By HR Professional in Healthcare, London, UK.
As a little girl I was regularly constipated. It was painful and uncomfortable. On and off through my life I continued to have bouts of constipation, although this is very rare nowadays.
When I was constipated, I could feel the strain and tension this put on my whole body, not just my bowels and their opening (or not)! I felt sluggish, lethargic, at times restless and my skin and hair were dull.
It’s odd when you consider it – if someone asked me to store my garbage bin in my bedroom I’d shriek with horror. Or if someone asked me to have a bath in water amongst the contents of my food recycle bin I’d cringe with disgust, yet, constipation is holding onto waste material that is no longer natural for the body to hold onto. If we would not have our garbage in our bedroom, then why would we want to hold onto waste in our body longer than is natural? We can shower, bathe and be clean on the outside, but if we are holding onto waste on the inside, our health will still be affected despite the outer appearances.
Constipation is a common condition, affecting people of all ages. Simply defined it means that we are not passing stools regularly, or that we are unable to completely empty our bowel. Other symptoms can include stomach aches, cramps, feeling bloated, nauseous, sick, and a loss of appetite.1
It is difficult to put statistics onto constipation, but “it’s estimated that around one in every seven adults and up to one in every three children in the UK has constipation at any one time. The condition affects twice as many women as men and is also more common in older adults and during pregnancy”.2 The figures are probably a lot higher as it is possible that constipation is just accepted as a ‘normal’ consequence of daily living nowadays and not mentioned to doctors or medical practitioners.
There are a number of lifestyle factors that can contribute to constipation including lack of exercise and dietary fibre, dehydration, inadequate rest and sleep and ignoring or overriding the body’s natural urge to pass stools. In addition, there can be medical conditions like anxiety, depression, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions as well as side effects of medications that contribute to constipation.
As well as the way we live, the way we are in the world also has a role to play here – as constipation is also the consequence of holding on to our hurts and literally not letting go of things in our life that no longer serve us.
In modern times there are many ‘remedies’ for constipation, such as diets high in fibre, laxatives, suppositories, and enemas. There are people who have lived on laxatives all their lives because of constipation – yet they are still stuck in a cycle of constipation, as the underlying issues have not been addressed.
If we are willing to address these issues, listening to our body will support us, as will becoming aware of whether there are any patterns to our constipation; are there any times of day, the week, or the year when it becomes more prevalent? Does it come on after a difficult experience or really stressful time? Does it come on when we have been too busy to take care of our basic physiological needs?
But the question still remains… why do we choose to hold onto waste longer than is natural? Why are we not ‘letting go’? More so, perhaps there is a simple question to be asked at these times: What am I holding onto? What do I not want to let go of? It may well be that whilst there are physical factors to constipation, the way we are in life, our ability to ‘let go’ literally could be a key underlying factor in many, if not all, causes of constipation and one that is worthy of deeper consideration. Clues to this may also be whether we dwell on things from the past, undealt with resentments for example, or do we hold onto material possessions that are ‘past their sell by date’ and no longer serve us – do we hold onto clutter in our daily lives? Do we bury issues or hurts so deeply, and in that hold onto them more than we consciously realise?
Constipation is possibly one of the most unsexy topics of conversation to have(!) yet, it is much needed. If we spoke with one another honestly about these so called common ailments – and found a place of honesty about whether we are holding on, or not letting go, or burying our issues, or not allowing our life to flow in some way… we may just find that it is not medication, fibre, enemas etc that we need to free us up – but, a different way of being in the world, with a new relationship with ourselves of understanding, allowing, and letting go. I know the more honest I have become, and the more I take care of myself and my daily living choices, the more I can see if I am holding onto something, not letting go, or not in the natural, true flow of life – at which point I can deepen my understanding, make changes and new choices in my life to allow things to flow again.
Constipation may not be sexy – but we do need to let go!
Read more:
Medicine and Serge Benhayon 
I recall suffering constipation years ago and I ate the most healthiest diet, drank plenty of water and exercised. yet It was never enough. I even resorted to high fibre and it would make no difference. And when I ponder back to those days, I was always holding back my expression with my previous partner, always having this conversation with myself that I should have said this or should have said that and dairy exacerbated the problem too.
Roll on years and my lifestyle has changed, I express more without perfection, my diet is more simpler and dairy is completely out and I’m no longer bunged up, not only from my nostrils but the bowel too.
HR, there is much to ponder about in what has been shared and everyone will have a reason to hold on to something, at the same time everyone has a reason to let go too, hanging on to things is not worth it for the body.
Yes, it is unsexy but it is a very direct conversation from our body and the experience you share shows that it is a physical and a ‘way of life’ conversation at the same time.
I agree Lucy, it is a direct conversation from the body, it is one that can start from an early age. I’ve come across babies becoming constipated and formula milk was blamed, and yet I wonder what else was going on for those babies….
This is just one great example of how a physical symptom in the body directly reflects how we are living energetically in our day to day lives.
I’ve experienced holding back love as part of being constipated before, as soon as I began expressing love again my bowels immediately began to work. I suppose whatever we are holding back can be different for everyone, and this can create a physical holding back in the body as well. It’s good to also check diet, hydration, and get medical support, but also consider emotional issues for a more holistic approach. If the body is in a lot of tension we can’t really expect it to work normally.
It is not clever to hold onto something or someone for their behaviour or actions although I’m sure we have all done this at some time in our lives. We have to realise and accept that it is ourselves that gets affected as well as another – this is something that we do not want to see for there are consequences to holding on and one of the consequences is no doubt constipation.
This made me reflect on what waste actually is in how we are living. That it is indeed when we don’t let things go and hold onto ideals, beliefs, convictions, pictures and so on that we are actually poisoning or at least burdening our bodies.
Letting go of control… Here is a subject that for so many cannot even be looked at… Let alone truly embodied… And the effects of this of course can be seen all around us.
When we have a clear out of possessions and/or emotions we are holding onto a natural flow of movement is reflected in our physical body.
There is so much more released from our body when we are willing to let go of the emotional outplays and the contractions and tension that we often think are normal but are putting an extreme amount of pressure on our delicate and precious body.
This might not be the sexiest conversation we would ever have, but as you say so wisely Jane, it is one that we all need to have at some stage, along with many others about the true cause of many of our accepted ailments. Those who suffer from constipation usually head straight for a ‘potion’ of some sort to get themselves going again but rarely stop and ask the question why; and the why as you have shown so clearly is the first question we ought to be asking ourselves.
I remember having constipation as a young adult and resolved it by taking laxatives but now have scar tissue in my bowels as a result. Because it is internal we don’t consider it as an issue, we pop a pill and get a result, yet everything has a consequence and, in retrospect, there were so many things I could have changed about my way of living before heading for the laxatives.
“Why do we choose to hold onto waste longer than is natural? Why are we not ‘letting go’?” – I like how you pause these questions, Jane, and you clearly imply that constipation is a choice, or rather a consequence of a choice. I’ve never considered it as such, but it so is.
Do we bury hurts and energies to the point of forgetting them? Definitely. Because everything is energy so even the stuff in the basement/attic, cupboard that gets forgotten about. How we treat our environment gives away how we treat within.
I have not found it easy to let go most of my life and now and then I would have constipation. It is only recently that I have been able to let go more and I found that in that it was important to feel that it does not need to be perfect before I can let go of situations that happened and let my life continuously flow in a lovely way.
Constipation can be what seems an never ending cycle until we start to be honest with ourselves as to what we are not letting go of.
Take every opportunity to let go, whenever and wherever possible.
I wonder how many of us reading this blog are affected by this at the moment, how many of us still experience constipation quite regularly and have we truly stopped to feel into it and see how it impacting us throughout the day. It is such a hidden topic, and perhaps the “shame” felt around it is because on a deeper level we know what it’s showing us, and that is why we are not open for discussions.
When I was pregnant for the first time I was very constipated. But I was also embarrassed to ask for support so I suffered through. I held on to what I felt. Now – in my next pregnancy – I am supported in a very different way, speaking to a naturopath who I have been open with, and who has suggested supplements to support my body. So my body is so much stronger this time around, and I am feeling the huge difference in how and what I am eating. And as a result, I am not constipated. So even just holding back getting support can bring on constipation in the body.
Letting go… There is always the opportunity to let go more, and then to feel what actually happens in our body when we do.
In my nursing role I see a lot of constipation. Its often medication related, but what you say about ‘letting go’ Jane very much rings true. Something that I have observed is that there is a reluctance to acknowledge that life is changing. ‘Hanging on’ to the way life was, when it can’t be that way any more. Trying to ‘control life’ as much as possible. This of course adds to other physical symptoms too; pain (which can be anywhere in the body) fatigue and nausea and vomiting. There is also a fear of letting go for some. It reveals many layers of resistance and stubbornness.
So true Jennifer, we think it is something physical but whenever I get constipation now, this is the conversation I have with myself. There is so much we can learn from taking a pause, not immediately going for a solution and considering what message our body can be sending.
We all need to let go, for most of us, it is letting go of control, and sometimes, in more obvious ways.
I get it maybe once or twice a year and in the last few years have been taking notice of how at the time it feels like other areas of my life are stuck or just cruising along without changing, or I am being super stubborn about something and not dropping my stance on the matter. But address one area it’s like taking a stick out of a dam, more break loose and everything flows again.
Yes – gorgeous, constipation is not sexy, but we need to let go and move on! and sometimes it needs a deeper reflection of what is going on and a discussion with someone about it. So lets get it starting !
I remember a while ago talking about not letting food go to waste, for example if we are full and don’t want to finish what is on our plate and so often we eat it. Someone pointed out to me – so you would rather your body be the garbage bin, than the actual garbage bin? And I was like, oh yeah, I totally do that, and I thought about the other ways I do that. It was a sobering point. And I was reminded by you saying that we would not have garbage in our bedrooms, so why in our bodies?
Holding on… True… constipation is a manifestation of this but you can see the holding on in people’s bodies, in their voices, in their lives, in their expression in general.
It makes sense that any level of holding on to stuff in life is communicated through our voice.
Just love the common sense in these words. “We can shower, bathe and be clean on the outside, but if we are holding onto waste on the inside, our health will still be affected despite the outer appearances.” Looking back, it is so very clear that I rarely ever considered what was going on in the inside, especially as to what I was holding on to, and yes, my health suffered as did the quality of my life. These day, health for me begins on the inside and then naturally ripples to the outside.
‘If we would not have our garbage in our bedroom, then why would we want to hold onto waste in our body longer than is natural?’ True Jane and I appreciate it very much you have pointed it out in this way, it asks us to be honest and to have a look why we don’t let go of that which is no longer needed in our system.
I find conversations like these real and so important to have between each other. Constipation, like holding on to hurts, can be so hidden because you can’t see any physical features on the outside that show this. Yes, you can sense it and it can be seen in how the person communicates, lives, works, or are in relationships but do we bring it up with each other? It’s amazing how ‘freeing’ it is to talk about it, and let go (no pun intended) of the beliefs that there are some things you just don’t share… that’s what gets in the way and blocks us in the first place.
I get offered such a clear reflection when I get constipated or get a little crack at the end of my bowel which then is very painful when stool passes. There is always a pattern, a form of protection and control that is causing this and once I renounced my way of being with this it just goes.
As someone who often experiences this, it gives a lot to consider and deeply contemplate in regards to what am I holding onto and what am I not willing to accept. I get the feeling that it is associated with not handling certain aspects of the day and bracing in case something comes at me, so putting my body into a fight and flight mode instead of letting go and surrendering to a different quality of life.
I can still be constipated now and then, always a sign for me that I don’t allow myself to be me in one or more areas of my life, the pressure I put on myself gives a tension in my body which is influencing my digestive system. Quite interesting is that since I have stopped eating nuts, having thin stool stopped completely and having constipation is more likely nowadays.
Some important questions are presented here Jane, and while reading them, it occurred to me that the answers although at times may be elusive the outward display in our lives can be a clue to what we are not letting go of.
I’ve been letting go quite a bit recently, of ways of living i.e beliefs about life, as in needing to be in control.. and what I’ve noticed as well as the physical benefits, there is definitely an easier flow with my digestive system, is how this has changed stuck areas in my life .. how it has opened up space for what I was trying to control to actually come to me and change how life has been for such long time. Truly amazing to experience.
Yes, it is just letting go of what is no longer needed in our lives that we have held onto, that allows us to move on in many ways.
Interesting to consider that much of human life currently is geared around hanging on to things and keeping things rather than understanding perhaps a possible deeper meaning and purpose to life that we are here to learn to let things go and shed things that are preventing us from experiencing and enjoying the fullness of life and ourselves that could be.
Holding onto objects, holding onto ways of interacting with people, holding onto emotions, holding onto repeated behaviours/rituals. I am sure there is more but there is a lot of holding onto in life, makes me wonder how the body feels about all this even if there isn’t constipation…
It does indeed Andrew, when we take a closer look there is a tendency to hold on to stuff that gets in the way of us living with clarity, simplicity, and flow. Life is constantly offering opportunities for us to let go and discard anything that does not belong. Our body is naturally very good at letting go, but if we get in the way and refuse to let go, our body will let us know.
Looks like honesty could be the best (and cheapest) enema around!
Absolutely, honesty is the best medicine for our body and for so many areas of our life. And the great thing is you can’t overdose with it either.
I love your playfulness and super honest comment, ha ha ha.
Brilliant Sarah, I love what you’ve shared, I had a chuckle because it is so true.
Thank you for making it so clear that no matter how common constipation might be, it is not natural to our body – and likewise, dwelling on and holding onto what no longer serves is harmful to our being. It’s so true though sometimes we get so used to where we are at and how, and what should have been let go of long ago has become a part of the furniture and we cannot recognise, let alone open a space for, what is being offered.
I like the analogy you use here Fumiyo, how what we should have let go have become a part of the furniture and we don’t even recognise we should have say goodbye to it ages ago. Is that not what comfort is about, holding on to the old ways we know so well.
With the amount of control and holding on that is happening in the world now, its surprising that toilets are used at all
I have found that I get constipated if I bottle things up, which is really associated with anxiousness and the more I allow myself to let go of that feeling the quicker the constipation resolves itself.
It is interesting how this blog takes us away from the old thought patterns around constipation and leads us to the awareness of what it is that we “hold on to”; even more succinct is the offering that it offers us all, to allow ourselves to look at ourselves, our way of living and what in particular we hold on to. There is no perfect science here, just our willingness to delve deeply into our own patterns, knowing that each pattern exposed begins to dissipate and lose its power, and every pattern let go of clears our bowels.
I have not had constipation for a long time but I can still feel in my life areas where I hold on, anxious to let go and trust in myself and the support that is always available. The more I stay present with myself and employ self care and self love, honouring myself, the easier it is to feel confident and not attach or be invested in outcomes and in this way I honour the process.
Talking about patterns of constipation. When I was very young, I would suffer from constipation as we moved a lot up until the age of 14, but it has only been the last five years that I realised it was the anxiousness of moving that stopped everything. Even though I do not feel anxious in myself and feel confident in my abilities to travel, even to this day, I will not be able to go the morning I travel and then hold on until I get where I am going. While writing this, I have also realised that it is only on the outward bound journey and not the return journey.
You have started a great conversation here Jane, and I bet the more we talk about subjects like this and the more open we can all be, the more we would find that people are suffering quite unnecessarily and with just a few lifestyle changes could lead much different healthier lives.
I agree there is certainly more to constipation than just what we eat, drink, how we exercise or not… those are all factors and valid ones at that that do need attention but there is also the way we are in the world as you say, how we react or respond to life, it’s situations, experiences, relationships, that have just as real an effect on our health.
I love this Jane, and realise reading it that we need a whole other approach to body ailments, that it’s not just about getting whatever medical assistance we may need, but having those conversations with each other where we ask in the case of constipation where are we not letting go. We could really support and expand each other if we talked in this way.
Thank you Jane for taking the conversation about constipation to a deeper level! The exploration of the relationship between disharmony in the body and our lifestyle is a worthy one in my view – and our bodies have a lot to say if we are willing to listen and ‘read’ their messages.
So many issues need to be expressed openly so we can work-out how we can release and let go with an openness so we can all evolve without reacting but responding, then we can release what ever we have been holding onto..
Having had constipation on and off throughout my life, having understanding that it’s about letting go, is truly supportive. When I have a bout of constipation, I ask myself ‘what am I holding onto’? When I am able to read this accurately, the constipation ceases… every time!
That is amazing Rachel, you are sharing an example of how to appreciate and listen to what our body is communicating which is always very supportive.
It is a great understanding Jane, that constipation is a message that there could be some underlying issues of life which have not been addressed. If GP’s took this wisdom into their consulting rooms, there would be a brilliant change of the present culture where most people who visit the GP come out with packets of tablets to sort out the problem.
There really is so much to appreciate about our bodies, they do such an amazing job under some harsh circumstances at times, but they still keep us going lovingly.
I find there are times I have to urge to have a poo in the most inconvenient of times. Yet when I honour this urge I realise the timing is perfect as it is literally a moment my body is asking me to take for me to let go and come back to me. Our bodies really do love us!
Such an honest sharing Joshua, and I agree our body does love us and it is so worthwhile to listen and honour what it is telling us. Often we ignore these messages and that is when these messages can get louder and long-term disregard can affect our body’s health and vitality.
‘I know the more honest I have become, and the more I take care of myself and my daily living choices, the more I can see if I am holding onto something, not letting go, or not in the natural, true flow of life – at which point I can deepen my understanding, make changes and new choices in my life to allow things to flow again.’ Recently I became aware, and reading your blog Jane is confirming this, that my body is giving me very clear messages to deepen the relationship I have with my body which means to honour what it is showing me in all kind of ways and start to be more honest and take care for what has been given me, a vehicle of expression for all that I am.
Holding back starts from when we are very young as I work with very young children and they even suffer from it, and I will bring it up with parents by asking, so is anything happening at home thats changed, so that they get to see, it may not just be food that is causing it.
Letting go so we can reconnect back to the flow – makes total sense to me. Great blog Jane.
With the amount of holding on that goes on in the world… Surely constipation must be much more rife then we know about… Maybe it’s one of those things that people just don’t talk about.
” What am I holding onto? What do I not want to let go of?” Although not a constipation sufferer I am aware I have ‘stuff’ in my house that I am unwilling to let go of – stuff that no longer serves me. Just this week I have asked for support in this arena – and although I feel trepidation I know I need to be to tackling this area of my life right now.
We can even hold onto tension in our body and I find this doesn’t help my digestion and subsequent release. Like holding my jaw tight or going about my day with scrunched toes. If theres a refusal to let go of how I hold my body there can be constipation.
I became aware today – thanks to the wisdom of an esoteric healing practitioner – of my normalisiation of constipation (having been a condition that has been present for much of my adult life) is more than not letting go, although this has been a significant part of it. Underlying this is an attachment to my physicality, to feeling full, for what better way to feel full than to literally not clear out the waste. I have been feeling much much lighter within myself, and deeply enjoying the space I’ve been allowing within my body, so this current ‘episode’ of constipation is a reaction to feeling this space. A reaction to formlessness. Makes so much sense and is supporting me to be super-understanding of myself.
Thank you for sharing Lucy, this makes sense to me. Not wanting to feel the space, the lightness that is just there when we accept and allow this connection to being divine. I can eat in this way, to be full and holding on to this ‘fullness’ by not letting it go when it needs to go is definitely something I will look at as being constipated is something I experience quite a lot.
Constipation does have a big drain on the whole body, it makes it difficult to concentrate, you feel sluggish and tired and easily distracted. This is the same with holding onto emotional issues, it takes a toll on the body. Learning to live and let go is key and to allow things to be as they are, not needing to control or have things a certain way.
I would love to be in a world where we could be open, honest and true without certain conversations being uncomfortable, like constipation for the more we can talk about things the less of an issue they are.
It’s extraordinary how many things we can pass off as normal just because so many more of the world experience something compared to those that do not. The question is why we accept this as being okay…. it seems as if we have lost connection with knowing that there is so much more than what we have willingly settled for… and as such have given up looking to reveal the truth under the layers we live, like you have done so brilliantly here.
Holding back expression is definitely a way to block up the body when we have something to say, but choose to not express all of what we felt, or to water it down in some way.
It is very healing to let go even if it doesnt seem sexy… Actually it is. Because there will be more space for who one is.. That is truly healing.
Looking at illnesses from every angle, including the way we emotionally and physically deal with life makes sense. I would love to see some practical experiments with a group of people working on letting go, over a number of months and seeing if there was any change in the condition? This is not a sexy subject but it is a needed discussion and probably one that most people feel like they cannot talk about, it’s great that you are opening up this topic for people to share or at least to open their awareness to.
The only way to create space in our lives is to allow ourselves to constantly let go, starting by letting go the need of controlling the process
There are many people who suffer from constipation, and what you bring to light here is that we are actually contributing to the constipation ourselves, when we hold onto things physically or mentally we hold our body back from letting go too.
The pathway to our true evolution – returning to the great love that we are – is a process of surrender, of ‘letting go’ of all that has come to stand in the way of who we truly are. ‘Holding on’ whether it be to people, situations or certain behaviours, is a method we employ to halt this process. A process that can never be stopped, only delayed. Our journey back to Soul is inevitable but we are in control of the speed of which we do that and it is this ownership that we cling to knowing full well that when we are safely home, there is no ‘self’ in our true self, only Oneness. Hence the game is revealed.
‘Constipation may not be sexy – but we do need to let go!’ A simple answer to a very common problem!
It is beautiful how illnesses have often a very simple and practical way of relating to life. Constipating relating to not letting go, holding onto things and not allowing flow makes sense and it is great to ask ourselves if this could be the case when we have constipation, aside from the medical support if needed.
When we are willing to see the true causes of our ailments we have an opportunity to change our bodies and the way we are in life.
When I am constipated my body tells we loud and clear, I feel heavy and lethargic, my colon feels tight and I feel bloated. My body feels dehydrated and my mood feels pretty low. It’s crazy how I get all these signs and yet sometimes I just continue to ignore, until I feel really awful in my body. My body does not judge me, but it is still standing by and not giving up on me.
