloating, or because of what we are taught that bloating is meant to represent?
Obviously there are times when I objectively feel bloated (after a bigger meal or after a bout of sickness), but more often than not, feeling bloated has been a projection of my anxiety. For example, I find that I tend to feel bloated after eating a previous “fear food” which I am still not 100% comfortable with. In other words, I often felt bloated because I think that I should feel bloated in that particular circumstance, based on ingrained beliefs that I have learned from diet culture (i.e. That a certain food would cause me to gain weight or appear to have gained weight, which obviously holds a host of negative implications in diet culture).
However, upon deeper examination of how I feel, I realize that most of the time, I am not “objectively bloated”. That is, my feelings are often the negative connotations that are typically associated with bloating - emotions such as guilt, anxiety and insecurity. Feeling “bloated” was my brain’s way of visualizing these emotions of discomfort.
So the next time you feel bloated, consider these “Mindset Movers” and challenge yourself to change your mindset rather than your body:
Feel those feelings: Diet culture is constantly telling us to get rid of discomfort at the superficial level, by ridding ourselves physically of excess water or fat. Again, there are moments where it is truly the case that our bodies are trying to tell us something by bloating (i.e. That you have eaten something that you are intolerant of). However, a lot of times these feelings of bloating can really just be mental or emotional discomfort. I challenge you to sit in that discomfort and analyze what you are truly feeling.
Get comfy: The above being said, I find that preemptively attacking the problem more superficially can be an effective way to prevent feelings of discomfort from arising in the first place. For example, feelings of bloating are often triggered if I am wearing tight clothing - it makes me claustrophobic in both the mental and the physical sense. I have less space to allow my body to change from moment to moment, and my brain is almost forced to pay attention to my body even when I don’t want to. The solution to the problem can be as simple as wearing looser, more comfortable clothing, and being more in touch with how amazing it feels to let your body be free. A big game changer for me recently has been working out in a sports bra rather than a tight tank top - I am more able to enjoy my movement and more appreciative of the ways that my body can move.
TELL ME ABOUT IT!
Do you ever consider the reasons behind physical sensations, and how much of it is actually related to your mind? If so, how do you tackle these moments?