The Physiological Connection Between Trauma, Digestive Issues, and the Vagus Nerve

Welcome to the Satiated Podcast, where we explore physical and emotional hunger, satiation, and healing your relationship with your food and body. I'm your host, Stephanie Mara Fox, your Somatic Nutritional Counselor.

As many of you know, this Somatic Eating® journey all started for me when I began to have severe digestive issues in my teenage years and early 20s. During that time, I was doing everything I could. I explored Ayurveda, cleansing, detoxing, the GAPS diet, the low FODMAP diet. I cut out gluten and dairy, and while some of these things helped, or at least taught me something about my body, the digestive issues continued. It wasn't really until I started somatic therapy that things started to change. There was one session in particular where I was lying down on the floor, breathing into my belly, and started sobbing big, loud sobs that could not and would not be controlled. As I came to terms with what I grew up around was traumatic, I had more compassion for my body and my digestive issues that were my body's way of telling me all along, it didn't feel safe. What I have seen is that somatics, trauma work, and nervous system healing is a missing piece on a digestive and food healing adventure.

I chat more about this today with Miriam Jacobson. Miriam is a triple board-certified functional medicine dietitian, breathwork facilitator, and the founder of Every Body Bliss. She supports individuals on their healing journey using a combination of nutritional therapy, mindset coaching, and breathwork. She's on a mission to create a supportive environment for healing while helping you feel empowered, engaged, and joyful about your health. She believes there is no one-size-fits-all approach to health; each body is unique. Understanding your own individual needs and imbalances is the key to creating a radical shift in your overall health and well-being.

We discuss the connection between digestive issues and trauma, the impact of trauma on the vagus nerve, how to support your vagus nerve, how our pace and environment can affect the function of our digestive tract, and the importance of tears when healing. Now welcome, Miriam. Well, I am really excited that you are here today. I am really excited to dive into all things: gut healing, trauma, food pieces. And I know that listeners here know this is like near and dear to my heart because it kind of is what got me started on my journey is having gut issues in my early 20s and teenage years, and so I'm curious for you how you got into this work that you're doing in the world.

Miriam Jacobson 03:11

Yeah, and thank you so much for having me here. I'm really excited to be here, and everything you just shared is totally my jam. We're both in good company. I started this work because of my body issues that I was experiencing myself. When I was 13 years old, I went through a massive traumatic event and that spurred a lot of emotional eating, and I was so scared to address any of my emotions, and I suppressed it, and everything came out physically. I had like migraines, and I had digestive issues. And fast forward a few years, I was in college. I always knew I wanted to be in a helping profession, and I thought that I was going to be in social work, and then I had, I was in a liberal arts degree, and I had to take a science class, and so I got into this, like 500 person nutrition lecture, and I just couldn't stop thinking about food. And I wasn't even aware of how the food I was eating was impacting me or how my trauma had impacted me. All I knew was I was just fascinated by food. And then, as I graduated, I was in my early 20s, and I was like, Oh my gosh, I am suffering. I am hungry, I'm tired, I'm nauseous and in pain, and my doctor wasn't helping me. And it was through nutrition and functional medicine and kind of going through an alternative medicine rabbit hole that I really found the answers to my health. And I was like, Oh my gosh, this is mind-blowing, and this is how I want to help people with nutrition because it's so layered we have not only our physiology, right and how, and we'll get into how trauma impacts our physiology, but it's also our emotional space. And our relationship with food, from an emotional perspective, is really deeply ingrained into that whole picture, and so that's really what spurred my interest and intrigue into nutrition, and then it's just grown from there.

Stephanie Mara 05:02

I so resonate with just that. When you're trying to, like, heal something in your body, there does come this fascination with food and what it can potentially do. And I found on my journey that that's where I started to like, Oh my gosh, like different foods feel differently in my body, and can do different things. And then, as I went along, there was kind of this realization of food can only take me so far.

Miriam Jacobson 05:31

Mmm-hmm.

Stephanie Mara 05:31

And I'm wondering if you experienced that, especially with like you were just referencing of there was this trauma piece and this dysregulation that food can't heal, it can support, but it can't really get you to where you want to go.