We hold on to patterns and behaviours as they provide a form of safety and security when issues come up in life, but this approach goes against the natural pull of evolution that is constantly asking us to digest life and let go that which is no longer needed in order to create space to be more of who we are.
I agree that this is such an important topic to discuss between us all. Holding on that which no longer serves us is something that we all can relate to, and very likely all still do from time to time, my hand is up here. But as you have shared this is a toxic relationship to entertain, as in holding on we are holding back the greater depth of ourselves that we can be living, in connection to the flow of life we are part of. We have been bestowed with a gift in our bodies, and the more we openly, honestly, share and discuss the conditions and reflection we feel in our bodies the greater understanding we have our ourselves whether the choices we are making are supporting us to move and be with the flow of life.
It’s amazing how precisely our bodies communicate with us, each organ and part literally telling us exactly what is happening, and what is needed. From the many processes of the body we can learn much about ourselves, and if we choose to ignore the first signs, the communications will increase, e.g. constipation and further dis-eases of the bowel and body, until we listen to and act upon the information being given to us from our bodily discomforts and dis-eases.
Does it matter if it isn’t sexy! I would say it’s really valuable to talk about what we are holding onto in our lives. So maybe expression is key in this to nominate and express to either ourselves or others what we are holding onto and why because as you share as soon as we do this we can let all the garbage go.
It feels great to just express to support in letting go of what we are holding onto. The more we express the more body frees up and the body then no longer is constipated.
When you read more than one article of constipation in a day… Well you start to feel that someone is trying to tell you something… And let’s face it there is always something more to let go of, always a little bit of control that we haven’t noticed that is affecting out life.
It is simply the ‘self’ learning to let go of itself (its self) so that it can surrender back into the Divinity it/we first separated from.
Thank you Jane, for defining constipation not only as not being able to pass stools but also the poignant fact of ‘or not emptying the bowels completely’. I have regular bowel motions, however recently have felt ‘constipated’ and can feel that yes, my bowels are not emptying completely and that there are definitely aspects of life that I am holding onto, am attached to and seek comfort in and struggle to let go because to do so would be to release the control and predicated outcomes for the future and open myself up to greater uncertainty (in the temporal life). It feels time to let go of needing life to be any certain way, to expressing openly and honestly and honouring everything I feel, deeply so.
Thanks for writing on a topic that is often spoken of in private or ignored even though it is a natural part of our human form and physicality. There is so much more to observe here than the medical word ‘constipation’. The feelings that are noted in the body make sense as the way we have been living – holding on to, not letting go of, or whatever may be the feeling one gets the body, remains unbiased and continues to show us the signs of our ills.
In order to accept and surrender to the natural flow of life and therefore in my body, I have to let go of the idea life is about struggling my way through and working on my issues etc., instead of living from the knowing everything is taking care of when I live in the fullness of who I am.
Great to read this today Jane, thank you for sharing your experience here. I’m struck by how we talk about our ailments and how if we were to go underneath and get really honest we could offer ourselves and those around us a different perspective, so as you say with constipation, what is it we’re holding onto that we do not let go – that is such a healthy conversation to have and yes we get any medical help we need but the real medicine is how we live and if we stop and look at that we put ourselves in a place of power and take our part and ensure that over the long term we address the underlying issues which led to the physical symptoms in the first place.
It is amazing how each part of the body can tell us about the whole of our life. Unfortunately this has not been made common practice or conversation. It’s not a sexy topic, but one that can help raise the bar on the quality of life we have thus far accepted to be much less. Living with constipation is not normal, otherwise why would it be classed as a condition and not a natural state?
Yes we do need to talk about it and yes I agree we need to get so much better at letting go of our stuff. It is still emerging in the science world what our bodies have been sharing with us of eons. That if we ruminate and lament on things, over analyse, hold grudges against people and not let them go, they clog up our own bodies with poison. This is not a good look for us, because it just constipates us, so let’s go for it and let go.
It is strange how we avoid conversations like constipation, menopause, death and all the other common things we all experience at one time or another. Of course not all men experience menopause directly but they still get their version or via friends. Why do we not share our experiences and look at these things that so directly affect us but are quite happy to talk about sport, the moon and the latest fad or TV show?
True – such a funny (not) word comfort or at least that form of comfort because in truth it is not comfortable at all but a prolonged awful angst! Comfort used this way is well described in Unimedpedia Comfort here: http://www.unimedliving.com/unimedpedia/word-index/unimedpedia-comfort.html
The body is great at communicating the fact that how we think, move, act and the emotions we try to control or carry with us all has an effect on us physically. If these things affect us physically, then they must be affecting other people too. Thus, the body is a master at making life about energy in form and showing us that we are a product of our choices.
Yes, I find myself really considering how much we hold on to that we actually take as normal, the ways of living, thinking and behaving that have been habits for so long we don’t even consider them to be unsupportive. As I read your blog I felt something unravel and I can see today will be a fresh opportunity to clear out some old patterns of behaviour that no longer serve. I suspect I will need to be near a bathroom!
You are right Jane… we really do need to ‘let go’ as a society really…. And it becomes more and more obvious that there is an epidemic of ‘holding on’!
Could being in motion all the time, operating on nervous energy be a form of not letting go? Absolutely! This is what I realise more clearly from reading your blog Jane. I experience constipation from being in a state of perpetual motion and not allowing the body to surrender to feeling and expanding on the woman that I am … sexy and powerful!
Most of the issue we need to look at are not sexy. Sexy is when we choose to truly observe the situation and learn. When we face what is there we need to deal with, take responsibility, start living our truth and being all that we are.
It’s true – there is nothing sexy about holding onto that which does not serve us to live the truth of who we are.
I haven’t really had constipation that much in my life but there was one time when I was working on a job and it involved long days and lots of work and deadlines so even though I didn’t feel stressed I obviously had something going on because it wasn’t until the last day that I realised that I hadn’t passed the whole time of the event. Then when it was complete everything loosened up. Any kinds of signs like this you can’t ignore so to start to look at what are we holding onto is a great start. What is it that we are not letting go of? These observations and questions are worth asking on a regular basis.
It could be said that the prevalence of certain conditions, illnesses and diseases are evidence of how we have normalised ways of living that are not actually natural to us.
From my observations of the times in my life where I have suffered with constipation, things like stress, travelling seems to stop everything and after pregnancy. It was a most unpleasant experience and would be quite distressing long term, and yet people can have it for most of their lives and just manage it.
The common advice out there is fibre, water and exercise, and if any of that does not work we are left with the medications of laxatives, suppositories and home enemas – all of which do not address the real reason it is occurring in the first place.
It is great that this conversation has been broached, it is necessary. Constipation is common, I agree, I would suggest so common that most of is think it is normal. I know that the way my bowel function has changed a lot over the years, some of that is about how I eat, but a lot of that is about how I treat my body also. I do not hold back like I once did, I am not stuck mulling emotional issues, I express more and these choices hand in hand have made a big difference.
As I am suffering of constipation lately I do feel too that it is not about the food intake, supplements or physical exercise but that there is a deeper level I have to look at, to indeed look to things, behaviors, ideals or beliefs I am holding on to which needs to be discarded, to allow my life and bowels to flow again to their natural.
I have suffered from constipation throughout my childhood and into my adulthood.
Now that I am aware of what energetically it means it makes so much sense to me why I have experienced it- not wanting to let go of childhood hurts; a means in holding myself back in evolution and keeping myself small. Time to let go and allow more space in my body to embrace more love.
Amazing the way our bodies communicate with us whenever we are not digesting life and holding onto stuff that no longer serves us, taking up space for what otherwise would be our next point of evolution.
Hi Francisco, interesting it is to look at constipation like this, that it is not only a physical ailment, but that it is also reflecting the way we are in life and that it could be a result of us resisting that next point of evolution.
We will always be reflected our living ways in our bodies. It can’t but reflect back the way in which we move it.
How painful and uncomfortable it is to hold on to what we no longer need.
Here is something interesting. I’ve recently had a baby and since having her I have been constipated – and so has she. I know this is related to me not letting go of how I was before I was pregnant, and for her she felt this. So I looked at this and how I was living, and at the same time I cut out sugar from both our diets. And the difference is amazing. We are both no longer constipated and I can feel how letting go of the ideals and beliefs of what it is to be a mum has been a big one.
Jane I love how you’ve inspired others to look at constipation and write about it in a new light, it’s so common yet so unspoken. The fact that so many have this at some or many points in life really shows that we’re living in a way that we hold onto so many things. As someone shared with me recently we should live fresh in each moment, not taking anything from the past and holding onto it or riding on the fact things go really great. Each moment we can choose divinity but we have to let go of what we hold tight along the way.
With any ailment in our body we are offered a chance to go deeper and look at the way we are moving through our life. I always find constipation an ailment that is so obvious to read offering us an instant point to start to the deepening.
There used to be an advert of the TV where a lady puts a load of food into a handbag and carries it around everywhere she goes, and eventually the food started to rot and stink, but isn’t that what we do with our own bodies by hanging on to our ill patterns – never likely it causes discomfort in the body.
‘What am I holding onto?’ This is an obvious question to ask when we are constipated but so many of us don’t ask it and just reach for a ‘fix’ such as a laxative which means we never really get to the bottom of things and can therefore have this condition for a long time. The body is always reflecting our choices to us and if we can stop, look and listen we will find an answer – the only difficulty is that it requires us to take responsibility for our health and this is something too many of us have given up on doing.
I fully agree with you Jane, constipation is not sexy, therefore we have to let it go. To me it has been the holding on to life and the trying to have control over it that made me anxious and constipated, Recently I have found that when I let go of this control and surrender to the flow of life, there is nothing to hold on any more which is equally reflected in my body my bowels and my stool. You can say that I am sexy again as I have let go of a way of life that made me to contract and to not be fully me.
As a nurse/ midwife I see so many patients suffering from constipation. From a medical treatment perspective the doctor is quick to perscribe stool softeners, suppositories or enemas. But if we don’t address the underlying cause- “unwillingness to let go”, constipation will just return.
The key to constipation is indeed “a different way of being in the world, with a new relationship with ourselves of understanding, allowing, and letting go.”
It’s great to bring some facts and awareness to what should never be considered a ‘common’ ailment in the first place. Not only should we be wary of the normal tag but also we should be aware of when things like this effect so many of us regularly. So what if us dealing with an issue like this also supports others to do the same and likewise on the other end, what if us not dealing with this also supports others to bury it as well. It’s great to see some figures around this as well as often we think it’s just us or we are isolated in what is going on but in particular the figures on children are concerning. When we are so young why are we holding onto so much? It doesn’t make sense and yet it makes perfect sense. While not a great topic of discussion you could say, at the same time a great topic to discuss.
“The figures are probably a lot higher as it is possible that constipation is just accepted as a ‘normal’ consequence of daily living nowadays and not mentioned to doctors or medical practitioners.”
This is something that applies to so many minor conditions, yet there is so much to understand and learn about ourselves when we look deeper and explore each of theses discomforts and what the body is communicating to us through them.
Jane, thank you for opening up this topic as it is indeed much needed and great to take an honest look at what we might be holding onto so we can let it go and ‘allow things to flow again’.
Our gut health is so related to everything about us and how we feel. I have discovered that if our gut/tummy is feeling good, then our whole constitution, from head to toe, feels vibrant and alive. So it makes sense to take care of this, in what we eat, address any issues (bloating, pain, constipation etc) as it relates to all aspects of how we live in life.
The simplicity in the revelations our bodies share with us (constipation = stubbornness and resistance to letting go…) is so supportive and guiding – it is a choice if we heed or not.
Oh how our bodies know exactly what to communicate
How amazing are our bodies, that they can and do reflect everything back to us about how we have been living and the choices that we have made that lead to conditions such as constipation. When we are willing to accept that we are fully responsible for everything that happens in our bodies, only then can we begin to bring true healing and have true health.
Love it Jane, so true, it may not be sexy but it is one blunt conversation our body is having with us that we cannot ignore. I cringe at the thought of having stagnating rubbish in our bedroom but when you feel your body with constipation that is very much what it feels like. Being prepared to address what we resist wanting to see often highlights areas we have chosen to bury or overlook that end up poisoning our body.
How powerful we must be if holding on to a hurt, a way of being that no longer serves us, or holding back, can result in our system being blocked up. Wow the body really does give us all the clues as to how we are choosing to live!
This is a great blog, it needs to be prescription to anyone who has constipation, too often we don’t look at the why something is happening to us, you looked at the why and as a result you understood on a deeper level what was happening, it is only in this understanding looking at what caused it in the first place do we truly heal.
Agreed, Samantha, and it is here that we can start to build an inspiring relationship with responsibility.
Not only is it worth acknowledging that I’m holding on to stuff when I get constipated but to look deeper at what it is I’m first not accepting – what is it I’m not digesting of life that leads to this constipation. Our body is a fascinating and responsive thing that constantly offers us more and more understanding.
Letting go and not holding onto the ideals and beliefs I used to is something that has freed up my bowels from being a problem to where it is a pleasure to eliminate.
Constipation, it certainly ain’t sexy, but also its one of these things we never think about until it is a problem for us. But passing stools at the toilet (or not in this case) is worth paying attention to, as it tells us a lot about how we are living. And the intelligence is found in not waiting to react to a problem, but caring for our health more deeply while we feel well. That is super smart.
I think it’s great advice if we’re constipated to be more aware of if there are any patterns to it – when it started or comes on and what else was happening or how we were feeling at that time. Through this awareness we can then tune into what is it that we may be holding onto and so get to the energetic root of it as well as addressing the physical aspect.
Agreed Jane, we do need to let go! Our digestion is a great reflection for what we accept, let go of, or hang on to in life.
Holding on to stuff, or being constipated is not healthy for us, whereas going with the flow and letting go feels so much more enjoyable, ‘the more I take care of myself and my daily living choices, the more I can see if I am holding onto something, not letting go, or not in the natural, true flow of life’.
Our bodies can tell us so much, and gut health is becoming more and more talked about it is fundamental to our everyday functioning and for the most part it is severly abused via the way we live and what we eat.
My tendency to grip and want to control life has definitely resulted in changes in my physiology (muscle tension and pain, constipation, tiredness) and then, when I do let go, my body responds so naturally and instantly – I can feel a cellular intelligence that is always there even though I often override it with my head…
It is so easy to pretend that you are not having any issues with the bowels but constipation is one that gets very uncomfortable after a while. The first couple of days its passable and not really any issues but once it goes beyond this you can’t but help look at why you are not passing stools. Why is it that we are holding on and what are we holding on to? When we can get to see the truth of what is behind it then we can heal it and then let go.
I love this because we need to have discussions about everything and should not be embarrassed or afraid to talk about anything. Constipation it seems is something that affects many people so thank you for getting this going 😆 and also bringing the awareness of the energetic meaning of it in ‘what are we holding onto’. Instead of reaching for a laxative this should be the first question we ask ourselves, something I am very much being made aware of in my life right now, not with constipation but how I do not give myself time to read why things are happening and then put something in place to change it.
I agree Vicky – and understand that once it has gotten to a point that the body is constipated, we have been holding on and not seeing all the signs before that were telling us, so we know we have it loud and clear from the body.
Constipation is a common ailment for lots of people and it seems really strange how some subjects are discussed in great depth but most people wouldn’t dream of talking about constipation. It also feels like it has become their ‘normal’ so people don’t think of it as an ailment and wouldn’t even go to the doctor to discuss it. Opening these doors Jane creates a platform for it to start this much needed discussion.
I used to suffer a lot from constipation in my younger days, and now it makes sense that was because I bottled things up, I felt I had to be in control all the time and carry everyones problem on my shoulders. But that was more harming to me. As I have been more honest with my feelings letting go of this control, my bowels have been more flowing, now and again if I have constipation it’s alerting me to go deeper in myself to see what’s going on and what choices am I am making
I love that you have gone there and yes we need to let go! My digestive habits have altered greatly through looking at my diet and emotional well being. Healthy digestion is a big sign of our well being. And so many people live with constipation and think it is a normal part of life, because that is what they are used to, this was my way in the past. Let’s go there and continue the conversation…
Constipation can be so painful, but so can holding onto our hurts.
Constipation is definitely a red flag asking us to look more deeply into what is really going on, and it needs our attention, it is no good just hoping that it will sort itself out, because if we choose to ignore it, it won’t just be constipation it will evolve into something else until we have no choice but to seek help and address it.
Isn’t that so often the case Sally, that we can tend to think that things will just sort themselves out, without us having to play an active part in it. Yet this is a choice to ignore the very thing that is being brought to our attention by our body.
Constipation may not be a sexy topic but it is one that affects so many people worldwide, and deserves to be spoken about, along with haemorrhoids which often accompanies the constipation. How many people suffer a lifetime without seeking medical attention due to embarrassment, and get so used to it that they see it as normal or something you just have to manage and live with.
Julie that’s true to many people just put up with it thinking its a way of life and not realising that they can change it and start to clear it, by understand why constipation happens in the first place. When we start to understand the cause, then there is a possibility of change.
I agree Julie, these topics are ones of many which people suffer from in silence, learning to live and get on with the issue, and in some cases just thinking it is normal or part of life. But what if it didnt need to be? What if we could live in a way where when we get these issues they are oppotunities for relfection on how we have been living, so we can then change and clear them.
The simplicity of the reflections from our body is inspiring and shows me yet again that it is in my head that I make life complicated. When I listen to my body it is super straight forward and in this case, constipation = my unwillingness to let things go. This article inspires me to consider in a very practical way what else my body is telling me through the day.
Matilda I have been aware for a while, particularly around the subject of food, that when I go into my head I am taking my cues from the wrong source. For example when I narrate or rationalise a decision about food e.g. ‘i should eat now as I haven’t eaten for a while’, rather than only eat when my body tells me that it’s hungry, this is evidence that I am listening to a false master. The body and the mind are constantly looking to lead us in two different directions, the body towards truth and the mind away from truth.
It is often that I do not want to let go of judgement towards myself, I would get myself in situations where I am tired and I do not express it and then I become upset because I have not taken care of myself fully, so what I don’t want to let go of is resenting my own loveless behavior and reaction on myself. This is getting less and less frequent, as I realize my own imperfections is another opportunity for me to accept and deepen the love for myself—not to reach perfection, but to know no matter what my choices have been, I am still so worthy to be loved.
There are some great examples of the chaos that happens when we hold onto things that are no longer needed – I could apply this to several areas of my life externally and internally.
Thanks Jane, after my first read of your article I understood the link with letting go, reading again today what really stood out for me was buried issues – again things to let go of but perhaps we may not be as conscious of these things because we have buried them? I suppose we could say that even burying things is quite disregarding to the body since we would not bury rubbish in our sock drawer!
Thank you Jane for a subject which is just not discussed and actually one that needs to be. If too personal a subject with friends or family then at least with a health professional. It is shocking how we have come to accept constipation as normal and so too has it for some doctors, simply managing with medication. I love the analogy of the rubbish bag in our room as this shows what we are accepting in our bodies.
My digestion is a great reflection of where I am in my life. Yes, what we physically eat affects us, but so does our approach to life and our state of being. In fact this is the very foundation that all our actions and choices come from.
It would be good to have these psychological factors that you are listing, Jane, investigated. It may throw up some interesting findings.
Jane as others have shared, it’s often the not sexy topics or the things we avoid that we can certainly do with discussing and looking at in more detail, however doing so from the point of what our bodies feel towards and with those things. As you’ve shared here, if we looked at constipation from the point of view of what in life are we holding onto, then we could address the issue at its root and not simply find a solution to the situation we find ourselves in, to me that is true medicine.
Thank you Jane – this article is so needed. It is amazing how the body alerts us to what we need to do to evolve.
“……do we hold onto clutter in our daily lives? Do we bury issues or hurts so deeply, and in that hold onto them more than we consciously realise?” Great questions Jane. There is so much that we can and do hold onto, but for what? Ultimately it serves neither us or anyone else, so having a good daily clear out and letting go of what’s no longer needed, both inside and out, is always going to benefit us all.
We really do like to hold onto many things, and it is quite idiotic that we don’t think that ruminating thoughts over and over again in our heads isn’t going to impact our body in any way. But it does and the more we accept and take responsibility for such things, the more constipation can be a thing of the past.
I have found that since I have been expressing myself more, from my body, my constipation has gone, I realise now how much I was holding back and onto … so simple, and my body feels so much lighter.
Thanks Jane … we hold on to so much and it always weighs us down, whether it be emotional baggage or last weeks lunch… we HAVE to start letting go.
‘We can shower, bathe and be clean on the outside, but if we are holding onto waste on the inside, our health will still be affected despite the outer appearances’ – Great point Jane. Looking fantastic, ticking all the boxes for success, exercising and being ‘healthy’ is all well and good, but if we are abusing our bodies, holding onto waste or choosing to disregard ourselves on the inside then we won’t feel the full joy that’s possible, and our bodies may well reflect that we are not living a truly healthy life.
So being more honest and looking beyond the facades we have constructed – this has been the beginning of a sustainable, understanding and more supportive relationship with myself.
Constipation brings to our awareness that there is something we are not letting go of. If we are open to hearing the truth we will receive it.
I have experienced this in my body this week and can categorically say I know there is a link as you describe Jane between holding back and constipation. By deepening my understanding through an illness in my body as well, it becomes very clear to ‘go with the flow’ in every sense of the words.
That made me laugh!
I asked myself this question -‘What is it I am not letting go of?’ And the answer, to my surprise, was sadness. So the next question I need to ask is – what do I get from deliberately holding onto sadness? – a sense of recognition, identification , separation – something to indulge in?
There are many things I hold onto
from my past, it doesn’t result in constipation, but definitely there’s a heaviness in my body from not letting go.
Constipation is a great sign we are holding onto something, if you can image what strain this causes on the body because everything that is your natural flow is being asked to not be this. The last time I had it, it took a couple of days before I realised I hadn’t passed and then when I did it was a great feeling. Then I clocked what I was holding on for. Great learning and letting the body go to just be.
Jane what you bring is the fact that its not one single thing that causes a condition like constipation or in my case IBS, but a whole way of living that affects things including and most importantly how we choose to observe life or take everything on. It literally affects the way we move, walk, talk, sit, eat etc.. etc.
