042 The Case of Hopeless Digestive Issues w/ Roxanne Saffaie

The Case:  Doreen is 39 and dealing with chronic digestive issues. She never knew when something would cause her stomach or bowels to flare up. She’d worked with several integrative practitioners but nothing helped. She was at the end of her rope and believed that nothing would ever work for her and that her situation was hopeless.   The Investigation I could see issues with her diet right away but with her history of working with respectable integrative doctors, I knew that dietary shifts weren’t going to be enough. There was something deeper going on and I suspected that it had to do with her mental state.  Trying to solve a health mystery can be emotionally taxing and frustrating. I understand that getting back to health can feel like an impossible task. And, sometimes, if we tell ourselves this enough, and fortify it with more negative thoughts, we can make the challenge even more difficult. I knew that if negative self-talk was at play in Doreen’s health mystery, we might never get her back to wellness.  Roxanne Saffaie is an empowerment coach and the host of Black Belt Beauty Radio (a podcast focused on Self Development, Life-Performance, and Health). She joins me on this episode to discuss how mindset can impact our physical health.  Gut Health and Mindset When we’re dealing with digestive issues, our first sense is to assume something like dysbiosis, food sensitivities, or leaky gut. Sometimes, there’s another layer to the issues that has to do with mindset. Roxanne explains that our sense of self-worth, self-love, and self-confidence can all play a role in our overall health. A negative mindset, lack of self-worth or self-confidence can all lead to poor health habits, a general disbelief that we are worthy of good health and behaviour that amounts to self-sabotage.  Committing to Healing Requires Commitment to Self The journey back to health can include some pretty challenging changes. These might be dietary changes, lifestyle changes, and/or habitual changes. In order for someone to commit to these changes, they have to believe both in themselves and the process. If they don’t believe in their own ability, that doubt can derail their efforts. If they don’t believe they will succeed, they are much more likely to fail. Roxanne says you have to adopt a champion mindset; you have to believe that you belong in the game and that you’re in it to win. Reversing Negative Self-Talk Many of us have negative thoughts and beliefs about ourselves. And, when we’ve been struggling with health issues, it’s easy to become doubtful about the prospect of feeling better. Roxanne says that reversing negative self-talk starts with paying attention to your inner dialogue to catch it as it’s happening. She also suggests that you prepare to reverse it when you know you have a challenge ahead. As you become more practiced at it, you will be able to witness your thoughts and create a separation between you and your thoughts.  Journaling One habit that Roxanne feels can make a big difference is journaling. All too often, our thoughts stay internal. Roxanne says that journaling helps to expel thoughts from your mind and allow them to just be; put them on paper but don’t judge them. Journaling is not about writing something of worth for the outside world, it’s a tool to help you communicate with your inner thoughts. It can simply be a brain dump of all of your thoughts poured out on the page. She recommends creating a daily journaling habit. It doesn’t have to take long. Journaling for just 5-10 minutes a day can help you gain perspective on your inner-self which leads to a deeper self-awareness and self-connection.  Meditation I’ve talked about the benefits of meditation on the show before and Roxanne agrees that it’s a great way to connect with your inner self. Like journaling, the practice has to be about witnessing your thoughts and not judging them. Letting your thoughts passby allows you to be aware of them without them affecting you. This also helps to build self-awareness.  The 4 S’s  The path to believe that you are worthy of good health and that you will overcome your challenges has 4 S’s, according to Roxanne. They are, in order:   Self-Awareness    This is becoming aware of your inner dialogue and recognizing negative self-talk.   Self-Connection    This is when you start to see an identity shift. You start to understand and live in your authenticity and your creative expression will be easier.    Self-Love    Now that you are more connected with yourself and living more authentically, you can generate more of a loving relationship with yourself. From this place, you can access more discipline, accountability and personal commitment to yourself.    Self-Confidence    Once you’ve learned self-love, you will be able to demand more from your life and live in a place of self-confidence. You will feel worthy of everything that you feel is important to you - which includes your good health.  Mental Landscapin...