Is Your Gut Messing with Your Mind? The Real Impact of the Gut-Brain Connection
Feeling Foggy, Flat or Anxious, But Can’t Explain Why?
Maybe your digestion’s been off, your sleep disrupted, or your moods seem to flip without warning. You tell yourself to just get it together… but what if it’s not in your head at all?
What if the root of your mental fog, low motivation, and mood swings is actually in your gut?
What Is the Gut-Brain Axis?
The gut-brain axis is the two-way communication network between your digestive system and your central nervous system. It links your enteric nervous system (the “second brain” in your gut) to your actual brain through the vagus nerve; a kind of biological superhighway.
Here’s the kicker: about 80% of these messages travel from the gut to the brain, not the other way around. That means your gut has a significant influence on how you feel, think, and respond to stress.
What Happens in the Gut Doesn’t Stay in the Gut
1. Mental Fatigue & Brain Fog: Often linked to gut dysbiosis, where an imbalance in gut bacteria leads to low-grade inflammation that interferes with mental clarity.
2. Anxiety & Overthinking: Inflammation from poor gut health can trigger the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, flooding your system with cortisol and making it harder to calm down.
3. Low Energy: When the gut lining is compromised, your body struggles to absorb essential nutrients like B12, iron, and magnesium, key for energy production and nervous system support.
You’re Not Lazy. You’re Likely Inflamed.
If you’ve been blaming yourself for being “off,” tired, unmotivated, or emotional, stop. These could be signs of gut inflammation, not personal failure. We’ve been conditioned to treat mental and physical health separately, but in reality, they are deeply intertwined. What happens in your gut affects your brain chemistry, and what happens in your nervous system affects how well your gut functions. Healing one helps heal the other.
4 Practical Gut-Brain Strategies You Can Start Today
Here are clinically backed strategies to support both your gut health and mental clarity:
1. Breathe Before You Eat:
Engage your parasympathetic nervous system with 4–5 slow, deep breaths before meals. This stimulates the vagus nerve and prepares your body to digest efficiently.
Try this: Box breathing (inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4) before each meal.
2. Feed Your Gut Microbiome:
Include a variety of prebiotic and fermented foods to promote microbial diversity—a key factor in emotional and mental resilience.
Examples: Kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, coconut yogurt, garlic, onion, green banana flour.
Tip: Aim for 30 different plant-based foods each week to support a diverse microbiome.
3. Balance Blood Sugar to Balance Mood:
Unstable blood glucose can trigger anxiety-like symptoms, fatigue, and irritability. Eat balanced meals with protein, fibre, and healthy fats to reduce spikes and crashes.
Try this: A savoury, protein-rich breakfast like eggs, avocado, and greens instead of cereal or toast.
4. Track Patterns Without Judgement:
Noticing what foods or habits shift your mood or energy is powerful. Think like a scientist, not a critic.
Use a gut-mood journal: Track meals, symptoms (like bloating, brain fog, energy dips), and emotional states for 1–2 weeks to identify triggers and patterns.
Final Thoughts: Your Gut Is Always Communicating
If your energy is low, your moods feel unpredictable, or your thoughts are cloudy—your gut might be the missing link.
This isn’t just another wellness fad—it’s evidence-based integrative health. Your gut doesn’t just digest food; it digests life. And when it’s out of balance, so are you.
Listening to your body—and responding with the right support—can change everything.
Ready to Rewire Your Gut-Brain Connection?
At Innerform Health, we offer a multi-modality approach that brings together:
Nervous System Coaching
Nutrition & Gut Health Coaching
Clinical Hypnotherapy for Mind-Body Healing
We help you regulate your nervous system, rebalance your gut, and return to yourself, because real health starts from within. Book your FREE strategy session today and let’s find the root cause, together.
Our wonderful team of practitioners are here to support your holistic health and help you achieve your goals. Please contact us or click here to view our multi-modality services.