Continuing to feel into what foods support us is one thing, but as you call out Jane, there is a lot more to constipation than just food. It is what we choose to ruminate over, it is also what we choose to not let go of, in the way of dramas, emotional issues, conflict we have with others. If we hold onto these things, they impact on our body, which we conveniently forget most of the time.
Sometimes I choose to give myself constipation. It is like a form of sabotage in the form of gluing up my insides with foods that I know are too heavy for me. It usually happens when I am angry with myself for some reason, and instead of truly feeling what I need in the form of nourishment I punish and attack myself with foods that I know I don’t actually need. I then have an excuse to remain angry with myself. A horrible cycle to be in, but one that is totally avoidable.
Great question Shirley-Ann. And your list can be expanded even further as in my case, Do we hold on to objects and patterns of behaviour way over it is time to let them go? I am noticing more and more that the over-riding the inner nudges always lead to an issue later on.
When suffering from constipation just by being willing to ask the question – ‘ What am I holding onto?’ can sometimes be enough to get things moving. This is wisdom in the body in action. Shifting from the understanding that everything to do with us is physical to understanding that we are energy first.
‘Constipation may not be sexy – but we do need to let go!’ During those times when I have been constipated the temptation is to get a fix but not really allow the space to deeply feel what is going on. In this space much can be revealed if we were to allow it with new awareness and allowing – after this letting go is much easier.
It is interesting to come back to this blog and truly consider what is being offered here. When we do let go of what holds us back, we really do feel so much lighter, more vital and clear in every sense of the word, so it begs the question, why do we hold back when we have had the experience of what it’s like to be open and honest about how we feel?
I love that you have opened up this conversation and are talking frankly. So many people have constipation and for many it is a hush hush condition to whom them tell very little. Starting the conversation like you have Jane provides a platform for letting go and healing.
I don’t know Jane after re-reading this blog I can feel the sexiness of having a body that can accept life, digest it and let it go with ease and a flow.
‘Do we bury issues or hurts so deeply, and in that hold onto them more than we consciously realise?’ For me this is not a question but a fact and I have experienced this myself lately. There was a deep sadness in me I held on to without consciously realising this myself. When a Universal Medicine practitioner pointed this out to me I allowed myself to feel the rawness and the fragility that came with the sadness and could let go bit by bit all the ideas and beliefs that caused the sadness in the first place. Physically I had a lower back pain and constipation on most days and this doesn’t occur anymore. My body clearly gave me the signs of my stagnation and nowadays of the flow that is back in my life.
With the level of holding on, control and constipation that is being reported, letting go and surrendering must be very powerful.
Constipation seems to be an all too common problem in many peoples lives, while there are many medications available over the counter to fix this problem, it is not until the underlying causes of constipation are addressed such as holding onto hurts, resentments, clutter and holding on to material things, true healing will not take place.
So many laxatives are sold worldwide every day to treat constipation-surely this is a sign that the way we eat and the way we live is not supporting us.
And the sad thing is that we all too often come to accept chronic conditions like constipation as normal – our daily visit to the medicine cabinet simply part of our everyday lives.
“but if we are holding onto waste on the inside, our health will still be affected despite the outer appearances” so true Jane. 1 in 7 Adults have constipation and yours is the first blog I have read about it. This highlights to me how much of life goes on without us bringing our awareness to it. We – as a human race – sweep so much under the carpet.
Being aware of how we are with ourselves and what our bodies are communicating to us is extremely important. When I read this and from listening to Serge Benhayon share how holding onto things can create issues in our descending colon makes a lot of sense. I have also experienced first hand when this has happened and then realising that I hadn’t been to the toilet, that I had been bracing myself the previous days.
A much needed topic indeed, and one that affects everyone at some point in their lives. Unfortunately this is one of those conditions we can to some extent grin and bear, and over look believing that it is normal to live like this, but like you have stated Jane just maybe there is more to this constipation discomfort than meets the eye.
Also I would like to add to this – if this is just one example of a condition that we can override and make do, what other ill health messages are we living with unnecessarily.
It is quite sad how disorders develop within our bodies that we don’t address and they become our ‘normal’, constipation being one of those things. I would say I have had a tendency to constipation for years and thought nothing of it until relatively recently, not thinking there was a problem or anything needed to be sorted. I accepted it as how my body changed, without questioning how or why that was at that time. When we start to take more care of ourselves, we can realise that these things can be changed quite easily by diet and living a different way, as you describe Jane.
” we may just find that it is not medication, fibre, enemas etc that we need to free us up – but, a different way of being in the world, with a new relationship with ourselves of understanding, allowing, and letting go.” This is really spot on Jane, there is so much focus on eating well to have healthy bowels, but not as much focus on how we are living, the choices we make and the impacts of holding onto thoughts, emotions and drama in oneself life. These things all contribute equally to constipation and other effects on the body.
Constipation appears to be very common. I wonder how many other disorders, illnesses and diseases we all live with quietly and privately, resigned to their presence, without looking deeper at how we might be able to change our lifestyle to change the course of our health?
When I read this blog the first time, I’d been experiencing constipation on and off regularly for a few months and put it down to something I was eating or not eating enough of. I knew this wasn’t true. By addressing something around self-acceptance, I’m no longer experiencing constipation which has confirmed that even the smallest of ailments is the result of an ill energy that needs addressing rather than reaching for solutions and fixes for it.
It makes so much sense that every ailment under the sun has an underlying lifestyle cause behind it. I sense we need to add a more extensive and comprehensive lifestyle aspect of ‘medicine’ to its current ‘medicate and operate’ premise to address our rapidly declining and almost unmanageable world health crisis.
I am often shocked at how many children are constipated and how often simple dietary changes are not made. Often medication is given with no suggestion of looking at diet which to me is quite astounding.
It’s very astounding Vanessa. It should be quite obvious that what we put in our bodies has an effect, but more often than not the focus is on trying to fix the symptoms instead. I find this quite unbelievable.
The discomfort of constipation is awful and yet in this feeling, it loudly shows us that our body is designed to be in flow and in a rhythm. The parallel between our body symptoms of constipation and the way we process life is an insightful and supportive reflection.
One of the things this blog presents is how crucial it is that we listen to our bodies. I know for me I can easily try to override what my body is telling me and wait until something major happens. But the body is giving us signs all the time – not as a form of punishment but rather as a way of reharmonising the body and bringing us back to the love we are.
The more we listen to these more subtle signs the more we will stay on track and in rhythm with ourselves, I have found the more I ignore these signs the more obvious they have to become for me to fully see and appreciate what they are showing me, effectively highlighting the quality of energy I have chosen to live in, with and by. Why do we need to wait for a big calamity when even one step away from the love we know within is a step away from ourselves?
Uurrgh… Jane your words here paint a picture for me of my body being like a fridge – and all the different things that have accumulated there over time and haven’t been discarded have stacked up and started to smell. Gross! but isn’t this the actual reality when you understand just how much we can store in our body? It makes me think that letting go of things that are not loving or true should be the main lesson we learn first in school. Imagine how much better we would feel if we just decided to let go of it all! Phew.
Keeping an eye on the contents of our fridge and keeping it fresh, so it works really well. A great analogy to apply to our bodies. Thank you, Joseph
Yes Jane and Joseph. This is a great analogy and boy could we feel different if took as much care of our insides as we do of our outsides. It sometimes seem ridiculous that we need to see something visually before we are willing to do anything about changing it though, when we are so often already feeling something needs to change but are choosing to override that feeling and ignore it.
Yes Jane, it certainly gives us a different perspective to view our insides, and it makes you realise how precious the body is, and that it is really for us to care deeply for the body and see that sensitivity we all have within.
Constipation is a large proportion of reported digestive issues. It would be quite a breakthrough if a doctor could listen to us and, from our answers, know why we are constipated and could then suggest changes in behaviour, in addition to any medicines needed, that would diminish or eliminate the constipation.
Reading your blog Jane I was reminded of those horrible symptoms that came with constipation when i was younger. Now similarly I rarely am troubled with constipation although I realise that when I am holding back on something that needs to be expressed or let go of I still get the physical symptoms of lethargy, lack of vitality and a feeling of stagnation in my body. No constipation, but boy do those symptoms still let me know I do need to let go.
Jane that is so very true, the tightness and holding, the fear of saying something others would not like and in that the learning from young to please others instead of be true and speak truth. In a nutshell we could eradicate most if not all constipation simply by the way we express in life.
Constipation is such a wonderful sign the body gives us if we using a level of control that we may not be aware of. If we are open to seeing where this is, we are always shown what the next step is.
Thanks Vicky this is an awesome sharing and I really appreciate this. As someone who has a young baby with constipation, your sharing makes a lot of sense.
I agree Vicky, I recently felt into what was going on with my digestion stopping and starting, and discovered a huge pattern of stubbornness behaviour – since then things have become clearer with regards to foods I was holding onto and my understanding of the digestive system.
The suffering from constipation is very significant amongst us all shown by the growing medications on offer and the stress and pain also yet it is not talked about or the real cause of our livingness offered to us as a prevention and cure instead. How great is this blog offering the truth of what is really going on and the suffering that can be avoided by being honest and simply letting go of what we are holding on to to not see and to bury things instead.
Constipation is a sign that the body is not flowing properly and is the start of showing us something is wrong long before we get sick. Knowing that constipation is about letting go makes sense to me and with this understanding I am able to look at things that I am holding onto or not accepting in my life that are causing my body to not flow in the way it naturally should. Imagine if our doctors were armed with this knowing, how much they could support their patients, rather than accepting that constipation is something we have to live with or offering laxatives that are little more than a momentary relief.
I agree Alison when we are not in flow and harmony with our bodies, our body shows us. Constipation is one of these ways. I know how doctors immediately go to are you dehydrated and if not then try to give you things you help you go to the loo but none of this addresses the underlying issues or reason why you were constipated in the 1st place. Could you be holding onto something and not letting it go and so your body is symbolically showing you this?
I love how you bring this topic to the fore. It is often the everyday things in life we just live with and learn to medicate that, through our ignorance of labelling them unimportant, pile up and make our life heavy and complicated and in this case of constipation basically let us carry things around that should have been discarded a long time ago.
That is true. It could be a warning that, if not heeded, could lead to worse.
Our bodies are communicating with us in so many different ways and constipation is just one of the ways in which it does this, and is just as significant as the slightest niggle to the severe pain constipation can cause. Paying attention to these signals and messages can only be a good thing, and learning the language of the body will help us unravel how our thoughts and our movements affect our choices which in turn lead on to constipation and other health issues.
The link between how we live and the state of our bodies is undeniable.
“constipation is holding onto waste material that is no longer natural for the body to hold onto” when we bring back what constipation is to this simplicity you can’t help but ask yourself what are you holding onto and why? It asks us to look and explore our part in what is going on with our bodies instead of simply running for the laxative.
‘…we may just find that it is not medication, fibre, enemas etc that we need to free us up – but, a different way of being in the world, with a new relationship with ourselves of understanding, allowing, and letting go.’ Thank you so much Jane for actually presenting on what is really quite a taboo subject. As I have commented before on this page this condition used to plague me too, and I used to take laxatives to support. However it wasn’t until someone told me that I really needed to deal with the underlying issues I was holding on to that everything started to change.
Everything is everything and nothing is nothing. The connection between the clutter we store and resentments we may feel can be reflected in our bodies as constipation. There is nothing that our bodies shy away from sharing with us. What an amazing gift our bodies are for us. Even constipation is a gift in disguise!!!
Interesting how we can hold onto resentment and see it as no big deal but then wonder why the body has to take such drastic action as giving us an illness or dis-comfort.
Holding onto things, issues, woes, hurts, comments people have made, also makes us very tired.
I like the way you ask us to look at any patterns as to when or why we get constipation – this can be applied to many things – such as why we eat certain foods. Is there an event, emotion that triggers us to eat them? Then working on that rather than being controlling with what we eat. No doubt this has an effect on our internal body too. Being uptight also affects our natural body functions too.
Going to the toilet is called ‘ passing a motion’ when we don’t allow the time to go in the morning we are in ‘motion’, literally, when we do go it feels very ‘ clearing’ the body feels ‘lighter’. No coincidences there as we are literally allowing things to pass naturally, discarding that which no longer serves us.
Thank you Elizabeth your comment was very helpful. It does seem as though it is not only the lack of food, drink and exercise which slow our bowels but also what we are holding back from or holding onto to which affects us. What I have found it is that I put everything on hold when I am travelling or leave the house really early, and this is enough to stop everything.
Sometime we can use food as an excuse to why we may get ‘blocked up’ but what is worth looking at is why do we go for such foods that create such a stuckness in our natural flow. That we can use foods to numb and not feel what it is that we are avoiding and not wanting to feel.
Since reading this article the first time I have paid a little more attention to my bowel movements and what they are telling me (not sexy I get that, but caring, yes). This willingness to listen and the attitude of care alone has brought about a lot of change; simply by listening to my body and responding to its calls, giving myself space and enough respect to simply go to the loo when I need to has been huge and has broken a cycle of holding on until a more convenient time in denial of my body and its signalling.
Our digestion and elimination systems are constantly communicating and reflecting to us how we are engaging and reacting in life. Rather than only considering what we ingest, perhaps it is pertinent to contemplate how we accept, digest and let go of aspects of life that do not belong to our true nature.
Holding onto waste material inside our bodies just does not feel supportive, we all wish to have a clean and fresh environment to start our day with. And as everything affects everything else, sometimes I have to look at my physical environment to remind myself that if I have too much cluttered around in my home, my laptop, my phone etc. that affects my internal environment as well. Just as well as when I am affected emotionally by something and I re-play the scenario in my head over and over again, that would not be healthy for my bowels either. I consider waking up every morning and having a bowel movement the very basic awesome start to every single day—it’s just natural. When I struggle in this area, I remind myself that rather than reacting I will pay attention to where I can gain more awareness in caring for myself.
I remember too going through periods of constipation when I was younger – it seemed to affect everything from what I could wear, how I looked, how lethargic I felt, to feeling pain and bloatedness but also low in mood. Looking back it is amazing to see how my body was responding so loudly to my holding back.
Holding on to a lesser way to be, that is, the vastly reduced way of living we have come to accept as ‘the norm’, is a sure recipe for illness and dis-ease ,for by doing so we introduce to the body a whole manner of movement that does not belong to the great ‘flow of life’ that forever courses through our veins. Learning to let go of these shackles and surrender back to the Oneness and order we know to our bone and beyond allows us to feel a deeper settlement and sense of ease within our body and the being within it. That is, we stop fighting and pushing against this flow and accept instead the absolute beauty and grace that is offered to us and forever communicated to us from God’s body (the Universe in which we live) and our body. ‘Letting go’ makes our particles sing for they are no longer confined in a space we hold contracted and dense but instead are able to do what they are designed to do and that is communicate to us the absolute divinity we are and are from.
There’s definitely things I need to let go of in my body, not in a physical sense such as constipation – but I definitely hold onto stuff – what I’m not sure of yet. Other people’s emotions maybe. Yes, that’s it – by reacting to people, situations and not reading / honouring my feelings with what’s going on – I take on other people’s emotions into my body and try and process them, sometimes thinking they are mine, this makes me ill.
In conversation with someone recently who had a near death experience, admitted to hospital in an acute state, cause a twisted bowel. Exacerbated by a lifestyle of putting work first, eating junk food, on the go or not eating at all, or overeating in the evenings to compensate, that led to a build up of waste. It was a close call and the person knows this. Now supported by doctors, advised to walk every day, eat a diet rich in vegetables and eliminate certain foods – starches and carbohydrates, he is re-building himself and body.
To have a healthy ‘flow’ we need to be living in a healthy flow in our lives – accepting and receiving and then letting go. I know I have a healthy flow when I am living this way. At times when I feel a little ‘stuck up’ my bowel reflects this and is also ‘stuck up’! I know that my bowel reflects the way I am living and feeling.
Same here Rebecca, it’s so simple and when I truly let go, the stuckness passes by.
I didn’t realise the stats on this – 1 in 7 adults and 1 in 3 kids – wow that is a lot! It does make me wonder what is going on for it to be so common in kids – is it a diet thing? Or is it them already at a young age not letting go of things.
Gosh, Jane I didn’t realise that constipation was quite such a common symptom. I guess it is not a topic people talk about very often. I’ve never felt so grateful for having bowel movements as I did after a bout of constipation. The whole system feels sluggish and stuck and it’s a horrible feeling to not be able to empty the ‘garbage’. How many times have I thought that having to go to the toilet was an inconvenience. Now I see that it is something that can be honoured by allowing the body time to let go without rushing or pushing it and taking the space to be with the body during this time.
So agree Jane, yes it may be unsexy, but boy oh boy are a lot of people suffering from it. When was it that we became so adept at holding onto things so much, but the stats are showing exactly that. There are of course the lifestyle factors, but there are the ideals and beliefs, the behaviours also that take hold and render people stuck, so no surprises that gets reflected in our bodies.
I also considered that when we are constipated or holding on to things that we no longer need there is little space or energy to see the new things that are ready to be accepted and digested in life.
Letting go of certain beliefs, behaviours and constructs can feel like we have just gotten out of jail. Until we step through the self-imprisonment and see what we have been caught in, we don’t realise how suffocated we have been.
I have definitely felt the natural flow of life and I know I can feel when I am hanging on to something longer than I need to, when life is asking me to move on and let go. Sometimes I over-ride this feeling and sometimes I don’t but if I am honest I am aware when it is happening.
Although uncomfortable, I think it’s pretty amazing that our bodies are configured in a way that lets us know when things aren’t right or that it’s time certain issues or lifestyle choices have to be addressed.
Listening to our body really will support us – the more awareness we have of our body and any patterns or correlations we notice between how we feel or how our bodily functions are and what’s been going on in our life the greater clarity we can have around what’s really going on for us and the choices that we then make going forwards.
Since reading this article I have become much more aware of my digestive system; how it works and how vital and supported it feels.One very simple thing I have started to respond to, is to drink water immediately my mouth feels at all dry. The physiological impact of this is obvious (a well hydrated body supports the digestive system and bowel movements) and there is also the bigger picture of the self-care and respect I am affording myself that is having knock on effects: a developing sense of the value of my body, a willingness to consider what really supports it long term and a willingness to explore my responsibility for my own health. Thank you for this inspiration.
It may not be sexy to be talking about constipation but if we ignore and suppress these communications from our body we miss out on the truth of how we are living and where we are at, so we can reach out for support.
I agree Doug dealing with the emotional or energetic cause of our health problems is the way of the future, it is just so unbelievable that the amount of time we have been on this earth that we have all not joined the dots and worked this one out.
It is interesting to consider that constipation can be related with holding on to the physical aspects of life. I can sense that life is constantly asking me to become more, to take the next step and to completely let go of what I have now. To me I have the experience that this is not always that easy, and I am in the process of learning and in that I experience periods of constipation and in that I can feel I have a choice, either to go with the flow my body is indicating resulting in regular and comfortable stools or to go against and suffer the constipation instead.
Very simply put, Nico, thank you. We hold on to stuff and everything backs up; we let go and are open to development and change and everything flows.
Indeed Matilda, we can be our own healer if we become energetically responsible in life. All that our body is sharing with us can be read and when we understand the message we come back in the flow again, which is sometimes a completely different direction than we were moving before. Letting go the control and surrender to that grand order we all are part of.
This message from the body is great when we understand the details of how our stools can differ depending on what is going on in our lives. I used to think it was only diet related, but of course it makes sense that when we holding back with issues, our body is telling us loud and clear, with the lack of clearing out, by physically holding back the garbage in our bodies. What an amazing reflection for us to feel, and move on.
Our bodies show us so much and if we really choose to feel what they are showing us this makes all the difference to being our guiding light to health and well being allowing the flow and harmony in our everyday lives and we can really feel the difference this allows us.
When I am accepting and not resisting life my digestion flows and feels great. When everything tightens up I know that I am on guard, controlling, in protection and not accepting that I can let go and allow my natural wisdom and flow to be there to deal with the rigours of life.
There are definitely foods that clog up my body and cause me constipation, and I therefore don’t eat them, such as bread, rice or pasta. But there are also emotions that do the same. I’ve noticed that if I have a reaction and hold onto a hurt or my side of the story, I may as well have eaten some of these foods because the emotional consumption has the same clogging up effect as the food.
Indeed Sandra, our emotions can have the same effect on our bodies as food, and to me in a way they are also related to one another. In the example you give, bread, rice or pasta I know do become very sluggish and tend to stick on the walls of the cooking pan and the same in our bodies, so too when we hold on to any hurt or pain, it is like they too stick to the wall, to the wall of our bowels in this case and will consequently block the passageway of the digestive tract.
I love how much the bowels reveal about how we are living. Constipation can be such a blessing if we heed what it is showing us, and address it with physical support, but most importantly, engage with energetic support. It can be very interesting to reveal what we are no longer needing to hold onto.
“Clues to this may also be whether we dwell on things from the past, undealt with resentments for example, or do we hold onto material possessions that are ‘past their sell by date’ and no longer serve us – do we hold onto clutter in our daily lives? Do we bury issues or hurts so deeply, and in that hold onto them more than we consciously realise?’ I feel these are very valid clues as to why we are constipated and ones that we must consider deeply if we are to truly heal
What is it that makes us want to put food in our bodies that we know will not agree with us or make us constipated? It is not a pleasant thing to experience, so why do we do it?
As unsexy as it may be, I agree Jane, it’s a needed topic. Like you I struggled to let go of life in my childhood and remember the discomfort in my body and hardness by not accepting what was happening around me. This is the key to letting go, accepting what is and allowing oneself to read and understand life so as to not absorb or hold onto any disharmony.
Thank you Jane for bringing up this subject that is a hidden one most of the time. Not something we readily speak of unless perhaps our medical practitioner asks the question, are you constipated? I would agree that we need to look deeper too into our habits of hanging onto possessions that are past their use by date or useful date. I can see that I have some clearing out to do myself!
It hurts to hold back the love that we are. To do so invites into our body all that is not love so that our body, which in its highest and most true expression becomes a temple through which to express the Soul’s love here on Earth, instead becomes the dumping ground for all our unresolved hurts that can only arise from not living the great love that we are.