Miriam Jacobson 05:49

Not always, you know. And I think that's where the layers of healing, I think, are so fascinating. Because for me, my healing journey really started with the mental health piece of it. So I repressed my emotions for, like, five years, and then I was having PTSD symptoms, and I finally came to my mom, and I was like, Okay, I need help. And she was like, Okay, like, let's get you into EMDR. Let's get you into trauma therapy. She was waiting for that moment from me, and then nutrition was a layer for me that I was like, Oh, how I was eating was actually like hurting me and so using the combination of those. But what's really interesting was, for me, originally, the therapy was a mental health like, almost like stories that we tell ourselves. And I know I went through EMDR, but I don't think I understood the somatic impact of trauma until later on when I started practicing breathwork and realizing how I was still holding really old patterns in my body. And so that's where nutrition only got me so far, and then I was like, Oh my gosh, I need to work with the language of my body and how I'm holding tension, you know, and how that's impacting my everyday life and my choices and how I'm moving through the world. And so, I totally agree with you; nutrition isn't everything. Ironically, too, so many of us in our in today's society want this, like magic pill, and nutrition is never easy like that, and that's almost like the tip of the iceberg when it comes to healing, right? Because it is mental, it is somatic, it is connection with others. So there is, like, these deep, visceral pieces of our bodies that need healing, too, and nutrition can be a really beautiful introduction to that. But I agree, it's not everything.

Stephanie Mara 07:34

I'm curious: what are the connections that you have found with the trauma piece and the gut healing piece?

Miriam Jacobson 07:42

So, it's really interesting, like, there's a lot of research now, and there's so many reasons why, but it's very clear that people who've gone through traumatic experiences, who have experienced PTSD, have higher rates of IBS and digestive issues like that's very clear and physiologically speaking, there are several reasons for this, but our vagus nerve, which is the longest nerve in our body that connects our brain and our gut through the enteric nervous system. 500 million neurons are in our gut. That's more neurons in our gut that's in our spine, and this vagus nerve regulates all involuntary functions in our body, right? It regulates breathing and, heart rate, and digestion, and when we go through a really traumatic experience, when we're holding that experience like in our body, it affects that. And it's going to put our body into fight and flight, right? So, we're going away from this rest and digest state, and what happens then? Blood flows to our muscles so that we can mobilize; we either fight or we flight. And the downstream impact of that is blood is then flowing away from our gut, away from our digestive organs, so we're going to have less digestive power. We're going to have less HCL, less digestive enzymes to actually get things moving through the gut. So, first and foremost, that's like the direct connection. And then as this goes unaddressed over time, it impacts the microbiome. It can create leaky gut and, food sensitivities and inflammation, and autoimmune disease, and so there is a downstream domino effect from unaddressed trauma and the gut, and it impacts all of us differently.

Stephanie Mara 09:33

Yeah, I agree with that. I feel like both for myself I've been here and a lot of those that I've worked with, there can be this point with digestive healing where you feel stuck. You feel like you could not cut out one more food. You could not try one more gut healing protocol. What you could not cut out one more food. You could not try one more gut healing protocol. What else could I possibly be missing? And I know for myself that it wasn't until I dove into the somatic work that things really got to shift and change in my gut-healing that, sure, there were maybe some food pieces that certainly helped and maybe moved the needle, but it was always from a place of my body never felt safe, to begin with. My digestion was completely shut off. And I find that this is becoming a little bit more mainstream, but not enough. Like, I find that wellness culture is still dominating the conversation over you need to do some cleanse, some detox, you're not eating right. Like, go to a functional medicine person and get some supplemental protocol. And it can feel really like a hopeless experience sometimes. Like really just frustrating when these symptoms are continuing, and someone is not really sure why. I'm wondering if you've experienced that.

Miriam Jacobson 10:56

Yeah, absolutely. I think there are two pieces of that, for sure, that I have a lot of thoughts on. One other piece that I will say is this wellness world, nervous system regulation work is very internal. It's not a money-maker, right? So, it's not going to be marketed in mainstream wellness. The wellness industry is a trillion-dollar industry. Bank on supplements and cleanses and things that people can buy and nervous system work. Sure, you're maybe paying your practitioner, your therapist, your nutritionist, whoever is doing your somatic work with you, but that's not big bucks, right? And so that I will say is why I think it's not in mainstream culture right now, even though I do agree. I think it's getting there. But I think from a physiological standpoint, nervous system regulation, aside from, like, a functional medicine standpoint, people are throwing so much at it, and they're doing their research online, and they're falling into rabbit holes, but they're not actually understanding what's happening in their body and how to individualize their work for themselves. And so that's what I see a lot, is people are like, Oh my gosh, I've done everything, but they're still eating foods that are maybe inflammatory for them. So, like, I run a lot of testing, and I remember seeing a patient, and she had, like, so many digestive issues, and it turns out she was, like, sensitive to spinach and broccoli. And so it's not only the gluten and the dairy that people are sensitive to, right? And so there can be so many different pieces of that, or like, what specific enzymes do we need to support for you, to support your digestion, or what microbiome imbalances and dysbiosis do you have, right? So that's one tier of it, and then absolutely, there's the somatic piece of it, and how we hold stress in our bodies and how we move through the world. Our hormones, our cortisol levels, everything depends on our stress levels. I even find that when I eat meals with other people versus by myself, I live alone, but when I have people over and when I'm dining in community, my digestion is actually really different because of what it does to your nervous system. Because it actually, when you're connected with people, this is like the ventral vagal part of our parasympathetic nervous system, where it's helping us regulate and relax and ground. So that's absolutely going to impact our physiology.