Beautifully said Liane – an otherwise pure vessel of Heavenly communication being polluted by what we choose to hold onto. In my experience, it has been the case where the stuff or unresolved hurts are not even mine to begin with. Through absorption the body is used as the dumping ground for other peoples stuff, which makes it harder to let go of because it is not a clearly rooted issue. Observation is another key to letting go.
When our bodies are not fully functioning as they should be, and there is a blockage wherever that may be, on a physical, mental or emotional level, there has to be a backlog and consequently there will be a build up of toxins, pressure and or anxiety causing discomfort, sluggishness and tiredness just for starters. We cannot understimate how amazing our bodies are at eliminating what it does not need when given the right conditions and how by generally keeping our life in a flow supports the body to do this.
I have found letting go to not be as easy as it sounds, for some of my ideals were entrenched and it was difficult to see the root cause. Once the ideals had been exposed, I could nominate the ill belief so true healing could happen.
Letting go of that which is no longer ours is a strong foundation for a healthy life, perhaps one that gets taken for granted by many, but now firmly presented in this blog as something to be appreciated.
The chewing over un-dealt with resentments is a point well worth pondering. Keeping it alive through tricky ways including justification or retaliation. Retaliation has been in cutting people off- keeping to myself, justifying protection or any other story that suits. But it all bubbles away blocking the way to letting go. Definitely not worth it, holding on has cause and effect much greater than we can understand if hurt is the primary focus.
I have been ‘regular’ regularly for quite a while now, and love this regularity. It’s almost like clockwork. The other day I chose to eat some rice, something I don’t usually choose to eat. The next day my bowel didn’t move. As I am used to being so regular this was quite distressing and uncomfortable. It reminded me why I do not usually choose to eat rice! I love my body for telling me this so clearly.
I have also found rice to be clogging for my system, similar to what you have Rebecca. Slowly I have eliminated all such foods that were causing me to not be regular; chocolate and dairy were foods that would also make my system sluggish.
I have the same problem Rebecaa. I have a relatively simple diet as a result of discovering that there were lots of foods that didn’t agree with me as they slowed down my digestion or gave me stomach cramps or bloating. Gluten, dairy, sugar and rice were just some of the foods I cut out. Since I have gradually eliminated them from my diet my system generally works pretty smoothly, so as soon as I introduce something that I now dont normally eat, everything cloggs up and I start to feel sluggish and uncomfortable.
Our bodies are miraculous at sending us messages that reflect our daily choices. If we were to really listen and pay attention to them, we would prevent so many health problems, both on a mental and physical level.
It makes so much sense that our bowels are affected when we are holding onto something that we don’t need anymore, as its part of digestion and if you can’t stomach something, either needing to change and not choosing to or judging something and not doing anything about it, it has to affect our body. Thankfully our bodies do speak loudly otherwise we would be much worse off.
It is amazing and wonderful how our body reflects back to us how we are living in every detail, and so also .. just what we need to look at in our lives..
Isn’t it odd how we have become so detached from the very functional way our body behaves? It’s like having a car and never checking the oil in the engine or running a computer but never scanning the disk. I was going to say we would never do that but actually in my experience, that is absolutely how many of us behave. From what you say Jane, what I can see is we resist what is literally right in front of our face because we don’t want to know that every choice and reckless move definitely has an effect.
I was quite shocked to read the statistics that around one in seven adults and up to one in three children in the UK have constipation at any one time – there is much we as a society have to let go of.
If I consider why I do not want to let go of certain behaviours I usually find that I do not want to expose myself for creating my own suffering nor wish to let go of the identification I have with certain patterns of behaviours.
Without a willingness to be open and honest with others we all end up with little secret bits that we dare not or are ashamed to, share with each other. We then come to accept common ailments as ‘normal’ and ‘learn to live with them’. Constipation is not normal and in starting this conversation many people will be supported to consider what might be going on for them that has led to this condition being part of their lives.
Your blog shows us that there is a relationship between our emotions and how this displays in our physical health. To get to the root of an issue and truly (energetically) letting it go, certainly has an effect on our gut health and total wellbeing.
Lifestyle factors and how we live definitely contribute to constipation, we can change all of this and learn a different way of being in the world, building ‘a new relationship with ourselves of understanding, allowing, and letting go,’ understanding, allowing, accepting and letting go definitely make a big difference in many ways.
This is the best commentary on constipation I’ve ever read, it’s so true, we can externally let go of things, but do we still hold onto things inside? There’s some really fantastic food for thought here.
It is beautiful to read about the human body in such way that every aspect is considered, such as the flow of life in relation to the flow of our bowels. This whole life perspective is truly empowering, because with it we always have the ability to heal ourselves through the choices we make.
It’s so interesting that the more I get to know myself, the more of these symptoms I get. It’s like there’s a part of me that wants to understand everything and move on from everything, but there’s another part that just doesn’t want to open up…
We should treat the unseen with just as much care as with the seen aspects of our beings, then we will have true evolution.
That’s a really great point Michael, just because we can’t actually see it, doesn’t mean that it’s not there and not effecting us every moment of the day. Every single part of us needs the same equal care, whether it’s seen or unseen.
As a child I grew up around a lot of jokes and ridicule made around bowel movements (boarding school was a playground for this kind of behaviour) – as a result I became hugely self conscious; even ashamed of passing stools anywhere other than in my own home, which inevitably led to constipation and frequent discomfort through me overriding my natural movements. Consequently amongst my young family today I have felt the importance of bringing an openness and a sense of appreciation for this bodily offering – making the space for us to honour our bodily movements.
Our poor old bodies cop a lot of crap as a result of our beliefs and behaviours. In fact there are an absolutely endless array of ways that our bodies suffer as a result of beliefs and behaviours. Beliefs about food and drink are just one of the many categories that directly affect our bodies, but it’s true to say that ALL beliefs and behaviours dump on our bodies in some way.
Very true Jane. I have suffered with constipation at various times in my life and at each point I could feel the poisoning. It became normal and that was the major concern. I can see this relationship with our bodies is actually medicine in itself, that it can be a powerful form of healing by simply by looking at what other psychological factors could be influencing the natural flow and function of our bodies.
This is an important topic of discussion as many don’t have the understanding of the connection of our physiology and the way we choose to live being stubborn and holding onto things that are no longer supportive in our lives. Developing a true relationship with our bodies is the key and way forth for true health and wellbeing.
Constipation may not be sexy and neither is the ‘runs’ – it is true that we need to let go and we also need to accept.
I love the open curiosity you bring here Jane in that if we are holding on, what are we holding on to? I have had constipation off and on for the past two years and recently I haven’t. This is breaking down the perception that I can’t let go because my body very clearly is showing that I can and I am! which is pretty cool.
“What goes in must come out”. I remember someone telling me that as a kid. But how and when it comes out can tell us so much! Sure it may not be the sexiest of subjects but having a deeper relationship with all of my body has definitely made me more aware of where I am at and how I am living. Regular heart checks, weight apps, exercising, connecting with my body….these are all things that I never did a few years back. My body was just a vehicle. Now thanks to the inspiration of Universal Medicine and many practitioners and friends I am building a daily dialogue with my body and it’s my best teacher – even though I don’t always listen!
When you say it like that Otto, it seems so natural and obvious to build a relationship and dialogue with our body but so very often this is not the case. Just the fact that we can choose when we want to listen and when we don’t got me thinking that when we are choosing not to listen, this also extends to every conversation we are having with others. There must be much that we are not ‘receiving’ and hearing, even though we are thinking we are listening intently, because of the first choice to not listen to our own body.
This is a really interesting comment and shows that everything is everything and that we need to commit to that level of presence and transparency in every relationship; be it with others or with our own bodies. But what I also like about what you are saying is that they all feed each other – in that if we are more transparent and attentive in our inter-persoannl relationships then that will support us in building that with our bodies and vice versa. Very cool.
I have also transformed like a caterpillar into a butterfly from the way I had been living and how I live today. In the past, I did not even know my body was talking!
So true Otto, great to be reminded of how technology can support us to observe and monitor our bodies
The body is incredible in how it shows us signs of not wanting to live the true health and vitality that we know is available each and every day. Constipation is definitely a topic that many don’t discuss but we only have to observe our own lives and those of others to know that when the conversation arises it is evident in the way we have been living.
When we are constipated there is a blockage in the natural flow through our bodies and stagnation occurs both physically and energetically. Our bodies are talking to us on many levels all the time!
This blog highlights to me just how little self-love I have to neglect my body enough to become constipated. The attention to the detail of how our bodies are functioning and the changes we need to make to support the function of each organ is all a part of self-love and nurturing. Thanks for the reminder.
Constipation for me is a sign that I am holding back with my expression or at other times stubbornly holding onto ideals and beliefs. It makes no real difference when I take laxatives they don’t work when I am not will to let go.
Letting go of the need to be right, to be good, to be appreciated, to be needed, there are so many things we hold on to as part of our identity instead of simply appreciating we are who we are, a unique part of a whole and letting go of any sense of self at the same time.
It’s incredible that we are offered a place (earth) where we can all grow in the way we’d love / choose to. This doesn’t have to be fast or slow, but as soon as the choices are not in line with what’s on offer, our body will let us know. Not accepting that we’re actually grander then what meets the eye, every day again will have to put a block somewhere in our body. As this is the vehicle that carries the love – including the ‘more love’ that is on offer each day.
When we don’t let go, we clog up the system so to speak, and that can be in every aspect of our lives, from overeating, to hoarding, to stagnant areas in our homes and offices. When we choose to evolve every particle aligns to shift that which no longer serves us
I agree Jane the foundation of self-care and honouring is the most loving, gentle and sure way to be in a rhythm with being in the flow and letting go. Push and drive, must do’s and lists are a definite stopper and inhibitor. Simply accepting that if I connect to me and honour what I feel is next everything unfolds and flows in their divine order – nothing is over-ridden -especially the call to poo because I’m too busy.
It is amazing what we hold on to – old patterns of behaviour, ways of engaging in conversations, our movements. The world is energetically different from how it was even just six months ago and we need to feel the changes and let those old ways of being go.
Yes the world moves on all the time and at times we are so stubborn in holding onto a static image or pattern which we wish to relate to life. So many times have I felt really foolish when after I have been holding onto an issue and altering my behaviour around someone, ages later I find that the relevant person did not even remember the incident! and that I too could have dropped the issue a long time ago.
Great point Carmel about the energetic shifts that we are constantly a part of, indeed if we are lagging behind, refusing to engage with what we are being called to, we can rely on the body to respond accordingly.
I will say that I recently experienced constipation and it was awful. But i did have a lot that was unsaid – and as soon as I started to express and talk about the tension I was feeling in my body, my system has cleared up. It is quiet incredible and i have to say it gives me a whole new dimension on blocked bowels and how it is a very clear message from the body.
Our body communicates with us in so many different ways. We are aware of an imbalance with our hormones when they fluctuate and we are aware of our digestive process when it is sluggish. This deeper understanding of constipation Jane makes perfect sense to feel how it is a reflection for other areas of our lives where we are not allowing our bodies to flow freely. I know this in my body; when I have had constipation, I simultaneously know I have been feeling stubborn about something and not letting it go. This awareness allows us to heal ourselves with these messages, the body tells us everything when we listen to it.
The phrase that someone is anal has many meanings but doesn’t mean they are full of poo, they just refuse to let go of ideals and beliefs and become full of themselves, that leaves little room for anything else!
Haha so true Steve, we use the analogy in many ways in society today without then fully appreciating the depth of what constipation is. I recall being in America down the pharmacy isle and the huge number of treatments for constipation, a whole isles worth. It’s interesting to look at what pharmacies sell and the extent of certain products to see how we need to re-consider our part in the healing process.
It is incredible that we can so easily act as if the discomfort we feel when an aspect of our body is not working is okay and normal. I can see this mirrored in many areas. It is a perfect reflection of the way we have been settling for lower and lower levels of quality in all aspects of life.
Constipation could be a blessing if we are willing to see what is going on in our lives. Yes, we could use medicine to relieve the symptoms but it is a signal that we must move on from our ideals, beliefs, hurts, patterns and expectations.
Thank you for sharing!
Constipation – a blessing to be communicated that there’s some form of block and / or stubborness that wants a bit of attention. In simple terms, there’s something – literally – not flowing which causes pain and difficulties going to the toilet. How would it be if it were to be normal to support each other in letting go, rather then pretending that there isn’t a problem and struggling on our own. We could benefit from each other on so so many levels. If we but only would allow it!
I agree, Floris. The support is so important if offered with a true intention.
I remember when I did basically anything to my body, I would eat anything, move in whatever way and speak however I liked, but now after learning the body natural limits, self responsibility and love has become very important. Our young people aren’t taught what is sustainable, they are taught to function – which can lead us very far astray.
I am so appreciative of the fact that the body speaks to us in the way that it does. If it weren’t for my body telling me what my choices have been, there wouldn’t be as much incentive to make different ones!
Talking to children in the home and from early years about their bodies and feelings is foundational learning and practice that can last a life time.
And through you Jane we’re openly sharing about constipation. Thank you for bringing this hidden subject out into the open.
Kehinde this is such an important point – children need to know that it is natural to talk about their boies and feelings and not be encouraged to suppress it.
Your opening sentence Jane, teaches us that constipation can begin at a very early age, and as such we should be having these conversations with children and supporting them to express inner-most feelings.
This analogy of keeping the rubbish on the inside our bodies, reminds me of a similar situation where unresolved emotional issues and hurts can show up in the forms of clutter or a messy bed or bedroom.
I wonder if constipation is at least in part simply a signal from the body that something in our life needs to change?
Constipation is the end result of a life not being lived ‘in the flow’ , we are clearly holding back who we are and all we can choose to bring to each moment. It can be seen as a great ‘stop’ if we are prepared to listen and the letting go is a gift everyone receives. Our body is communicating all of the time.
Christine your comment brought up an image of how I have chosen to live my life, the image is of me, knuckles white, gripping onto the sides of a riverbank for grim death, whilst the harmonious natural flow of the river gently passes by.
We wouldn’t usually put two and two together but it makes complete and absolute sense that the reason we can get constipated is that we are holding onto things that we have not resolved and this creates a disturbance in the body and things don’t want to flow.
Indeed Natalie when put like this, is it common sense, could it be that we are knowingly avoiding the self responsibility offered by this bodily response?
To truly let go is to surrender to the divinity that we are and come from.
The moment we hold on to something, it takes us away from experiencing the fullness of the moment and all the awareness that can be received. No wonder our body has a way of warning us of what we are missing out on.
Thanks Jane – it’s great to point these things out, that how we are with ourselves affects our physiology.
Our bodies are a marvel to observe. They are a master of showing us how we are working and what we are ignoring.
Joel what you share is so true ‘Our bodies are a marvel to observe. They are a master of showing us how we are working and what we are ignoring’, unfortunately we have become absolute masters at ignoring them!
Great to have this topic out in the open – something not often discussed. Also the wider implications of what constipation means energetically. When addressed from one we will affect the other.
SueQ2012 so true, many people suffer in silence when it comes to constipation but like so many things the end result i.e. the constipation is something that when discussed we understand relates to our way of living and how we hold onto things that are no longer supporting us. In fact as I write this I get the sense that the key is not holding onto anything.
Holding back on certain conversations I have experienced causes a lot of confusion, miscommunication and can allow all sorts of reactions to be considered our daily norms. Guy’s expressing how they feel, death and dying, constipation, periods, mental health, money and wages, even down to the simple things of asking how a person feels about an object in the house! if we don’t communicate we open ourselves up to assumptions that aren’t based on the reality that is before us. Conversations about life help us understand so much.
“As well as the way we live, the way we are in the world also has a role to play here – as constipation is also the consequence of holding on to our hurts and literally not letting go of things in our life that no longer serve us” – this is true Jane, and I can recall during my first university degree how much I held on to things, namely the result/final grade award, but more so what ‘that result or classification’ would get me – identification and recognition. It meant I and my body suffered a restricted hold that halted movement; or more that the constipated hold of myself whilst studying/in life… led to the physical constipation of my body. The moment I let go about the result, I needed the loo immediately (!!) … though such constipated holding of myself about myself continued for many years thereafter, though eases each time I let go of a layer of wanting, demanding or expecting life/things/people/myself to be a ‘certain way’. The beauty of acceptance.
A clean bowel is as important as a good night’s sleep to start another day clear and vital.
Every day is a new beginning… so why would we wish to hold on to something that is no longer needed, from yesterday?
Great point Adele, our bowel movements belong to a cycle for which we are given an opportunity to clear out before we begin again.
I love the simplicity of this Adele. It makes complete sense, but being clean on the inside is generally not something that is considered as being important in our day to day lives. We only tend to pay attention to it when we are in some sort of pain or discomfort, rather than taking care of what we are putting into our bodies and preventing this from happening in the first place.
Brilliant article addressing the underlying reasons of constipation which makes all the difference instead of just the current acceptance of this very prevalent condition and medications to alleviate it . Growing up with the awareness that this was a very common occurence accepted and how it could be treated but without the real truth of the holding on and not addressing issues in our lives as a major cause to look at and the gift it offers us to stop harming our body and make changes to how we are living and all our bodies are showing us.
You’ve really addressed the big picture in this Jane, and this is how we should be in response to all ailments and dis-eases – not leaving any stones unturned or pockets of our lives and how we look after ourselves not addressed.
So true Susie. It is often the things that we omit or ignore in life that are the things that offer us the most change. In being willing to be open and honest and discuss everything, and as you say leave no stone unturned, we are able to uncover what is really going in our body and have a better understanding of what leads to illness and disease.
Constipation is often accepted as normal in older people aged 70, 80 or 90 and this age group is routinely prescribed daily doses of laxative or similar to soften stools. Nowhere is it offered that the lack of natural flow in the body’s digestive system could be treated differently, rather it is assumed that when you reach a certain age nothing can be done. On the other hand I have witnessed how common it is for people as they get older to continue to hold on to entrenched beliefs and patterns built over many decades no longer serving them and solidified in their bodies.
Great topic Jane, really good to have this out in the open (pun intended). Constipation can often be a subject that is shunned yet talking about it is the start to working out the real reason behind it.
Love the analogy of a room or space full of garbage – and then looking at just what our body is holding onto (‘waste-wise’), Jane. Can’t help but ponder on how many of us would not tolerate such waste in a personal household, and yet still walk around with it in our bodies, without being truly willing to address the issue…
To look at ‘why’ our body holds onto that which it clearly doesn’t need, is a fabulous discussion to open the doors on. We can’t escape the fact that everything is indeed energetic before we see the ‘evidence’ of its physical outplay… What if every doctor asked a patient suffering with constipation, what they are refusing to let go of… Or every friend, colleague or family member did the same?
There is so much more to appreciate and understand about letting go and I found Jane’s contribution to this huge topic to be wise and true. The experience of being wound up mentally or emotionally and how this affects the delicate working of the gut is certainly something I have noted many times. I am sure there a connection with our mind, our beliefs and emotions and our bodies in this and many other ways.
Surely the fact that this is a subject so little discussed (even though so widespread), alerts us to acknowledge that we are, as a whole, loathe to truly open up and let go. Our preference is to hold on to that which ails, has hurt us, and troubles us – every one of us who does so, contributing to the problem.
Life’s got an enormous depth and as we are life, we have an enormous depth. We’ve forgotten to accept this fact, let alone live and be with the fact. Constipation is a clear sign from our body that communicates that something’s not flowing. That is not only physical, or more correctly phrased, the root cause never is physical as this is the end result of choices that are not in flow with life.
It is interesting to consider how much our walk is connected to our bowels. Because isn’t it true that we can walk with a flow and a rhythm through life, just as much as we can walk as if we are bracing ourselves against life. Surely these different kinds of movement in the body must affect our bowels…?
I find the full moon has a bit of an effect on my body’s responses to letting go. Just prior things may come to a standstill for a day, but as soon as the moon is full, my body releases and it definitely feels like a spring clean.
Spot on Natalie, we are dealing with it from one angle only and not considering the true reason behind constipation.
Thank you Jane for starting this very much needed conversation, and from reading the comments there comes the realisation that this subject has been overlooked or ignored for far too long, and that it is far more common than we would like to believe.
Personally I suspect the percentage of children and adults who get constipated is a lot higher than reported, along with people who have developed haemorrhoids but have managed to live with the situation or see it as normal.
“if someone asked me to store my garbage bin in my bedroom I’d shriek with horror.” This is a great analogy, Jane…To think of it in this light for those of us with constipation problems is a sure way to encourage us to clean up our act!
To let go of our emotional issues is the greatest support we can give to ourselves. And if we’re not able to do so, it is very lovely to seek support that truly offers us a foundation of beholding love in which we dare to let our guards down and lovingly let go of what is not love.
For myself I’ve also found out how important food and drinks are. There are certain foods such as diary and gluten that don’t support a fluent digestion. And, for a long time I thought that I thought that I had to ‘get somewhere’ where all my hurts would be healed and then my life would start. How wrong could I be. Life is about healing, which is forever. I am a forever student that will deepen and deepen the relationship with me, other people and life – including nature and God. Even though God is everything, I still feel to mention him ‘apart’ as I am still to fully accept the grandness of the beholding Love of our One Father.
A great topic Jane. I know I have been in a similar situation with constipation and most definitely it is an uncomfortable place to be in. To truly change this situation we do need as you say, to let go issues that we have been hanging on to. Holding back the truth from each other and ourselves causes pain, its time to let life flow again.
This whole area of the body can also be very numb. If we don’t choose to feel our body, our organs and bring awareness to what is there to be felt, it can all be overridden and therefore shut down. Bringing our awareness to our bowels can show us how connected or disconnected we are to this part of our body and what this represents on a deeper level.
To be candid Jane, this is an issue that has affected me and many other people I know. But just because it doesn’t stop you getting up and ‘on with life’ we tend to dismiss it or pretend it is not there. But wow if we understood it is not just the waste that is getting held up but our Love, our light, and ability to express and be vital in life, surely then we would see we truly need to listen to our body.
Holding onto our issues is a poison for the body. When we deeply surrender and let go the body naturally comes into alignment and order.
It is interesting that you have listed such a vast and varied list of choices that can affect the function of our digestive system, yet the most common response to presenting an issue tends to be medication – and if we are lucky a token change in diet while the symptom persists. It would be helpful, alongside this, to be made well aware of the whole list of areas that could be affecting the issue and supported to deepen our understanding and relationship with our own bodies.
I agree, the figures are probably a lot higher than these statistics show, as not only do we see constipation as a normal thing but it is also something that we may be embarrassed about and hence would not talk to anyone about, not even a doctor.
Are we creating congestion in our lives or allowing space? One is control and the other is freedom.
How true, that our lifestyle and the awareness of it is either medicine and healing us or harming us.
“overriding the body’s natural urge to pass stools” is a big one. I remember doing this because I found it embarrassing in some situations, so I just would not let go, and then this contributed to days of constipation. This exposes the way that I felt about my body and its functions, as something to feel embarrassed about, instead of claiming the whole of my body and allowing it what it needed. Letting go actually allows the whole body to flow and contributes to an overall sense of well-being.
I’m wondering what it does to our bodies to feed it laxatives. On two levels; the fact that it allows us to completely ignore the message that is being sent to us, thus never addressing the under-lying cause of the constipation…and also the fact that we are actually forcing it to do something that it doesn’t want to. Our bodies are amazingly forgiving and patient….but surely this kind of continued abuse must have very detrimental effects?
I know from having experienced the opposite that there is a feeling of freedom in correct bowel movements – holding onto or controlling how we process life affects our whole digestion and reflects how we allow it to have a hold over us.
I agree, natural flow comes with a feeling of freedom – as is the case in every aspect of life.
Really holding onto things makes perfect sense to me because even as a young child things were difficult to deal with, so I remember being sat in a hand bowl of warm water for what seemed like hours because I couldn’t go to the toilet – I am not sure it really helped, but at the age of four it quietened me down. It really brings it home the extent of how we hold on in the body due to reacting to life.
That is my experience too Jane, although it can support us in bringing temporary relief to the body, it is not only about changing our diet by increasing the amounts of fibre or eating laxative herbs. Instead we are asked to look deeper and ask ourselves ‘what am I holding on to’, ‘what do I find difficult to let go of’ etc. which to my experience is a more honest approach to the ailment of physical constipation is presenting to us.
It has been a very common thing to think that it is food that you have eaten that has given you the constipation in your body but really what you share here Jane makes complete sense. To be aware of what we don’t want to deal with and let go of supports on so many different levels than what we care to imagine.
And the funny thing is Natalie, that we think it is the food, because it is related to it, what is going in, has to come out again. But it is not only this logical reasoning from the mind. As we are moved by an energy we have chosen to live by and it is up to us to also consider this fact, as it is actually the energy that is behind all things we have to be aware of and work with.
What we feed ourselves is vitally important. BUT – I completely agree with this Natalie and feel that so much of the explosion of food crazes, fads, discussions, do’s and don’ts, books, rules, dogmas, diets, purges, fasts etc….are all nothing more than perfect distractions that allow us to continue to ignore the underlying issues – which are what induce us to eat the food in the first place!
Jane it’s great what you share as prior to the last 5 yrs I use to suffer a lot from constipation, I came to understand I was holding on to so much and not will letting go. There was a lot of sadness and hurt that I was holding onto. Once I started to look at this and let it go with the support of Universal Medicine, my bowels started to change, my constipation disappeared. Now if I have a moment of constipation it’s very rare and often because there is something I haven’t let go of. It’s a lot easier to recognise and deal with it.
Its always great to have that feeling of ‘going with the flow’ especially in this case! ☺
I have noticed that when I sign up for a 3 day healing workshop there can be a point where there is no bowel movement, where I am in overwhelm or resistance, but then this phase is followed by a massive clear-out. The connection between holding on to emotions and letting go are reflected in the body and its motions.
This blog really highlights the systemic poisoning of our bodies that hanging onto waste products can have on our body. Our digestive system is designed to process what we take in and release what is not needed or harmful to the body.
I was really surprised to read that women are more affected than men by constipation and wondered why that was. When Jane discussed the hanging onto the past, not letting go of things, dwelling on past resentments, hurts etc I wondered if this is more common amongst women.
A great topic of conversation to bring up Jane as it is unspoken but very much part of all our lives and the understanding about it that simply is not there.The understanding that is so simple that we are holding onto things in our body and how giving us the choice to let things go along with side effects of many medications is great to share. Constipation bowel issues and digestive disorders are big business for the the drug companies as they cause us much pain and distress with ourselves and it is far more prevalent than we know.
Is it possible that coupled with the ‘not letting go’ the onset of our motive for holding on is based in our very early toilet training? What if there was a reward or punishment (in the sense of even the simplest of judgment) imposed on us when tiny about our natural flow and the reaction/response from our carers?
If we are not even prepared to admit that all is not okay with our body, we will never ask the question why until it gets desperate. We ignore the issues until we are so sick that we are forced to pay attention. This is not so wise, because by the time we are really sick, it is that much harder to turn things round. Much more sensible to pay attention when all we need do is lovingly refine our choices. A bit like driving a car, much better to realise we have a habit that required refining than wait until we have had an accident or breakdown.
It is so cool to be having this conversation. We keep so much hidden from each other which simply isolates us, leaving us thinking that we are the only one who has constipation, anxiety, fear around childbirth etc… thank you, Jane.
Matilda thats so true, there are so many conversations like this that if we don’t have we stay in fear, shame or embarrassment around. I know for myself and many others there is a shame in getting sick sometimes but with that we don’t then get to understand why and start the healing process.
Matilda and MA your comments supported me to feel that we have very few conversations that are truthful. Because most of us live our lives in hiding, then what we do share with others tends to be very doctored and sanitised snippets of not a lot. If we were to play back all of the conversations that we have had in our lives, I think that most of us would be absolutely appalled at just how little any of us have actually said.
You have brought psychology to the movement of our bowels in the flow of life. Which is beautiful because, as I have found, when certain thoughts are stuck in my mind and I feel tormented by them, I can also feel out of rhythm with my life and my bowels absolutely reflect this back to me – offering me the opportunity to address what deep hurt I am holding on to that is causing me psychological pain which is in turn causing my body to loose its natural flow and rhythm.
The fact that it is not sexy to talk about constipation is revealing in itself. The digestive system, the passing of stools etc is a natural and essential part of our every day functioning and actually part of a very beautiful physical rhythm in our bodies. Why then, is it any less sexy to talk about than any other part of our regular physical activity? Perhaps this is part of the issue, that we think of our toilet habits as a lesser function, or judge them as something to cover up and hide, not speak of, not be open about. I was interested to learn that is some parts of the world their toilets are made with a ‘shelf’ like arrangement so that once stools have been passed, they can be inspected before they are flushed away. The quality of the stools reveals much about the general health and wellbeing of the individual. Perhaps our attitude to this ‘not so sexy’ topic is a part of the problem and if we were more open about it, things would start to ‘flow more freely’.
Richard I feel that you have uncovered something very important here. Every-thing is something, therefore I feel that it would be incredibly valuable to look at all of the topics of conversation that we avoid, be it individually or collectively because there is a reason why we’re not going there. If we don’t go there then there has to be something that is remaining undealt with, and as everything manifests in our bodies, then this means something in our bodies remains undealt with. Undealt with energy in the body has the potential to lead to some sort of state of ill health as it is not harmonious to hold onto anything.
So true Richard, the UK in particular does have a very closeted (ha, ha) culture around our digestion systems and toilet habits. What comes out the other end of us is a huge combination of all we have ingested in the day, emotionally, physically and mentally. Imagine if we examined our stools in the light of all these factors, what conclusions would we draw from our day and what an amazing experiment to do for ourselves to observe the end results of our ‘daily bread’ – i.e all the choices we have made. If we have fed our selves well with nourishing food, conversation, action and rest, do our stools reflect the level of self-care we have applied? If we have indulged in a ‘junk food diet’ in all respects, is this also evident in our stools? Personally I know the answer and my digestive system these days is a very good barometer of how I am choosing to live, it tells me straight away when I have indulged in some ‘junk food’ and flows extremely well on a diet of nurture, warm hearted interactions and simplicity.
It amazing how the body shows us what is really going on, what our choices have been and how we are reacting to life. Without the body ‘malfunctioning’ as it were, it would be really easy to override the truth even more than we do. By stopping and clocking what the body is communicating its fascinating to realise the depths of what can be uncovered and seen!
Great blog Jane.. Yes, not sexy but bang on the money here. It brings to mind, that if one is not able to let-go of stuff… that is of issues, annoyances, grievances, problems or concerns, then this strain with life transferred and mirrored by the body showing signs of being under strain and tension. Our body certainly does reflect exactly where we are at with everything all the time… Our body speaks to us a bit like a running commentary on the way we live life.
What if taking fully care of our body would be the new ‘sexy’. I can assure that commiting to our bodies, accepting and letting go = let life flow through us, will end constipation very quick and will make us actually feel very sexy.
It is so good to talk about ‘taboo’ topics – you have offered much wisdom here.
It would seem that if we hold onto anything as a hurt or tension we are creating problems for ourselves. No good can ever come from it. Take for example anger. Anger is an emotion that makes us harden our body and tense up. It is also therefore a cause of much tension we are not often aware of in our body as we get used to it and live with it each day. The consequence is that our body has less flow, fluidity within itself and is far less sensitive and open to the world around it. Many conditions can come from this including migraines, stiffness and eventually arthritis to name but a few. I am no expert here but what I speak of is from experience and from those of close friends and family around me.
I was once speaking to a medical professional who was sharing with me that some people they see in hospital only pass a stool once a week. Knowing how much constipation can affect how we feel, this showed me how much of an issue this is and what people are accepting as normal.
It is shocking how far we are prepared to let the level of our ‘normal’ slip in all areas of life.
As a child, I only passed stools once a week and this to me was my normal. I didn’t know any difference and clearly there was a lot I was holding onto. It is great that these conversations are being had so that we can start to uncover that the true normal is a far cry from how most of society is living.
I agree – I read in a text book that twice a week is perfectly normal. Would that be redefining ‘common’ as ‘normal’?
Recently I replaced the waste disposal unit in my kitchen as it had not been working for some time and I had rarely enjoyed using it when I needed to. I saw this as a great reflection of how much has changed in me in the ‘letting go’ stakes as it now runs smoothly with no jams and I haven’t really had to use it much as I don’t generate nearly as much waste as I thought I had. Letting go is well worth doing but cant be done by force.
We are missing out on a huge amount of insights, guidance and wisdom through arrogantly ignoring our body’s messages. We are in effect championing the assumptions and theories of our logical mind over the down to earth physical prompts of our bodies. This is an indictment of an age when we can choose hours of virtual reality games ahead of deepening our relationship with the actual people in our lives.
It is so interesting how I used to always take the remedies to relieve my symptoms rather than feel anything else. I appreciate now how we can all have a deeper understanding with any physical symptom we have and act on it to get a greater healing.
One of the key ways I discovered to keep feeling healthy and regular by not ‘holding on’ was and still is to express. Every morning I wake up and pretty much start writing, commenting to blogs like this. There is a connective flow for me between expressing consistently and consistently letting go. It may not seem like the regular remedy but by far it is the most natural and gentle.
Constipation may be unsexy, but it is so important to talk about. Being constipated can make us so unwell. It actually makes sense to ask “what are not willing to let go of?”
I remember getting constipation problems at a very young age – my mum had it as did my sister, and we all went ‘oh, that’s just what we have..’, almost accepting it as a fate and not at all looking at the reason why.
When my body is in its natural flow and everything is working smoothly, I feel so much better than when it is not. We are so aware of when there is a physical problem in our bodies, but so often don’t relate it to the fact that it just may because we are holding onto something we have reacted to. So when we are in a flow with life, so can our bodies be.
This is super interesting to continue to reflect on as we can always let go of more.
The one in three statistic here for children with constipation is pretty shocking. It should be an alarm bell for us to consider what diet are we raising our kids on and also how are we teaching them to deal with their issues?
There are so many people nowadays experiencing bowel problems, from IBS to bowel cancer that talking about constipation is very topical and relevant. We have to let go of our hurts so that we are not holding onto things that keep us in the past.
We all do it, why shouldn’t we talk about it. Just starting the conversation can help me and others – and you’re right Jane, it’s not just food or lack of liquid that blocks us up, but what we’re choosing (or not choosing) too.
I find it interesting that topics like these which are common bodily functions are ones that we don’t want to talk about openly with others. Not that we need to get the finer details of the functional elements but more that we are not willing to be open to discuss why we feel it could be happening to our bodies. We can be so closed and protected and not want to look as if we are in a bad place or getting something wrong that we are missing out on the one thing that can support us to let go of what is being presented in the body.
Why do we hold onto the past, the waste as you say for so long and give it so much energy and attention yet find it hard to celebrate, appreciate and toot our own horn for the positive changes that we have made, for the joy filled moments in our life.
I have experienced constipation after having an anaesthetic during an operation. I have to say it was the most debilitating, painful experience ever. To the point I spoke to the surgeon, strongly suggesting it should be part of the post operative care plan so I had some warning, allowing me to take steps to support my body, before it got to the constipated stage.
The statistics on constipation, reflect the way we are living which is in complete arrogance to the bodies ability to regulate the natural flow within. When we put our body first and support ourselves with listening to the messages we receive the body can do its part without having to reflect our ill ways.
This has been a very relevant blog for me over the last four days, having been warned that having an operation with anaesthetics and pain killers would be likely to cause constipation, I had that for four days. I also received dire warnings about not pushing anything otherwise I would undo all the surgeon’s careful work, as it was a hysterectomy I had. This took me to a whole new level of allowing: allowing myself to feel what I needed to let go of psychologically, and allowing nature to take its course. Realising that our bodies reflect how we are living has been useful for me in terms of seeing just how much I hold on to, in this case, my identity with doing. My six-week recovery process will enable me to work on more letting go of exactly that, as I won’t be ‘doing’ much, but I’ll still be ‘Me’.
‘Why are we not letting go’? A good question, and ‘letting go’ of what? If the body is simply a reflection of how we are living and feeling then the focus needs to be on that in order for the body to respond and change. Focusing on the symptom is purely topical.
Great blog Jane. There is so much more to helping constipation than eating a bowl of prunes or taking other forms of medication. Asking ourselves the questions in your blog and being open to receive the answers will support us hugely in finding the underlying cause to why we are holding on.
Our digestion tells us so much about how we are in relationship with our own lives that we really are ignoring everything when we make it only about health and not about our choices.
Since we are talking bodily functions!! – and the amazing accuracy with which our body talks to us, I am amazed at the speed at which my body rejects some foods (no details required – just the opposite of this article!). Seriously – I’m actually not sure how it travels all that distance of the intestines that quickly! Anyway – without getting too graphic – it is a pretty loud and clear signal to me that whatever I just ate, or however I just ate, or the amount that I just ate, wasn’t in line with what my body needed.
I love that you have brought up this ‘unsexy’ topic, as it is super important for us all to consider. The way we digest food directly correlates to how we process life in general, so there is much to be learnt and considered here.
I realise how little we talk about our body issues. How different would it be if we would simply open up and share what’s going on for us, so others would start sharing too. Together we would be quite easily able to turn the tide. In the end, we are to change the current trend ourselves. Or more and more constipation and other forms of illness and disease will increase. This isn’t a thread, but a simple honesty and putting 1 + 1 together. Who’s willing to start being our own scientist of our own precious body? Life could be very interesting and revealing…
After reading some of the above comments I remembered a moment last year where I let go of a big hurt around the relationship with my ex-partner. After letting this go, I felt both much lighter and how I was going to the toilet was much more easy. This made me aware of how I actually still believed that only what I eat influences my digestive system. There’s much more at play, but only by our own choice we’ll be able to let go of the things that constipates the flow inside of us.
It is great to bring up this much needed unspoken condition that so many of us live with and is so prevelant amongst all ages and to realise the real truths of what is going on that simply makes sense.
What am I holding onto? What do I not want to let go of? It may well be that whilst there are physical factors to constipation, the way we are in life, our ability to ‘let go’ literally could be a key underlying factor in many, if not all, causes of constipation and one that is worthy of deeper consideration.” Thank you Jane for a great sharing to contemplate.
Brilliant blog .. the way a dis-ease needs to be looked at. From lifestyle, to observation, honesty and to truth why our body is in dis-harmony.
“Constipation – it’s not sexy but we do need to let go!” – actually Jane, when we do let go, i find that one is sexy ha ha, because we (now) have the space to be our true selves, and there’s nothing more appealing than that .. and hence encouragement towards ‘letting go’ in the bowel area : ))
There certainly seems to be a parallel between our emotional state and how this affects the functions of the body systems, (and in this sharing) our gut health. Two equal and opposite emotional states, to ‘hold on’ or to ‘let go’ appear to initiate certain responses from the body, that we can physically see and feel tangibly the effects of. This is a great example of the body speaking loud and clear!
“If we would not have our garbage in our bedroom, then why would we want to hold onto waste in our body longer than is natural? ” These are great points Jane. It is so easy for us to only be concerned about what we see on the outside and ignore what is going on in the inside of us, yet we can never really be separate as each part of ourselves is always affecting the whole.
It’s pretty amazing to start to consider that every illness and condition we experience actually points back to our choices and the way we have lived. With constipation especially Jane, it highlights this philosophy and habit we have of dwelling on the past. It’s peculiar really – we concentrate on the repeating consequences but not on the choices we make. For in the end everything is part of a great cycle helping us to heal – when we are open we are not condemned to repeat the past again if we choose.
Yes indeed, Joseph. As soon as things are not flowing in the body we need to stop and consider what we are holding onto from the past.
If we would allow our bodies to do whatever they’re asking for, life would be far more easy. Accepting and letting go are so incredibly important for our digestive system. Because if we choose otherwise, we’re actually working against our own natural way of being. Day in, day out, we’re offered a deeper version of the beautiful person we are. In order to keep this flow we cannot but accept and let go. Working against this natural way of being / living is causing constipation or diarrhoea. There’s much more to us than we’re told and sold! Reconnecting to our body is the most loving gift we could give ourselves for Christmas, ever.
This is a subject Jane that needed discussing more openly. We often don’t talk about this type of conversation because we are unaware of the deeper meaning. But when we understand this as you explain it, how constipation is a sign that we are holding onto our hurts, it shows us we can make changes and I have noticed how this alters the bowel habits too. The choices are ours to make and notice how the body responds.
This is an issue that I experience at times and can feel that I often have an expectation of how I would like things to be and that when they are not how I would like I can hold on or feel tense and this can lead to constipation.
It is not just changing the way we eat which does have a major effect on constipation, but how we eat, when we eat and are we drinking enough water that matters. It all matters, because everything is connected and if we have the habit of hoarding things and holding on to old issues, chances are we are also holding onto a whole load of faeces too! True healing occurs when we take into consideration everything, rather than just focus on one part of the whole.
The title says it all – ‘Constipation – it’s not sexy but we do need to let go!’. For some I know it is a willingness to see that constipation and anything that interferes with the natural flow of the body is reflecting to us a way we are choosing to live that is not natural and that is harming us. Every moment that I make a choice to see every thing that is happening around me and within me as a message regarding the way I am choosing to live and whether this is loving or not, I am blown away by the wisdom that makes itself known – Great blog Jane and such a simple lesson about how to deepen our livingness, health and understanding of life.
In simply reading this title, nothing to do with constipation – I can feel how there are so many things I need to let go of from my body, not in a physical sense but more things I have reacted to and that I have been carrying around for years, other people and lack of love I have felt. But then my learning is to not need people to be a certain way, to stop making it about me, step back and see what’s going on for them and have much more understanding and patience. To give people space and take responsibility for my choices and loving myself much more deeply. It’s actually exhausting and draining holding onto hurts and other people’s stuff. Every time I react I am loading myself up with other people’s stuff and poison in my body.
“constipation is just accepted as a ‘normal’ consequence of daily living nowadays” – It’s absurd that we accept this as standard and as a society live in a way that knowingly harms us and causes dis-ease in many different ways. It’s questioned why mental health conditions are so much more common and the mood of the population seems to fall and fall, but this is the mindset we are applying to looking after our bodies and physical/mental health go hand in hand; we are accepting depression, anxiety and insecurity in the same way we are accepting physical dis-ease.
When I do not want to let go of something which is in my face, I also tend to eat more, or eat what I deep down know is not the right thing – all in order to numb myself from the situation I do not want to face. So, not only is my body physiologically compromised as a result of the way I am relating to life, but my choice of actions further compound the situation. On the other hand whenever I choose to pay attention to my body, even when I do not mentally know what the symptom is the result of, when I ask the question in earnest, I start to get a sense of the area of life that is calling my attention.
Jane these are really key questions and offering us an opportunity to actually look deeper into what the body is communicating with us. To stop and ask ourselves ‘What am I holding onto?” or “What am I not wanting to let go of?’ seem like simple questions and they are, but how many of us are willing to be honest and go there fully as to what it is that we are trying to control.
Good point, Jane. I am very dutiful in recycling my rubbish every week, and yet do not take the same care and consideration with my own waste disposal system, to make sure it is optimally working and not getting blocked with unresolved issues.
Thanks Luke, I agree the question is how much pain and suffering are we willing to endure before we say enough is enough and choose the love that we are once and for all?
I agree and it is feeling and taking this responsibility we do not like. I know for me when things come up to feel they can seem overwhelming at times but when I stay with feeling them, I get to understand why I choose this or that and then get let it go. Or I have the other option to feel it’s too hard, distract or numb myself with food or tv and then not feel it – and yes it goes away but ultimately comes back up and I feel a lot worse in the process. So I am starting to see that no matter what it is that is coming up, it is far simpler and easier to deal with it at the time than let it linger, as gradually each time it comes up it is harder and more complicated to deal with because of the added layers we have placed over it.
I noticed in myself I am often first not accepting and then not letting go because I have not accepted choices that I made and then hold myself for ransom a bit. Letting go is then a very healing thing to do, to accept our past choices and let ourselves move on with choices we would like to make from now on.
Curious how as human beings we talk about every other subject, but dodge ones that concern our very selves and bodies. Then there are those obsessed with physical conditions and symptoms (hypochondria), but never seek to understand why.