Stephanie Mara 13:22

Yeah, I'm so glad you brought in that piece because it brings in just the exquisite wisdom of digestive symptoms that, if we can see that actually they're the way of your body talking to you, of how it is digesting your life and your external environment. I think of this one experience where there was a restaurant that I had been to before, eaten food there always digested just fine, and I was going out with a group of people that I felt anxious to be around. I walked away. I was, like, in pain. I, like, had to go home and just, like, take a bath and like, drink tea and l rubbed my belly, and it was like, that had nothing to do with the food. The food gets blamed so much, but it was how I was digesting the environment, and that my body was saying, Hey, this doesn't feel safe. I'm gonna maybe turn on your sympathetic nervous system for you. So that means I'm gonna, like, like you said before, take your blood away from your digestive tract, and so I did not have the capacity to digest that meal.

Miriam Jacobson 14:27

Yeah, exactly. It's like you could be eating the healthiest salad in the world, but if you're shoving it in your mouth over the kitchen sink, you know, like and yelling at your kids while you're doing it, it's gonna sit really differently in your body. Absolutely.

Stephanie Mara 14:39

That's also why I like to normalize that there's this idea that with binge eating, that is always binging on, like, hyper-palatable foods. It could be on any food. You could binge on butternut squash.

Miriam Jacobson 14:51

Oh, yeah! Give me some dried mango.

Stephanie Mara 14:55

Exactly. It's about, Hey, your body is utilizing this as a resource to try to feel calm and safe, and it may momentarily do that because food is an amazing resource to kind of shift how we feel in our body, but it can't really do it long term.

Miriam Jacobson 15:13

Yeah. I always tell people, I'm, like, Okay, you emotionally eat, like, that is a coping mechanism, but it's bad if it's your only coping mechanism. The binge eating is just a symptom of something much larger happening in your life.

Stephanie Mara 15:25

Coming back to the vagus nerve piece for a second, I love just your explanation of that. And I always get the images like, for anyone listening to this, if you've never looked up the image of the vagus nerve, I always find it's just like the most beautiful, like

Miriam Jacobson 15:39

The whole nervous system is really beautiful to look up.

Stephanie Mara 15:43

Yeah. They call it the wandering nerve. It's like this gigantic nerve all throughout our body. And I'm curious when you're talking about, like, Okay, so when we go through a trauma, it kind of down-regulates, which means it is also going to affect the functioning of our digestive tract. I'm curious what you have found in working with maybe people's vagus nerves and what can support it over time?

Miriam Jacobson 16:06

Yeah, absolutely. So, like we were kind of alluding to, I think one of the strongest regulators of our nervous system is connection with other people, right? And are we around people who make us anxious, or are we around people who make us feel safe and regulated? Right? And so I always think about those friends that you hang out with that are like, you can't get enough of them. You feel at home, like you could be in the same room as them and just like, be doing your thing, and it's like you're by yourself. But then they're also the type of people that you can just, like, cry-laugh with. That's like the best kind of regulation for your nervous system, people who you can have that deep belly laughter with, and who you feel super safe around. That's like the family component of it. I think that's the most powerful regulator of our nervous system. But there's a lot of things that we can do and a lot of tools and modalities we can utilize to help our bodies feel safe. And so the idea of regulating the vagus nerve is really reminding our nervous system that we're safe and that we're okay and not constant threats happening. Being in nature is a really strong physiological grounding piece of it, and a lot of these have, besides, like, the vagus nerve, right? I mean, it's all connected, but nature and the negative ions that we experience from air and soil and wind and sand, right? When your, like, feet are in the sand, like, you feel better, and there's a strong physiological impact of that. It helps, like, regulate our serotonin levels. It increases our serotonin, reduces our cortisol, and that also regulates our vagus nerve. Listening to music, humming, singing, right? Like, think about things that we don't do when we're like in survival, partaking in those regulatory activities is really, really grounding for your body, but especially like humming, singing, breathing, laughing.