At the end of the day we keep choosing to bury our heads in the sand and not see the many calls for us to deepen our level of responsibility and accountability in life.
Our bodies really do show us what we have been living and what our choices are, down to the subliminal and choices we make without even thinking through strong patterning…so much so that the body makes us aware and brings our issues to the forefront to be dealt with.
A great article that just goes to show what we are willing to put up with as normal… and what is worrying is just how common this is. Like IBS its just there, simmering below the surface of so many people’s lives, accepted as just the way it is, rather than being a signal that something is not right and things need to change (be that diet, exercise, emotional behaviour, situation…..). We are missing the clear markers that our bodies give us to make a change.
It is amazing what we just accept as normal and part of life! When did we stop listening to our bodies? For those that have drank alcohol or smoked… what was the body’s first reaction? We persevered and overrode our body’s messages and learned to enjoy it? The hangovers and hacking cough were just part of the payback for the abuse we thought was normal.
Someone told me that having diarrhea is a blessing because you let go of everything and I only can agree. So constipation could be the opposite. Through my own experience I can say that constipation is indeed not very sexy it also stopped me from being in my lovely flow. That means nothing really worked out and started to be complicated only because I chose to hold onto old things . . . I have to admit that nothing is really worth it to hold on so long and so a constipation is for me now a chance to look where I am holding onto things which needs to be let go of and so constipation is now also a blessing if I choose to use it like this.
Thank you Jane. A much needed conversation. Constipation is something I regularly have so it has helped enormously to get some deeper clarity and understanding as to what I might be holding on to.
Modern medicine provides the pill which will take a symptom away, but it does not yet offer the Esoteric Wisdom which says look at the part we play in life, how do we live and how is that contributing to our illness – now that would be true medicine.
I have experienced constipation in the past, and I must say that when my ‘bum hole goes on strike and shuts down’ it is not a pleasant experience for the whole body and I have felt incredibly miserable, just like Jane as described above! But (pun intended) this is a great time to take a moment to really reflect on what is happening. In the past this would always happen for me around deadlines, when a project or homework was due and I was feeling particularly stressed to meet this deadline. It was like a part of me was in complete denial of who I am and was only focused on how I could perform. How sad to shut down my natural expression in order to perform like a circus animal (in a completely unnatural way)! No wonder the body shuts down when we don’t celebrate its natural expression!
I can relate to this Henrietta as every time I travel it’s as though everything just stops and waits, and it feels like there is no way I am going to release what my body is holding onto until I am on the ground and settled. Part of this goes go back many years as I remember refusing to go to the toilet or eating out in cafe’s because I did not like anyone cooking my food other than my family nor toilets outside of our family home, and seeing as we travelled a lot this became an issue, and some times still is – especially on a long trip.
Spot on Julie! And your comment has reminded me of those times when I have been camping or traveiling and only have had access to really dirty public toilets – I have had the same response of just not quite being able to ‘let go’! I can understand the not wanting to use dirty public toilets, but there is still an element of reaction and holding on which needs to be addressed as the body does not like being clogged up with its own waste.
Constipation is certainly not sexy, and it’s not sexy because it’s holding in toxic waste in our body. that’s what happens when we hold on to ‘stuff’ our body shows this on a physical level…in other areas when we hold on to stuff it affects our emotional wellbeing, where we feel unwell, or angry constantly holding onto for e.g a ‘wrong’ doing by someone, and even our mental health. If we were to let go, how amazing would we feel, we all know how good it feels when we let go after being constipated.
With constipation often comes other things like anal fissures (little cuts that bleed) and haemorrhoids, which are considered taboo topics that no one mentions. Lots of constipation over time is also a sign of the imbalanced bacteria in the digestive tract and can be a precursor for polyps and changes the digestive tract which can lead to cancers. It is so well worth ensuring adequate fibre and guess what: WATER too! to keep the bowels moving. But like Jane has talked about so beautifully, sometimes we can do all these things, but the constipation is from emotional causes that the body is calling on to be resolved!
Jane it great to bring some reality to constipation, the facts that nearly 1 in 7 adults and 1 in 3 children have constipation at any one time is staggering, no wonder it’s considered “normal” yet it was also not until meeting Serge did I learn the reason why constipation occurs, the fact we hold onto things that we need to let go of. Healing this aspect would change the lives of billions of people each day.
I recently had a health issue that involved my bottom and the way I go to the toilet. It was an incredible opportunity to no only seek medical attention and get what was needed but to also look at the underlying issue as to why this was happening. Among many things, I changed the way I pass a stool and look at how I was passing it before and could see so clearly that it was with force and that was much of how I was living my life. Bringing a force in ‘to get things done’ which was causing much wear and tear on my body. When we tune into all elements of healing, western and esoteric medicine, there is much on offer.
Using force in our lives is something that many do as normal, and are not even aware of the effect it is having on their bodies. When I used to work as a medical herbalist I realised how common haemorrhoids are and how people just accept them rather than look at ways that can support the body to heal them and for them to not be an ongoing ‘normal’ part of life.
Looking back on my health – I have suffered from constipation all my life and I have been straining to pass a stool. Thanks for a deeper understanding how I may be “bringing in a force to get things done”,
I love how you have you have seen ‘passing a stool’ as simply another reflection of how we are living Sarah. So simple yet so profound.
If something requires force, then it is a statement in itself, that whatever it is that is trying to be moved, is, in fact not ready to be moved.
I totally get this. I remember the moment I realised how brutal I was with my body in terms of the force and rush I put it into when going to the loo… I still resort to this sometimes and the impact is huge, both physiologically and in terms of my relationship with myself.
We talk about gut feeling, belly brain etc, so it´s no stretch at all to understand the process of digestion as the physical expression of the continuously running emotional and mental processes.
Great topic and no constipation is not sexy but it is oh so very common. When I used to work as a medical herbalist I was shocked at how many people suffered from constipation but it seems that there is a bit of shame around it and it is not a topic that is spoken about openly or enough. I love that you have started the conversation and I look forward to reading all the comments.
I just love the wisdom of our bodies and the way they communicate with us. It makes so much sense that if we are having trouble letting go of material things or even behavior that we no longer need, it affects us physiologically. And that if we change our behaviour, our body naturally recovers.
As we have for so long not brought understanding and appreciation for the true reflection on our way of living from the health conditions which we have in our bodies, we become caught in the physical function and this will often prevent us from talking about them openly. Awesome that a true understanding is now being presented for all to connect to in their own bodies.
Constipation is a reflection of where we are stuck in life and if we have the willingness to truly look at this we can get back into the flow of life and let go of whatever was causing this lack of free movement. For me the more I let go of ideals and beliefs as well as unnecessary possessions the more the systems of my body flow and support me.
Constipation is a very tangible way of coming to terms with the way we have lived. We can feel the force and the control that has taken place within our body as we have tried to struggle with life, rather than connecting to the flow of life that is our innate heritage.
It’s great that you’ve shared some of the physical and lifestyle causes of constipation Jane, as it highlights a very practical step to dealing with this particular dis-ease before going to the doctor – take full responsibility and look after our bodies as best we can!
It keeps baffling me why medical professionals give out medication/supplements for conditions such as constipation without wanting to get to the bottom (pun intended) of WHY the symptoms are there in the first place. Surely this would be an all-round more effective way of dealing with illness and disease.
Constipation is considered normal and we find all kinds of solutions to solve the problem, but looking into the cause and an answer is very rare. When will we start to truly support the body and look at it from every angle?
Jane, your blog is a great start and absolutely needed to come to a new and true normal.
We have all experienced a toilet when it backs up and overflows onto the floor. Constipation has nowhere to flow over to! The more we eat with no flow, the pressure just increases and puts physical pressure on all of the other bits inside us that are meant to be existing harmoniously. When we hang on to things we no longer need and continually add more; hurts, jealousy, emotions and expectations… what kind of pressure are these placing on our bodies… then we say our life feels like…?
“I know the more honest I have become, and the more I take care of myself and my daily living choices,” The best medicine in the world and it’s free, it just takes a moment to stop and observe what is going on inside us and actually admit to our selves how we are feeling. So much can unravel from taking a moment to truly ask our selves “how am I feeling?” and “what have I just done to make me feel like this?” Our bodies have so much to teach us about the quality of our choices.
The letting go is such a joy but I observe that sometimes it exposes the lie I have lived and then I tend to hold on in order not wanting to feel this.
Constipation is the body’s alarm system telling us loud and clear to stop, look, listen and learn to simply just let it all go.
I never really understood before that we do have a choice as to how we live our lives. I thought that life was something that kind of happened to us and that it had an element of randomness to it. Now I understand that life is the most precise and ordered mechanism and that there is no-thing that is random at all about any aspect of it and that includes our health. Once we start to understand life in more depth then we shall be able to use our understanding to slowly dig ourselves out of the atrocious mess that we chosen ourselves into.
Well said, Alexis. It is an important turning point for all of us when we realise that we are 100% responsible for the life we have chosen.
and Janet when we understand that the majority of the world’s population believe in ‘luck’ and ‘superstition’ it’s so easy to understand why we are on a ship with no one at the helm! We are already in treacherous waters but there are many, many rocks up ahead and currently we are heading straight for them!
It takes a real stubborness to resist letting go of something when it is time to.
awesome and needed post Jane, love the questions you pose on a very common and regularly unspoken topic ; ) , which ultimately as your share, is just about letting go of whatever it is we’re holding onto. Your line here made me smile in agreement (!) “if someone asked me to store my garbage bin in my bedroom I’d shriek with horror”
Your blog Jane shows how important it is to listen to our body and honour how we feel. It also highlights that everything in life relates to everything else. So, by looking more closely at what we are holding onto, for examples physically, emotionally and energetically, this may perhaps support us to address any root issues/causes to our discomfort, illness and disease we may experience in life.
It’s amazing to start appreciating how we relate to our life is then reflected in our bodies and that when we see things in this way, either way, it makes it easier to understand. So realising we wouldn’t have bags of rubbish around the house helps me to feel what constipation is about and for me to see the state of my house helps me to see what’s happening in my body.
“The more I take care of myself and my daily living choices, the more I can see if I am holding onto something, not letting go, or not in the natural, true flow of life…” This is awesome Jane, and so relevant for many. I have often and still do have problems with constipation. Really looking at buried issues more deeply and letting them go is the only way to go. Thanks for sharing.
It is these seemingly common and unavoidble health issues we need to disucss and get out there – the more we normalise the lower our level of health becomes.
I love the lighthearted approach you have bought to this almost taboo subject Jane. It is very much something that needs to be discussed.
The opposite of constipation is diarrhoea – racy or stuck, we are not in balance or harmony. Understanding that the body seeks harmony always gives us the opportunity to reflect on our choices and make them more loving.
To delve and discover the root cause of any illness is shining a light within the shadows. To understand that our body responds to the choices that we make and that our reactions and emotions have a direct impact on our state of health brings a level of responsibility that we are to take for our current conditions of illness and disease.
I find it fascinating the correlations between the body and the symptoms we are presented with, in this case not letting go of our waste, if we then reflect where this is happening in our day to day that contributes to holding onto stuff, we just may be able to change the behaviours and choices which will shift the outcome, naturally.
There are many subjects or ailments to do with the body that aren’t exactly sexy but do desperately need to be looked at, talked about and understood in a deeper way, especially energetically. By knowing the energetic reason or root cause behind what is going on will help us move forward into a future of well being.
Constipation always invites the question, what am I not letting go of and if I truly ask this question the answer is always there.
It’s like our bowels are the last point of call for what has happened in our body before it, how we’ve lived, what we’ve eaten, how we digested it or not, is there an acceptance or not etc. Stepping back and looking at what happened well before is an important key to working out and healing the end result.
Brilliant blog Jane, well written, it is indeed not a sexy subject as it regards stool, which we have excluded from our list of comfortable subjects to talk about..But as you say it is very needed. Simply because we need to always look at the underlying cause for it in order to truly heal it forever more. Which does not only let us go to the toilet again, but has grown us from inside out!
This blog shows to me how much there is a link between the quality in which we live our lives, and how our body operates. And every ailment in the body is an opportunity to see what is truly getting on – absolutely address the medical reasons, and get whatever support is needed, but it can be wise to take heed to what other lessons are on offer.
Wonderful blog Jane, well done for going there and starting the conversation on what’s really underneath this condition. It is not sexy to talk about by any stretch, but perhaps necessary if we want to FEEL sexy… dealing with it’s root cause is essential for longer term health & wellbeing.
‘If we spoke with one another honestly about these so called common ailments – and found a place of honesty about whether we are holding on, or not letting go, or burying our issues, or not allowing our life to flow in some way… we may just find that it is not medication, fibre, enemas etc that we need to free us up – but, a different way of being in the world, with a new relationship with ourselves of understanding, allowing, and letting go.’ – Very well said Jane, an honest look at what we are holding onto can make an enormous difference in our life flow.
I remember I used to soak linseeds so I could eat them with the gel like substance that they produce and benefit from the laxative effect that they have. This was so much a part of my diet that I did not think about it. To me it was ‘normal’ to have constipation and it was ‘normal’ to eat linseeds in this way. At the time I did not think to look at what it was that was creating the constipation.
Rebecca the practice of considering a chronic condition as ‘normal’ and treating symptoms rather than cause is endemic. I’ve listened to a couple of radio interviews recently with women who consulted their GPs with medical problems, only to be told the symptoms were normal and not to worry. One woman later found she had endometriosis. We have to begin to take responsibility for our own health and ask the question ‘Why is this happening?’ and as Jane offers, this demands that we reflect more deeply on all areas of our lives and not just what we eat.
Great Jane – I have often pondered on why we have held back so long on openly discussing constipation – and that really says it all. Over the years of constipation that I have ‘endured’ I am realising that holding back is one of the key problems. When we contract our body with holding back it’s no small wonder that everything becomes back logged and the flow of life comes to a halt. As I am learning to treat my body with respect and love the natural flow has returned.
Equally I am also finding that when I have diarrhoea it’s as though I am in a rush to live life ahead of time rather than being with myself present in the moment. It’s so lovely to have a relationship with our body as we are forever expanding our experience of life and deepening our connection to our soul.
I love this, Jane. Not sure how many conversations I have ever had about constipation but now I feel liberated to do so! What you inspire, is a willingness to reflect on what we may be holding onto from our past without realising it, and how that affects our ability to ‘go with the flow’ in every day life. This is hugely important for all of us to consider.
“The figures are probably a lot higher as it is possible that constipation is just accepted as a ‘normal’ consequence of daily living nowadays and not mentioned to doctors or medical practitioners.” Very definitely Jane, we are living in a society today where the use of prescriptive medication is through the roof, we have abandoned our bodies, overriding its constant communication and shutting down our natural ability to read the source of our pain or aches. Through the inspiration of Universal Medicine and my reconnection with my body there is no doubt that we are all infact masters of self medication.
I know that cleaning up my diet has made a massive difference to my digestive system. It is really a case of feeling, experiencing and appreciating that what goes in has a massive impact on how easily it comes out the other end! Gone are the sticky, gooey foods like bread, porridge, pastry, cakes and biscuits, foods that I adored but gummed up my digestive tract. A good example of seeing how these foods coat our intestines always lies in washing up the pots and pans after a meal or baking something. If you have to scrub anything of a pan that is what your body has to do inside too. I know now that foods that work well in my system require zero scrubbing.
Looking back, I recognise that occasions when I commonly experienced constipation correlated with holding back and not sharing or expressing my true feelings and hurts.
Have we not chosen at times to have constipation with our values and beliefs? When we discover what they are and have done to us, it becomes a welcomed release.
Our digestive systems are such sensitive barometers. I know mine can respond quite rapidly to a shift within me… or stay firmly stuck as a result of an entrenched pattern.
A digestive ailment seems a strong pointer to see what needs changing in our life. Is it what we eat, how we eat, how we live? If we deal with this and also do what is physically necessary, whatever that medically is, then we have a powerful way to heal.
Food has a massive impact on our digestion and is instant, but often we just keep on overriding what our body tells us is not working for it because of the undealt with issues as you describe. When we take the time to listen to ourselves and our bodies we are honouring ourselves and that then results in much more harmony on the letting go of what is not needed!
Many times, when I have had an esoteric healing session, or for that matter even just a revelation about a relationship, be it at work or at home, and I have felt myself deeply accept a situation that has bugged me, it has often been followed by loose bowel movements, as though the body is finally able to let go. And this makes a lot of sense physically. If you really feel your body when you are anxious or frustrated about a situation where you really want a desired outcome, you can feel the tension you hold around the muscles in your pelvic area and lower stomach reason. It stands to reason therefore, that we we refuse to accept a situation, we physically hold on, affecting our digestion in the lower areas.
Yes, Adam, I have experienced the same physical letting go after something has been resolved or accepted. It is amazing how our bodies immediately respond to shifts in our emotional state of being.
Jane this article makes me really consider how our bowel movements reflect how we live in our lives, letting go of things or conversely perhaps not accepting life and rejecting it without being fully present.
I like that ‘medicine’ you suggest for constipation – to have an honest conversation about the topics of concern and get support in letting go. This is such a different approach, which does not look at finding a solution but to actually address the underlying cause.
I know the feeling of being constipated and I know too that just exercising more or eating more fibres does not do the trick alone. This shows it is about more, it is about how we are living our life on a deeper level. When I deal with the issue and go for a walk and let it go… then the constipation often cleared itself.
The reasons to not be letting go are so worth considering and unraveling for sure. To hang onto old issues is detrimental to our bodies on so many levels. The reason we get away with it for a long time (but not for ever) is that we are great at covering up. We can as you offer Jane clean up on the outside, look fresh and tidy, but what’s underneath? If we had transparent skin we might address this a little quicker because we know others are going to see it. It’s like vacuuming the car when someone else is going to be given a lift.
Constipation is always a sign that we are not ‘in the flow’. Whether it be bowel, relationship, work or domestic related etc, it matters not – No flow leads to illness on any level.
Love the simplicity of what you share Sandra. Wonder why it is doctors don’t use language as simple and direct as this and support people to make the connection between constipation, lifestyle and their own relationship with self.
“If we spoke with one another honestly about these so called common ailments – and found a place of honesty about whether we are holding on, or not letting go, or burying our issues, or not allowing our life to flow in some way… we may just find that it is not medication, fibre, enemas etc that we need to free us up – but, a different way of being in the world, with a new relationship with ourselves of understanding, allowing, and letting go.” I completely agree jane, as someone that had a lot of stomach and lower colon issues I spent years going from doctor to specialist to surgeon to nutritionist etc.. and nothing changed. It was only when I start to look at what I was not letting go of, burying and not dealing with did my entire digestive system change and start working smoothly again.
The interesting thing for me to be aware of, is that, despite the fact that I have a fairly good understanding of the basics of the energetic root causes of illness and disease, I still choose not to share it with certain people. So a question to myself is why? Yes, I know that certain people would not be open in any way to what I could potentially share, but at other times, am I choosing to stay stumm for fear of some kind of reprisal? Which then leads me to ask is it about me and my imagined safety or gently supporting others to evolve?
Great to look at why we get constipated Jane….and it makes sense that it is not just the food we eat, but how we are in our daily lives. Are we holding on? Can we let go?
Absolutely Jenny. I know when I am in a flow with everything in my life, my body is also in the same flow, both in terms of what I am able to do and what is going on inside. The more we build a regular loving and consistant rhythm with how we live day to day, the more this is reflected in our body and its natural functions, and vice versa.
This is a moment tp ponder on what I am holding onto. Not necessarily because my digestion is disturbed but holding onto things, inside or outside,is definitely a topic to look at as it will always have consequences simply because it holds us back from being who we are ‘now’. There is never a stop or a break from evolving, ie we are continuously asked to change and develop and one major aspect hereby is letting go of what we are not and of aspects (emotions, pictures, memories, regrets, resentments etc) that are attached to the past. Another question to support letting go may be “Am I fully open to what is next? Am I ready to welcome the next moment whatever it may bring?”.
I agree and also sometimes wonder, why am I holding on? Once I understand the ‘why’ I can often see there is no point and can then let it go.
I still catch myself trying too hard and efforting instead of trusting myself and allowing things to unfold in their own time (especially myself!) and yes, this causes a bit of constipation!
I know that when I let go of what I think needs to happen this brings a more harmonious and fruitful journey and out come.
I just got a wonderful message from an ad on a city bus yesterday reminding me of this:
A picture of a hand in a boxing glove holding a smart phone on which was a picture of a pink tu-tu.
The only words were simply “LET GO”
My understanding of this symbolism: A direct message from God to me at this moment to ‘Stop fighting Jo and let go so you can feel the delicateness, sensitivity and femaleness of who you truly are and be guided by that and supported by the Divine as you will then be in harmony instead of coming from a place of feeling “not-enough” so you have to struggle to “make things happen”.’
I am understanding that my body is communicating with me on many levels. If I choose to go deeper and really want to know, it can tell me all about my past choices.
If I am constipated I can eat differently to help, but it is possible that I am holding on to things on a mental or emotional level and the body is communicating this, with a physical symptom.
With my new level of awareness, I am also developing a deeper level of trust. This allowing me to surrender to my body and let me access the incredible wisdom that it has.
I love these sorts of discussions Jane that are a bit taboo and people tend not to get together and talk much about them. But we find when we do, that many people are affected by constipation giving minor to major consequences or changes to our lifestyle. We can apply a deeper learning of the subject and it can be very revealing.
You have exposed what a huge responsibility it is for us all to be honest with ourselves Jane. We hide so much of ourselves under layers of protection thinking we are keeping ourselves safe and comfortable, only to find it impacts on the body in a way that makes us ill and is even life threatening. This is so prevalent that the connection between the two is no longer obvious to most, in fact if you mention it you can receive a disbelieving smile. We need to begin to teach our children at home and in schools the connections between the psyche and the body. They already know it and understand it, it just needs re awakening and affirming, so that it does not become a “way out” idea.
A very striking analogy Jane! “If we would not have our garbage in our bedroom, then why would we want to hold onto waste in our body longer than is natural?” But with such high figures of constipation in society it’s clearly preferable to hold onto our stuff – psychological, emotional or physical – rather than to be honest, open and communicative! This is such an important topic to talk about, sexy or not (!) as our physical health and mental health are so intrinsically related. Dealing with constipation in the way you describe, is to address far wider common conditions and lifestyle choices.
I appreciate this blog very much as I have been constipated for a few months and I am now really seeing and feeling everything i am holding onto when this is a poison to my body. No we don’t talk about these things but wow are they needed!
It’s fascinating that many of us would rather live for a number of months or years with a dis-ease or ailment rather than speak up about it, or look at the way we live that might be contributing/causing it. What if immediately when something didn’t feel quite right we addressed it straight away and changed our lifestyle accordingly to better support us? Perhaps we would have less cases of the multi-symptomatic patient and stop some conveyer belts of illness before they progressed too far.
“…do we hold onto material possessions that are ‘past their sell by date’ and no longer serve us – do we hold onto clutter in our daily lives? Do we bury issues or hurts so deeply, and in that hold onto them more than we consciously realise?” Great questions you raise here Jane, and all potential factors that may well be contributing to the fact of why we get contsipated. From my own experience, I know when I am clear and everything is flowing in my life, my body is able to keep the same regular flow and I feel so much better and brighter in everyway.
Constipation is definitely not a sexy subject to talk about, but what if it was the beginning of our body telling us that there is something wrong and it is no longer flowing as it should be. While constipation is not considered life threatening, your blog Jane highlights that maybe we should take it a lot more seriously than we do at present.
I was surprised also that children got more constipation than adults, and even in my own childhood this was the case – so it seems that it would be healthier for our children if the conversation around constipation and what is worrying them enough to hold on to, would be beneficial long term.
Our digestive systems are so delicate and intricate. I know that in learning to stop and pay a little more attention to the emotions within me that I was attempting to smother with food, particularly sugar, chocolate, alcohol and caffeine, the kinder I have been to my digestive system and hence the smoother it works. And then it becomes a two way street, acknowledge the emotion and take care of what I eat, digestive system improves; digestive system improves, feel better within myself, emotions not so chaotic, don’t eat junk. Learning to observe and not absorb does empower us to set up a positive feedback loop that over time works miracles.
The image of a garbage bin in the bedroom is a very powerful one and is a great way to bring attention to what we hold onto within ourselves. Giving us plenty to think about here.
I wonder at the numbers of people who do have this condition. I think it would be incredibly common. The problem is that because it is not an extreme condition we have learned to ‘put up with it’ and accept it as ‘normal’. However as with anything that isn’t harmonious in the body, our bowels are an equal indicator that something is not right and that our bodies are asking us to look at what we are holding onto or not accepting about life.
Constipation is something I have accepted as normal yet I have learnt my ‘pooing habits’ or rhythms can tell me alot about my body. Having put up with living with ‘my rubbish in my body’ for a long time I now love it when everyhthing stays regular and if it doesn’t I question and address what my body is showing me. Great conversation Jane – thank you!
‘If someone asked me to store my garbage bin in my bedroom – I’d shriek with horror’ – when you put it like this it makes us sit up and see how crazy it is that we continue to live with ailments as something that we just have to accept and deal with or how we continuously postpone the elusive day to do something about it. A great reminder to look at all the pockets of our lives as the concept is no different.
Why do we hold on to our ‘stuff’? Is it a need for comfort, to retain the familiar and avoid taking on anything new? In a recent clearing of my house I spent a lot of time deciding what to do with things I’d had a long time, some were easy to let go of, others weren’t. Having been involved in two house clearances following family deaths, I was determined not to leave stuff behind for my family members to sort, but there was still a reluctance to let go. Life is about people, not things, and real relationships, not memories, so all the things we collect and hang on to serve no purpose other than to keep us in the past.
Holding onto our stuff certainly is not sexy! Letting go, allowing for a lightness of our being is what’s hot to trot this era.
I love the analogy of would we keep the garbage bin in our bedroom!! As that is exactly what constipation is like. Like anything that is not harmonious or functioning normally with the body, yes we can take paracetamol for a headache or extra fibre for constipation but why are we getting these ailments (not just headaches and constipation but anything) in the first place? It is our body’s way of telling us something isn’t right, have we taken on something from someone else energetically or emotionally from another, what are we not letting go of. Over the last year I have come to realise just how important gut health really is, it plays a huge part in our overall well-being and I have been working on a decluttering and cleaning internally as well as externally … although this is still very much work in progress. Great blog with lots to discuss … and let go of 😆
Whether we have constipation or not, letting go of that which does not support us has to be ‘good’ Medicine. Although I do not experience constipation, I know there are events from the past probably more than I care to admit where I am holding on to that come into my mind from time to time. In fact I am becoming more aware of these incidents as I deepen my relationship with my body. I have a choice to heal them, otherwise they will keep recurring and possibly lead to constipation.
It makes so much sense Jane, that our body reflects how we are in life… it’s such an awesome indicator of where we are at, yet most of us are so used to ignoring it. I’ve hardly ever been constipated but boy has my body showed me in other ways, like letting go too often! Like our shoulder muscles show us when we have been stressed or over doing it, our bowels show the harmony or disharmony we have been living. It’s amazing how quick I can feel bloated when I’m holding on to conversations or things I need to do.
The thing is with constipation is it can start to seem normal and just ‘the way it is’. There’s no magic button you can press, and so it can seem aside from taking supplements and herbs there’s nothing more to be done. So I love what you share here Jane that constipation relates so clearly to our attitude to life, for this is something we can absolutely influence and choose every moment we are alive.
Holding on in any form, whether it’s our own personal waste, old clothes, old habits, in fact anything past its ‘used by date’ , is so detrimental to our bodies and our health in general. “Constipation” is definitely not a “sexy” subject but acknowledging what we’re holding onto and letting go of it is such a welcome relief!
It is interesting to read that many people can use laxatives all their lives and still suffer constipation. That seems to indicate that there is more to constipation than just a physical process, that in fact there is an energetic outplay that is affecting whether we can let go from our bowels. This letting go as Jane describes would be something worth exploring and determining if there is a way of living that allows us to feel deeply settled in our bodies and free from excess waste and stagnant energy.
Our digestive system is constantly supporting us to find a balance in which the body best functions. Why would we pollute our body, disconnect from it, abuse it and then when it wants to let go of this ‘garbage’, denying and being stubborn about the fact that there is indeed garbage. There’s much arrogance to let go and much honesty needed to address the way we are with ourselves, our body and the effects it has on our digestive system.
I have been very lucky in the sense that I have only been constipated once in my life, it was years ago, I think I was pregnant at the time, it was awful. Although I have limited experience, what you are sharing makes a lot of sense, this type of wholeness when approaching our physical conditions is what is so needed, be them minor or major. It’s great to seek medical advice via the doctor and use medication that is required to support, but a true healing comes from the core issues being resolved.
Brillianty shared Jane. At end of the day it all does come down to how we are with ourselves, as the relationship we have with ourselves is reflected in the bodies we live through, directly affecting our health and well-being. I agree that the more we openly talk about ailments that we commonly all experience anyway, the more we will demystify the taboo of speaking about such topics. Talking and sharing our experiences of what we feel opens the door to understanding and brings awareness to the choices we are making. This is empowering. If we are willing to be honest with ourselves, with how we are living and the quality in which we approach life, we will discover that our bodies offer us, at every moment, the opportunity to heal and get to the truth of why we are unwell, allowing us to return to living more of who we are with greater vitality.
Often when we have an ailment such as constipation, we look at the physical and ignore or don’t consider to the level required the impact of how we are emotionally with ourselves and others.
As a society we have become experts at covering up what is going on for us – we may look good/fine on the outside but be hiding/ignoring what is going on in the inside. As you mention Jane… “We can shower, bathe and be clean on the outside, but if we are holding onto waste on the inside, our health will still be affected despite the outer appearances.”
Paula your comment made me realise just how bamboozled we are by shiny appearances. We get so caught up in how a person looks (and I don’t even mean whether the person looks well or not), their size, their shape, how good looking they are, their hairstyle, make up, how they dress, their hand bag etc. Life has become so superficial, if we can cover it up and get away with it (pretend to), then so often we do.
Great to take this conversation to a level where the root cause can be addressed.
Letting go, and allowing life to naturally flow, has multiple benefits for our body and its physiology.
I love the simplicity of the body, as it knows that what goes in must come out in one form or another! We can ingest food, hurts or other people’s emotions and all of them are detrimental to our health if we do not deal with them and let them go.
It is really one of the topics, which normally nobody talks about it, therefore it is important to address this issue and to open up the conversation. When I look back, I had so many beliefs and ideas about – what I should eat to improve my digestion. For example: I always thought, eating apples is one of the best solutions to prevent constipation. Today I don’t eat apples at all, and my digestion is better than ever before.
I agree with you Jane, there are so many factors apart from food, which contribute to constipation or improve the digestion. Especially how we live on a daily basis. What I found out, the more I live my rhythm, the better my body can handle everything, including digesting food. The way we live determines our wellbeing.
I am shocked that people just put up with conditions like constipation by continually having the medication and hence getting by but not truly dealing with the issue. Is it not wise just to let it go!
‘If we would not have our garbage in our bedroom, then why would we want to hold onto waste in our body longer than is natural?’ A great question to ask. In my own experience having suffered from constipation like you Jane from childhood I can categorically claim for me that it was a result of holding onto deeply buried hurts. Once I had dealt with all those issues the constipation vanished. I know this isn’t a sexy topic as you suggest, but I have to say that every morning when I have a bowel movement I am in celebration of the fact that I no longer choose to hold on to any issues! Unless you have experienced it, constipation is not a great condition to live with for years, but now if it ever occurs I know why and can deal with it very quickly without taking anything for it.
This just really highlights to me how we would get annoyed when something like constipation happens, because it is an inconvenience – but before that pay little or no attention to the signals our body is always giving us.
It makes such sense that when we are letting go of our past hurts, we can let go of Everything on all levels, including physical. What happens in life is all interconnected so is a great sign we can notice and realise what the truth of constipation really means and how the way we are in the world affects this.
Thank you Jane, your blog shows that our symptoms of different ailments often requires us to heal at a much deeper level. By taking responsibility and be willing to look at what is really behind our condition, as our symptoms often appears for a reason and it is our body’s way of communicating to us. For example, I now understand constipation can mean ‘holding on’, physically and energetically of emotional issues, past hurts, etc. Learning to listen to our body and learning to understand what it is communicating can be very supportive in starting the healing process.
Its great to bring this topic to light Jane as it is not always something we consider as being relevant to our overall health or even our appearance, but how wrong could we be? By holding onto anything, whether it is physical or mental/emotional, it is going to have an impact on our bodies in one way or another. So taking care of our digestion and supporting it to work efficiently and effectively is super important.
I fully agree Sandra, ‘holding onto anything, whether it is physical or mental/emotional, it is going to have an impact on our bodies’. It is amazing though how often we can dismiss things and say that does not matter when it does. We can get constipated and seek relief through tablets or diet etc.. but what is our body really telling us? There is a vast difference between having a functioning body and a truly vital body.
I had that too as a child and did get enemas to handle it. This did work in a way, but did not change the cause of it of course. Nobody came to the idea to teach me ‘letting go’, become into a flow and embrace the reflections I get from my body to bring more understanding and development. This started not until I met Universal Medicine.
It is my sense that these statistics are probably way, way under-estimated. As are statistics of so many dis-eases and illnesses. Indeed I would go so far as to say that there are thousands of people living with constipation who don’t even know it, as there are millions of people living with multiple under-performing other organs and bodily functions. We have all come to accept such a low level of well-being.
10 days?!! When you relate that to your superb analogy about leaving the rubbish in our bedroom, the images start to get pretty powerfully graphic. Actually, to be honest, I’m not even sure I understand how that works – where does all the food go?! Because I presume the person was still eating. Perhaps you’d be kind enough to explain the biology of this to me?
100% I support modern medicine and marvel at some of the things it has discovered and can do. But a laxative is a classic example, amongst a plethora of them, of modern medicine enabling us to sweep the real issues under the carpet. What I so appreciate from my studies with Universal Medicine is that I am learning that any issue like constipation, or any reaction that our body has, is an invitation to look deeper into what is being highlighted to us. If I can commit to that dialogue and learn from it, then I will have the best doctor ever right with me through every moment of every day.
We all have the best doctor ever 24/7, but how many listen to what they have to say?
When I look at the physical well-being of much of humanity I simply don’t believe that people can’t hear what their bodies are telling them – which therefore means that they are actively and consciously choosing to not listen.
Awesome point Ottobathurst. Esoteric Medicine has helped me to consider what my part has been in everything that happens, especially within my body. Working on the deeper messages my body brings me (taking accountability) is, as you say, ‘like having the best doctor with me all the time’.
“If I can commit to that dialogue and learn from it, then I will have the best doctor ever right with me through every moment of every day” Beautifully said Otto, there is no dialogue more important.
Jane this is such a great topic which needs more air time. I suffered with constipation as a four or five year old as life was quite anxious in those days with all the moving from country to country, and even today if I don’t go before a trip or I have to leave the house really early everything just stops, and it takes a day to kick start things off again. So it is obviously healthy for us to look at the things we hold onto and not just rely on a laxative as a quick fix.
The analogies that you draw with the rubbish in our bedroom are very powerful and are super relevant for us all – not just constipation-sufferers. As you say – it’s all very well looking clean and tidy on the outside – but it is the inside that matters.
Absolutely Otto. De-cluttering our homes is a powerful analogy and directly relates to our bodies as well. I found that when I de-cluttered within, gave me the will to clear my home.
Jane, I love your somewhat graphic descriptions as they create a real stop moment to consider the absurdity of what we are accepting as normal in our everyday living.
It makes so much sense that constipation is about not letting go as you can really feel the holding on in our bowels and yet this is never discussed as the focus is almost always on the food we eat, lifestyle factors or whether there is an underlying medical condition, all of which are important but there is so much more that we fail to look at because it means taking responsibility and dealing with our hurts.
Constipation is one of those conditions that while not life threatening, is still a massive sign to us that all is not well, yet it becomes a norm, a common condition accepted with a shrug of the shoulders and often dealt with by years and years of medication. It begs two questions: Is this is sign of how much we fail to truly digest, discern and discard what is not beneficial for us, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually? Are our bodies reflecting back to us our lack of acceptance, trust and ability to go with the flow of life and if so, are we able to heal the hurts, mistrust and restore our innate inner trust, wisdom and knowing? These are the qualities that support our digestive systems to run as nature intended, qualities that should be the daily medicine we reach for first.
I love the expanded understanding and the way you have presented it Rowena, it makes so much sense. Simply put it is reminder and an opportunity to go deeper and when this willingness is there the condition begins to release and move on.
Jane A great blog. Constipation is sure a topic not spoken about and I agree it should be the one we talk about, because it’s a common condition. Nearly everyone has been through it at some point in their life and will experience it. I use to suffer a lot from it, I was holding onto a lot of my past hurts and choices. As I started to look at my life and make changes, it started to change, now it is very rare I suffer. If it appears, I have an opportunity to go deeper and unravel the way I am living.
Could it be that constipation is the stubborn child within us that is just tired of telling us that something we ate is not good for us, and we keep ignoring what it is telling us?
Jane re reading this question again, ‘But the question still remains… why do we choose to hold onto waste longer than is natural? Why are we not ‘letting go’?’, had a big impact on me. It really made me realise that I am storing waste in my body, exactly as you described. It was incredible for me to feel in that moment that I am choosing to store an incredible amount of crap in my body, my body which is also the vehicle for my soul to carry out its work on earth. Good grief I wonder how my soul feels about having such a polluted vehicle? Time to clean out the pipes.
Jane the more aware I become the more I realize that my body is literally littered with things that no longer serve me. The awareness of what they are is pivotal but is in itself not enough. I am finding some of them fairly easy to let go of and some of them feel like they’ve been stuck in place with super glue.
I love that you’ve brought this to light Jane, and I never knew it affected so many people. And it’s interesting to consider the areas where we might be holding on and how that impacts on our body, we can look at the function (and this is needed) but digging underneath in how we live can open up a treasure trove for us to see how we live and how that impacts us, and most importantly what we need to let go of.
Holding onto anything unnecessarily – creates a stagnation in the body – regardless of whether we see the impact initially or not.
What you present here Jane is definitely worthy of deeper consideration! I think it’s great how you covered all the physical factors that can be involved in constipation and show how we totally need to take care of these but also look at if there is something else going on in the way that we are living; if we are literally holding onto hurts as you say and with that holding onto rubbish inside of us.
Great to bring this topic to attention, like many dis-eases in the body often it won’t get questioned as it has become a normal part of daily life. It all comes back to the standard of wellbeing we accept, if we question discomfort and disharmony in the body and why it occurs, then we can take steps to address anything that is blocking us from living our true potential.
Hi Jane, your blog has exposed the habitual response to a common condition which is to go to the pharmacy and get a pill to relieve or to make the condition go away. As you have said – what if there is a much deeper reason for the condition? What if it is about the way we are choosing to live? What if it is about how we lovingly care for our body, the foods we choose to eat and the preparation of those foods? To consider all of these factors are a challenge to the lifestyle many insist on living, a challenge to the indulgence and distraction Humanity are committed to. You have offered some very simple and key considerations that have the potential to not only open the way for a loving and nurturing life but to a very simple way of living. Thank you
I’ve been having the same realisations with cellulite. The word that keeps coming up for me is stagnations- holding onto old patterns and beliefs. I may not be constipated but my body is showing my holding in other ways.
Thank-you Jane for bringing this topic up for us to realise that there is more involved in constipation than just diet and that it can also relate to stress and emotional issues that have been hung onto way past their use by date. Love the questions you have put forward that may expose the underlying causes for constipation, which possibly some have never even considered.
How would it be if this was understood more? Imagine going the to GP or Pharmacist with constipation and rather than being given solutions (and these may be necessary as support), you were asked some of these questions.
A great topic Jane, thank you for writing about it. One area I feel that can be linked to constipation is our pelvic floor muscles. We can hold so much tension in this area and if we do so over a period of time we do not recognise that it is tense and so don’t realise we can let it go too. We know the importance of having a strong pelvic floor but do we recognise how important it is to be able to release this too?
In addition to my previous comment about loose bowels and my hurtling through life in anxiousness in order to avoid looking at the issues I was having, I want to add that once I started to address what I was avoiding they gradually returned to normal. Now I have neither problem and it is hugely supportive and freeing to have an efficient ‘garbage disposal unit’!
I had the opposite experience with very loose bowels for a number of years and eventually came to the understanding that I didn’t want to assimilate feel or understand the the reaction I was having to events which had been occurring in my life. It was a bit of ‘let’s get rid of this rubbish as quickly as possible so I don’t have to look at it.’ Wonderful that you have initiated this conversation Jane, thanks.
I don’t have much experience with it, more the opposite as I had protozoans from tank water, but constipation is clearly an indication from the body that something in our life needs to change.
Constipation, one of many many conditions we all suffer from at one time or another, some times fleetingly and sometimes a lot, but we ignore and see as a normal part of life – and yet what if it is not norml for our body to not follow its natural digestive process – what if it’s a signal or sign of something else, the deeper issues you have spoken about here.
Great reflections and very supportive to look at any corner for hidden and stored things, which are not any more in use. Thank you, Jane.
Thank you Jane for opening a conversation on one of those taboo subjects that looking at your statistics affect so many. Its so important to look at all areas as to why this is occurring as you say, I know for me this has certainly been the case, the more I let go of old emotions, things held inside, unexpressed words, the more my body lets go and clears out. It is profound in it’s simplicity.
A friend and I were discussing ‘digesting life’ and how we can either ‘digest’ what we have in life, ie accept, allow and let go’ of a particular situation, circumstance, reaction or emotion, or we do not. If there is not that freedom to digest and flow with life, then it would make sense that we’ve invited constipation as a result of holding on and not accepting.
When our life is not flowing easily and there are roadblocks along the way ,our body also can reflect this. Constipation is about stuckness and/or holding on to things/thoughts/ ideals and beliefs which are no longer serving and supporting us. Our body is amazing in the conversations it has with us -there is no limit to what it can share!!!
I used to suffer constipation all the time, but rarely do so now. The difference is that I always used to hold on to my emotions and hold grudges. These days I am much more practiced at letting my emotions go and taking everything more lightly. The movement of my bowel is a reflection of this as a result.
Definitely not sexy but you are so right, this subject does need addressing so we can get to the bottom of the matter. In the past due to diet and regular alcohol abuse I was regularly constipated resulting in haemorrhoids which is also a subject that is so not sexy either, but needs adressing both physically and energetically.
Lately I have had and sometimes still have periods of being constipated and it feels really as a stagnation in my body and in life. To become aware of what I was holding onto has been crucial. At the same time I know I have not been drinking enough during my working days because of getting caught in business not making space to drink and go to the toilet. You could call this absorbing instead of observing and well, if we absorb to much I guess you could get constipated too. Thank you Jane for asking us to look at this physical accepted un-wellness from every angle possible.
I would rather have symptoms of constipation and be alerted to the fact that something about the way I am living is not right, than go on living with poison and not experiencing any symptoms until one day the body has a bigger stop moment.
Which is exactly what the body feels as well – which is why we get these alarm bells rung for us. The body is brilliant like that.
Absolutely Otto
Loved the broader understanding and the deeper truth of the condition constipation plays in our lives, Jane. Constipation was for most of my lifetime a constant companion but since I have changed the way I live, love and nurture my body it is now a very past condition. The questions you have raised are so relevant to this condition and even now if it should happen that I am affected by a bout of constipation, the first thing I choose is to look inward at what is happening in my life that I may be holding on to and that I need to let go of. Thanks Jane, this topic is one that needs to be understood and talked more freely about.
It’s a great topic to raise and the more naturally we can discuss it the more we can reveal the things we might be holding onto.
Great to bring this topic out in the open, Jane. I would suspect that far more people have experienced constipation than the statistics show. It becomes a normal way of being for many people who don’t realise that it might be possible to make a lasting change. When someone is constipated their skin and hair becomes quite dull and lifeless which is a sign that their energy is somehow stuck and so it’s quite easy to see how constipation is related to not letting go, or not allowing things to flow. If we can address this then things can change without us being dependent on the laxaties and other medications.