Stephanie Mara 17:56

And it's so interesting that you're bringing in these examples because it's like what you were talking about earlier, of how much wellness, fitness, diet culture is all looking for what they can capture people's money with, so to speak. All of these things are for free. We get this message that it's like, it's gotta be more complicated. Isn't there something I have to, some protocol I need to follow here? There's some people, there may be some things like you talked about that, you know, some supplements, some testing that can be supportive. Starting with the basics of, like, am I getting enough fresh air? Am I connecting with the people that I love and light me up in my life enough in my day-to-day, month-to-month experience? Just these, what nourishes our emotional body and our soul. And starting there, I find that it's the thing that sometimes we resist the most because actually, it means slowing down. A lot of these things have a much slower pace, and it means also there's like sense of intimacy, like, embodiment that needs to happen to do these things that can feel kind of edgy to step into, if everything we've been doing is trying to get to get away from our body?

Miriam Jacobson 19:10

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's such a good way to put it because it's uncomfortable to be with ourselves. It's uncomfortable to be embodied and to like feel relaxed, especially when our whole world is designed for us to be on the go. So when we stop, we're like, Oh my gosh, like, we're flooded with feelings, and that's really overwhelming, but we need to feel them so that we can move through them and come back again to that sense of safety. I've always been a very fast-paced person. I'm born and raised in New York City, and, you know, Jewish New Yorker, that's kind of just my MO, and I had a health event five years ago. I got breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy when I was 31, and I needed to sit still for the first time in my life. I realized, like, when I was recovering from that surgery, I was, like, I have literally never sat still. And that was the first time that I did my somatic training through, like, the Peter Levine like, Somatic Institute. And I didn't understand how uncomfortable I was being still and being with myself until that moment. And I was like, Oh, this has to change.

Stephanie Mara 20:22

How did you move through that?

Miriam Jacobson 20:24

Oh, a lot of tears. So many tears. And I didn't have my tools because I couldn't move my body, right? I couldn't really get outside, I couldn't walk, I couldn't exercise, I couldn't even - breathing into my chest really hurt. And so that's really when I, like, relied on talk therapy and the people around me and spirituality books and, oh, I did a lot of writing during that time. I got really comfortable, a lot more comfortable being with myself than I had ever been before. And I ended up for a whole year-long solo travel trip once I was recovered, but I think learning how to like, celebrate my life, and learning how to, like, not be with myself, but not rush things either, and realizing that there's no rush was a big one for me.

Stephanie Mara 21:11

Yeah, thanks for sharing that. I find that tears are such an important part of the process because it's something that I've experienced is it's not only that sometimes the tears are coming in, not just because you're sad. Tears can come in because of all sorts of different emotions, and that it's not just crying for maybe things that have happened in your past, but what I have noticed is sometimes, when I start to become more embodied and get closer into connection with myself. It's tears of how much I missed myself that it was like, Wow, I've been gone for a really long time. Like, where did I go? And it's like, wow, like, I missed you. I'm curious what your experience has been as you slowed down to get back into your body.

Miriam Jacobson 22:01

I love that so much. I thank you for sharing that. For me, it's so interesting, like, different tears have different reasons, right? And sometimes we don't even know, but I agree that I think it's this amazing release. And I do practice breathwork. And, you know, like I practice a more, like, active breath work pattern. A big part of it is like, getting, like, a release, right? And that can be, like, your body shaking, right? That could be tears coming, but it's one of my friends describes crying. And I just, I love this, because I've never heard it before. But, like, crying is emotional sweat. For me, like, sometimes it feels like I'm, like, a pressure cooker, and tears just need to come out because otherwise I'm gonna, like, explode. I used to be someone who's like, shut down those tears and don't cry. And this is a sign of strength, you know. And now I'm just like, whatever. I'm a strong person, and I can cry, and it feels good like the salt water feels cleansing. It feels like it's pulling something out of me. I haven't actually looked at these studies, but I keep hearing about them, about, like the different types of tears and tears of joy look different under a microscope than tears of, like, grief. So I think that's always really interesting, too.

Stephanie Mara 23:09

I believe that some of the information out there on tears is also that it can activate our parasympathetic nervous system. And so, when we're also constantly shoving down our tears, we're keeping ourselves sometimes stuck unintentionally, but sometimes intentionally, in the sympathetic nervous system because that's where your body has become accustomed to living. You mentioned, like, growing up in New York City. I grew up in Connecticut, but I, like, went into New York City all the time. And so when you also grow up in this environment that is very fast-paced, that is very sympathetic, just as the tone. It's just fight or flight everywhere, all the time, and produces that in your body as well, that sometimes it's like constant practice, especially when you know if someone listening to this is struggling with their digestion, really getting curious about the environment that you're in and how your body is processing that, and then how you react to how your body is processing that. Like do you not allow it to move through the stress or the tears that also want to happen in response to your environment?