It is great to consider that it is not just what we eat, drink or our exercise that may contribute to constipation, but in fact the manner in which we live in life.
Working as a nurse, there is nothing I like more than a good constipation conversation. It’s a daily topic with other nurses and every time with a patient. We talk diet, medication, exercise and fluid intake, but rarely about what are we not letting go of? How healing would these conversations be if we included this, so that our patients would begin to see their behavioural, emotional and energetic patterns that are impacting on their own body.
I love this blog. I realise I have a huge amount of sadness in my body, that I don’t want to feel, I use food to not feel, but at the same time I hate feeling it and having it in my body, but I am holding onto it – why – what purpose does it serve me? None at all, but it does create a heaviness, a drama, distraction, something to indulge in instead of feeling awesome, knowing what needs to be done and getting on with life. I feel holding back, not saying what you feel or want to say, not being yourself can make you constipated, bloated and heavy. How different would the world and medical world be if we lived responsibly. Because we do all know, all of the time, everything and how our body works energetically, whether we choose to admit it or not is another matter.
It is absolutely worth having conversations about the way we go and let go in life. Most of the time we walk around pretending we don’t poo but when this happens for real it causes a lot of problems in the body.
You have brought some fun into this unsexy subject Jane. As a child I was admitted to hospital for appendicitis when it turned out to be simply constipation with stomach cramps. I was holding on to this pattern throughout most of my life since then, until this deeper understanding how to let go of hurts in more recent years. It is true that if we wouldn’t keep rubbish in the house, why would we choose to keep the rubbish in our bodies?
Having only recently discovered just how uncomfortable constipation is (previously my constant state of nervous tension made me prone to the opposite) I have been inspired to explore just how much I am holding onto, both possessions wise and ideals and beliefs that no longer serve me. Understanding why we become constipated and opening up the conversation is far more supportive than ignoring it – however unsexy that might seem.
Thank you Jane and what shocked me about the stats you quote is how high the figure is for children, and perhaps the figures for adults are lower because they have found ways to manage the condition rather than letting go of whatever is causing the constipation? Sexy or not this is certainly a conversation that we need to be having for the health and wellbeing of everyone concerned.
A great article Jane – if we don’t have these conversations then how can we address this dis-ease of the body that is affecting so many people nationwide and I’m sure worldwide too.
Wouldn’t it be great if we lived with such transparency, tenderness and equality that these conversations actually became essential – in that if someone is suffering, then we would all naturally contribute and support.
Yes absolutely agree Otto, these conversations are so needed and not from a judgemental point of view, but so people can have the freedom to express.
Thanks Jane for writing this much needed blog about a subject that few like to talk about as you say (so great you went there!) and revealing the possible deeper emotional reasons behind constipation.
I find it interesting that children are far more likely to be constipated than grown ups according to your statistics. Is this in part the fear and reluctance of being part of a world that they know is so harmful, and potentially hurtful like a false survival mechanism and/or is it that they are asked to eat food that does not suit their digestive systems ? Maybe both and more ?
Very true Jane, thank you for sharing a more holistic view on the causes of constipation. I feel it is also due to the type of food we eat. I know when I am travelling and eat a slightly different diet it can take a few days for my digestive system to adjust. It is also a reflection of being out of rhythm.
Jane I find constipation and stools a fascinating subject. Maybe it is the Naturopath in me! It is amazing when we actually look at what our bodies are saying to us and and actually take note of it rather than going for the quick fix, let’s return to function route we commonly take. Essentially I see it as if we take the digestive system as a reflection of the way we live and digest life, then no wonder it is generally in such a mess. As it is evident to see that most people are not living life but merely trying to get through the day, whether it be with stimulants like coffee, sugar, alcohol etc.. or drugs/medications or distractions like tv and shopping or food etc… And so if we address the way we live, as you have said, then naturally the constipation or whatever it is will ease. It makes sense, but involves taking action on our part rather than just wanting a wonder pill.
Great topic and a much needed conversation. Having read articles on IBS symptoms many people can go 3 weeks without having a bowel movement even with the aid of laxatives – so it does ask the question what is really going on for the body to hold on to such an extent.
This is something that affects many of us and great to have it discussed out in the open. I was probably constipated a lot as a child because I ended up with haemorrhoids and believe me, when you get those you do not want to be constipated again – ever – it hurts! I made a point of eating plenty of fruit and veg to keep things flowing and it was noticeable that eating too much meat would affect me. Pushing to evacuate the bowel isn’t good either as that can lead to a prolapse, also uncomfortable and requiring an operation to repair. That’s the physical side and then, as you mention, Jane, there’s the letting go of clutter and mental clutter, holding on to resentments… there is a lot for us to explore with this subject.
Great one Carmel: mental constipation being stuck in a cycle of thoughts that go nowhere and keep us stuck in the same place. And the remedy? Making space to reflect and feel what is true for us and releasing all that is not. We have to break out of the cycle of harmful and self limiting beliefs that keep us playing small, being fearful and not living life to the full.
A true marker for life Jane – our digestive system exposing what we are holding onto and not accepting the grandness of the wisdom the body constantly offers to keep itself in harmony and flow.
I have had constipation on and off for most of my life. I thought it was ok to go to the toilet every 2 or 3 days and anyone that went more than once a day had the problem. Your analogy with the garbage bin makes sense, we don’t keep waste hanging around the house so why would we hold onto it in our body. Throughout my life I held onto everything, hurts resentment, and held back from expressing how I felt, all this contributed to a lack of anything really flowing in my life. The more I am expressing and being honest with myself about everything the more regular I have become. It is great that you are opening up the conversation Jane, it may not be sexy but it is a conversation that reveals a lot about how we are living..
Expressing what we truly feel is very powerful. It can change EVERYTHING, our lives, what’s going on around us and the health of our bodies. Conversely life can become stagnant, dull and constipated both in and outside of the body when we don’t express and we hold things in. It’s so simple when we put it like this.
The language of the body is definitely not something to poo-poo! 🙂 Ok, puns aside, it’s been brilliant to explore the many ways in which we can hold onto things, and the tension this creates in the body instead of the natural flow of letting things go. For me I feel that I have things inside out, I don’t let go of hurts, material possessions or unpleasant experiences, but whilst I hold onto these I’m unable to let the true me out. It’s akin to holding my arms full of objects, it’s both a great strain and blocking the light of my heart from shining freely and openly. Holding onto me versus holding onto “stuff” shows how I place value.
The analogy of the garbage bin in the bedroom is perfect — we keep our room all neat and tidy (some of us that is) and would freak at the idea of a garbage bin festering in the corner… and yet we tend to shrug our shoulders in the pain, dismissing another bout of constipation as an inevitable nuisance that is regarded as a normal part to life. Far from it – it is an indictment on how stubborn we can be at not letting go of old patterns, behaviours, beliefs, relationships that no longer support us, and the list goes on. Our body is an amazing barometer right there with us, symbolically reminding us all the time of what we are choosing.
“Why are we not ‘letting go’?” – Because we are searching for security and comfort. We like it like it is..now and it should stay like it is. Even if it is maybe hurtful – but it is what I know and so it is safe. The alternative is to let go of the old and be open for …what will come. There is no control here. Just that I can make sure that my current choices are done with integrity and so can count on what will come to me will be in that way too. I have to trust and give me into the hands of the laws of the Universe. But we want to control. And so the s**t stays with us. What did I tell you!
I love the title of this blog Jane. Its certainly not something we usually talk about, but I can imagine it affects more of us than the statistics say. It’s great to consider that there is always more at play than just the physical aspects. I know when I’m affected by constipation it’s because of anxiousness and pushing through to get a job done that overrides my body’s natural rhythm.
Precisely Jane, letting go is a sign of true health, our ability to digest our daily life experiences, to discern what we need to truly discard and assimilate everything that supports our growth and awareness. Having suffered from constipation in the past, I know today that if my digestive system has slowed to a halt, there is an anxiety at play that I am not truly addressing. Deal with that and everything begins to flow again.
The traditional response to constipation by addressing one’s diet, laxatives etc. are all beneficial and supportive and gives short-term relief but does not resolve the problem. As you share, Jane, it is not until we address the cause does real change occur. As with all physical symptoms, constipation is no different in that it is a reflection and result of one’s choices and lifestyle. What a different state of health humanity would be in if we but responded to the wisdom of the body rather than with an intellectual solution.
It makes sense that not letting go of our crap, whether that be old hurts, judgments, prejudices and opinions, is just as congestive and debilitating as what is medically called constipation – and one condition might well prop up the other, seeing that everything is energy before it is matter.
Thanks Jane and I know that one – how easy it is to override the body when it is communicating that it needs to release what ever it is that it is asking to at that time because you are right in the middle of something. This is one I have been working on and when I do honour the body it feels amazing and more spacious when I do. One to always keep a check on I have discovered.
“we may just find that it is not medication, fibre, enemas etc that we need to free us up – but, a different way of being in the world, with a new relationship with ourselves of understanding, allowing, and letting go.” When we make it all about fibres (even though it is of course important to eat well) or think that we cannot do anything about it, we will never come to heal the underlying issues we have in life which causes illnesses in our body. In this way I find it very freeing to see illnesses as reflections of our daily living so we can truly heal.
It was only when I started living with a friend that I realised that it is not ‘normal’ to only go for a poo two or three times a week and it was only when I began to look at my health and diet after a bout of eczema in my late twenties that I really understood the effect of being constantly constipated. There are many topics that we avoid because they are uncomfortable, difficult or taboo but talking about them can be a great start to letting go…
The moment came when I turned to look at myself and all that was hidden away in cupboards that were not needed and no longer served me. I’ve spent a few hours each day going through ‘stuff’ acknowledging, discerning, letting go. Three large bin bags a symbol of how far I’ve come in addition to other items already taken to re-cycling. One more room to go. It is a process I recommend, and gave myself space to complete in an unhurried way.
Thank you Jane for making so clear the connection between constipation and not letting go of emotional and physical ‘stuff’ that is past its ‘use by’ date.
Great that you have related constipation to emotional as well as practical… I’ve observed recently the hoarding mentality – where people are incapable of throwing away anything and would rather surround themselves with decaying and dead objects, papers, photographs mementos and rarely stop to ask does this truly serve me now? Each emotionally charged object stays in the body or home and keeps us rooted in the past. Hanging on to the past is a ‘false’ crutch, not needed and yet the very action called for, letting go, resisted with force.
‘The condition affects twice as many women as men’ Not surprising to hear this Jane as women so commonly do not express their true feelings and keep them buried deep within.
Hi Jane, I’m glad you have written about this topic and more importantly nominated the deeper issues at play.
You have opened a platform to discuss what we have just held on to, literally! A lot of animals, birds for one evacuate their bowels in a flight or fight moment to flee faster. Could our life of comfort possibly help retard our natural flow?
That’s an interesting fact about birds Steve. I didn’t know that. Your final question has me pondering.
Not sexy, but super supportive to have this conversation about constipation. The well-being of our digestive system is a great indicator as to how we are doing and your stats about the prevalence of constipation are amazing… it also surprises me what we come to consider as normal, either because we have lived with symptoms for so long or because they are statistically common.
Some great questions in your blog Jane. Why do we choose to hold onto stuff that we no longer need? Our body can give a gentle nudge as to what we can let go of next. Love the connection between living life and letting go physically.
Constipation feels terrible! But is it simply a set of physical repercussions we’re aware of or are we also feeling the toxicity of what we’re holding on to?
Unsexy, sure – but oh so necessary a discussion. Your metaphor Jane of living in one’s waste packs a powerful punch and is something of a wake up call to anyone who has normalised this ill condition.
I agree. Digestive issues aren’t fun to experience.
Constipation is indeed not sexy and not something we talk a lot about, but what you bring here Jane is a complete different view, not from only the physical but also including the energetics behind it and to my understanding this may give the deeper healing for what constipation is telling us through the body.
This is definitely a topic most of us tend to hide away from discussing, so I love the way Jane you bring it out into the open and use the metaphor of the house. How difficult and unpleasant that would be to live in these conditions. But more and more I see that this metaphor is not so removed and that if I hold on to objects, people, junk, emotions and past experiences it all has this constipating effect in my body – quite literally. Our body clearly shows we need to accept, allow and let everything flow.
I remember when I was a young boy I had constipation. I was around 4 or 5. That’s all I can remember until recently I had a dose of it and I actually got very sick all of a sudden but recovered quickly too. I looked in the mirror at this time and it shocked me – I looked like ‘death warmed up’. I looked as if I was dying – it scared me! The warning bells rang inside me literally! I sought medical, esoteric naturopathic, and esoteric advice. All three advice channels were a brisk recovery physically from the extreme state I was in however, from a lifestyle perspective and why I had become this ill the root cause, is still a work in progress. This was a marker for me. The way I was feeling I do not want to feel again. I agree with you Jane, I had a relationship with my hurt that I allowed and chose to not let go.
My main issue was holding back what I felt to express in words and also in my actions. I am such a deeply feeling sensitive man (like all men are) and I held back this innate beauty that was naturally me. Understanding this natural phenomenon has changed my whole way of life and how I live. Do I want to be constipated OR do I just want to be me?
Every illness, every condition has a root cause. When we uncover what this root cause is and get to the bottom (pun intended) of our issues, then the condition can change.
A great article Jane, showing us just how much the way we live our life is reflected in the mechanism and biological function of our body. Our body indeed is a marker of all our choices, emotions, attitudes, behaviours…
Very relevant topic Jane, and many faceted I feel. Due for surgery soon as a result of prolapse including the bowel found me being advised by some of the medico team preparing me for this event to perhaps look at my present diet and re-introduce ‘bulking’ foods such as carbs. Now, one month later, after returning to corn products, breads and some vegetables that I hadn’t eaten for about a year I found my body uncomfortable, bloating and gaining unrequired weight. Constipation was an experience in my youth when dressed in business clothes and high-heels, time to visit the ‘ladies’ was held off and tended to during the lunch break despite any pressure to bear within. Who knows, this routine may have been one of the factors, or a pre-cursor to current state of my physical bodily health. And this of course is only part of the story as we have come closer to understanding the intelligence and wisdom of our amazing bodies.
From your article Jane, much can be considered in how much our bodies are affected by our conscious and unconscious thoughts and beliefs. If we very quickly get constipated when we don’t want to let go, how quickly is our nervous system activated when we feel anxious?
How quickly does our heart rate, breathing and physical stamina change when we over exert ourselves? How much is our health directly related to our choices?
This is interesting. I have hardly ever been constipated in my entire life, but I was constipated during Universal Medicine retreats – obviously I was rather challenged to let go of some stuff no longer needed.
Jane it’s certainly an unsexy topic! Yet I had so many colon related issues throughout my life and like you it was only when I started to really look at why I was holding onto things, adjust the care I took of myself that life changed and my colon started to relax and not hold onto all the waste!
To my experience constipation is the result of holding on to ideals, beliefs and the material but there is more to this, there is to accept the flow of life. To me that is first and to go with the flow of life we cannot hold on to the old that is from the past and does not fit into the new.
I once heard a wise man say: ‘Sexy’ is being playful with our power. So, if constipation is not sexy, can that mean that we are seriously disempowered? Makes sense to me as constipation stops the flow, tries to hold onto, which shows an uncertainty.
Great to have this conversation Jane. Every thing that happens in our body is a result of the way we treat it, the thoughts, beliefs and ideals we hold, lack of acceptance of life, the emotions we magnify or bury, the contraction and not letting go . . . and the list is longer! As you say it is not a ‘sexy’ topic, yet as we address the underlying issue and let go, the ‘sexier’ we become!
It really doesn’t feel sexy when you’re constipated, in fact, I wonder if it is a way to hold back being and feeling sexy…
The feeling of constipation is yuk. I was afflicted a lot as a child, and looking back can see that a number of factors contributed – stress, holding on both literally and metaphorically, and diet at times when I overindulged in cakes & biscuits etc. In my family it was seen as normal to be blocked up regularly, but now I know it is not, and when it occurs I take a step back to consider what is going on in my life that needs addressing and letting go.
Honesty is a great place to start to let go. Being honest to what our feelings are and how things affect us allow things to be felt and released. To complete that moment does not leave judgments inside of us about ourselves, others and situations for us to linger on. Constipation is a physical reflection of this holding on, which when we face it, will start to resolve itself.
Well done, Jane, for going there and talking about something everyone has experienced. As you say, not sexy, but so known by everyone. It’s always easy to find a reason for being stopped up (ie what we’ve eaten), but to ask why on a deeper level may help us to consider the way of life we’re living or what we’re holding onto.
You ask some great questions Jane and provide possibilities to a condition that many suffer from that are indeed worthy of consideration. I love that through your own honesty and contemplation you have been able to embrace a way of being that many would benefit from… gaining the necessary clarity and understanding of yourself to let go of what is not true and serves neither you or your body to hold onto.
Gosh, when you paint the picture of the food waste in your room or bath, it really brings home what it is that’s actually going on inside us! How awful!
Hello Jane and not a pleasant topic but I wonder if we have ever spoken about constipation in this way. There are some great questions you are asking and for us to ask ourselves if we ever or are suffering from constipation. With those figures you have quoted there are many of us suffering the effects of constipation silently and relying on medications to support us. It makes sense that constipation is linked to not letting go of something and when you put it all down like you have it’ a guide for us all if we are suffering or ever do suffer these effects. It’s great to see something like this detailed this way and not just off to the doctor for an answer because something has gone wrong. Absolutely go to the doctor but take a bit of a deeper look yourself as well as getting this support, be a part of the treatment and not just the person in it.
By letting go of things from the past or present as you mention Jane , keeps our bodies freely flowing in all areas. I loved the reminder that even physical clutter or things we feel we cant give up but no longer have a use for need to be let go. The old saying of ‘go with the flow” seems to fit here! Thank you Jane.
I just love the wisdom our bodies offer, even blatantly giving us painful situations like constipation to have us ‘sit’ and feel the pain of holding back.
It definitely happens for a reason, our bodies speak louder than we want to admit sometimes.
Jane this is such a brilliant and so incredibly comprehensive article on a very common and yet widely misunderstood condition. From my own recent venture into the not so glamorous world of constipation, I can honestly say that it was my exploration of what i was ‘holding onto’ that brought about a shift in my condition. And now, even though I am no longer suffering from constipation, I am continuing to look at the things that I am holding onto as I my body has clearly demonstrated how it is ‘impacted’ by the choice to ‘hold onto’ any-thing.
Love It Jane, love the humour in a very serious discussion. We can be so used to holding on that we do not realise that it is possible to simply surrender and let it all go. I have been in the process of moving house and have had to look at everything I have held onto. I have downsized into a tiny place so it is all in my face. A grand opportunity to let go.
All very true Jane and I love the analogies about holding onto waste. When given a visual it is easy to see how absurd it is to hold onto that which is ready to be released/disposed of. We live in a vast continuum of ceaseless movement, not just the busyness that surrounds us due to our 21st century way of living, but also the undying rhythm of the Universe we are held in. Nothing stops ever. Yet here we are as human beings designing a ‘stop’ by way of us holding tight and digging our heels in: (1) as a way to cope with the constant motion we keep ourselves in by not coming back to a point of stillness inside us from which to move forward from and (2) in order to not feel the absolute majesty of who we truly are and our part in the divinity at play within and all around us.
Indeed it is quite the farce that we have self-created a world that thrives off constant motion by way of the movements we make in drive that seek to override any awareness we may otherwise come to that we are not the sole creators here on Earth and that there exists a far greater co-creation of which we are an integral part, but in order to feel this we need first surrender the hold we have over all that we have created for ourselves and trust that there is a greater order that governs us and that we will not be in opposition to, if we simply let go of the control we seek to not feel this.
That’s a phenomenal statistic Jane, if “one in every seven adults and up to one in every three children in the UK has constipation at any one time” then that’s an awful lot of holding on to our hurts and not letting go of things in our life that no longer serve us. I do find that when there are times that I need to make a lot of adjustment, constipation can happen, it is simply showing me that the changes that are happening need to be accepted and the old ways let go of.
Constipation can apply to life not just our physical waste elimination. Holding on to hurts, ideals and beliefs is a constipated life.
I would completely agree with you Jane in that when I am holding onto things it shows in constipation. When I choose to go with the flow of life more, or choose to let go of unsupportive ways than equally it reflects back. The body is amazing at communicating with us yet it appears we have forgotten this language that never stops talking to us.
A brilliant blog on constipation Jane – exposing it is not only physically causing problems, but energetically with holding onto old ideals, beliefs and emotional attitudes.
It is definitely not a topic that is discussed. If someone has a headache or neck ache, they would openly say that if you asked how they were, but people (myself included) do not say ‘I’m feeling constipated’ when we are. We just never go there and yet when we look at it in the context of letting go and the flow of life, it’s a really important conversation to have.
Great conversation to start Jane and very apt analogy with the rubbish bins. It is true constipation is certainly a sh**ty thing.
This highlights Jane the way we hide our conditions into the “do not talk about them bin” as we often feel shame and perhaps guilt around the way we are living. It is not good at all to live like this as we become ignorant of what is truly going on.
Jane, great article, this is a much needed discussion, I love how practical your articles are. I can feel the truth of what you are sharing about being constipated is us not letting go, if this were common knowledge this would be so helpful for people and would then allow them to go deeper with understanding why they may have constipation rather than just using band aids and constipation coming back.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the figures are higher, because how many people self medicate and do not seek medical advise, and like you have written Jane maybe it has become so much part of our normal that we no longer question it – especially if the condition has been around since childhood.
Thanks for starting the much need conversation indeed Jane, with 1 in 7 adults and 1 in 3 Children (in the UK) then we really have to look at this one! I can laugh about it now but yes have experienced difficulty in this area myself, and what you have shared is so true! We wouldn’t hold onto rubbish bags and keep them with us, but we do the same with issues and poisons in our body which effect us!
Agreed Harry. I cringed a bit at the rubbish bag scenario as constipation is something that I try to forget about until everything starts flowing again. I wouldn’t keep my wheelie bin in my bedroom so it doesn’t make sense to avoid addressing constipation.
“it’s estimated that around one in every seven adults and up to one in every three children in the UK has constipation at any one time.” – These figures are significant and show the people are holding on wanting to control but control offer no true support.