Miriam Jacobson 24:22

Yeah, it's so interesting. You were actually asking me about, like, client work and the vagus, like, working with clients with the vagus nerve. And it's really interesting, as you were describing that, I remember a client that I had back in New York, you know when I was practicing. And I remember she had, like, the worst digestive issues, and we did, like, everything functional medicine-wise. Like, we put like, everything at it. We did the stool testing and the microbiome testing, and we did, like, digestive support, and we did, like, all the food stuff and elimination. No movement. And I was, like, banging my head against a wall. I was talking to my like, but like, I had a mentor at the time, and we were, like, talking about it. And I was like, I do not know. Like, she's like, the kindest person, like, I want to help her, but I just don't know how. And she kind of just, like, ended up falling off my roster. She emails me a few years later, and she's like, I moved out of state. She's like, I moved to Pennsylvania, and, like, almost immediately, my digestive issues went away. Quit her corporate job. Moved out of the city. And I was like, Yeah, that's it.

Stephanie Mara 25:19

Sometimes, it's not doing another self-regulating thing. Sometimes I find we look at, Well, you know, is it something I'm doing wrong? So quick to say, like, Oh, like, I'm the one to blame. And I think that that comes from so many different places, wellness, all these cultures that tell us, like, Hey, you're broken, you need to be fixed, and even what messages you got from your family growing up about that as well. And sometimes it isn't your fault. I would even say more than sometimes, a lot of the times, it isn't your fault. Like there is something that has potentially been out of your control, that you have been doing your best to navigate. It does actually make me think - so, I grew up in Connecticut, went to undergrad at the University of Vermont, and I was having all sorts of eye issues, like just getting blepharitis, that's what it was called. It was basically like inflammation of the eyelids. The doctor was like, Eh, you know, this kind of, like, comes and goes. We don't really have an answer for it, like all these things. And I moved to Vermont, and it entirely went away. And I think it was the air quality, I think it was the environment, and it was just like my body was doing the best it could to navigate the environment that I was in. But I literally moved out of that state, and it has never come back.

Miriam Jacobson 26:40

We're not supposed to be in fight or flight all the time. We're supposed to be able to flow between those places. And most of us it's, like, turn it's stuck on, and it's making us sick. We have all these chronic health conditions, and doctors are scratching their heads like, Oh no, like, we can actually get back to basics. And just because it's basic doesn't mean it's easy. Just because it's simple doesn't make it easy to achieve. So I just wanted to put that out there because I think so many of us, like you were saying, feel shame around where we're at because we feel like we've done something wrong to get here, and it's like, no. What if we can just admit like it's hard being a human in this world and navigating it?Just because it's not our fault, we can still take action right to support ourselves, but I think taking out that like that story of shame can help get us there faster.

Stephanie Mara 27:39

Oh my gosh. So well said. I completely agree with that. And sometimes when you hear the suggestion of, like, go out in nature, connect with your friends, you're like, Yeah, okay, yeah, I'm just gonna, like, go out in nature and, like, stick my feet in the sand, or, like, go hug a tree, and everything's gonna be solved. We may roll our eyes, but I always feel better after being outside. I could literally just walk outside and take a few deep breaths, and if I was feeling some kind of like stress, brain frog, it's gone. I find that it's viewing ourselves with so much compassion that it's okay that these simple things are hard. Like they're not that easy, and there's so much that we are told that we have to fill our time with, or what a healing journey is supposed to look like, that when these simple things are suggested, like coming back to your idea of like, nervous system regulation work is not really sellable because it's a lot of, like, internal practice. It's not sexy, it's not even, like, sometimes interesting, like, even it can be, like, kind of boring. Like, okay, I'm showing up for my body. I'm feeling the sadness, like, I'm crying. Like, okay. It's like, not really sellable. And I've been talking about this a little bit more on social media, like, getting a little bit angry about how people are trying to, like, market somatics as this, like magical body practice, that you just do these, like, body movements, and it will, like, magically heal you. And it just pisses me off that something that is so innate in us, like, this was actually coming back to a practice that we always did before we forgot how to do it because of industrialization, and the world just becoming more and more complicated with technology and industry. And thank goodness these things exist. Like, wow, we live in such interesting times, but we've become so disconnected from ourselves we forgot how to do that. But there was a point where that was actually a lot simpler and easier to do.

Miriam Jacobson 29:50

Yeah, it really was. What keeps coming back to me is, like, my recovery, right, from, you know, mastectomy recovery because it was so hard for me to sit still. And one of my friends told me, she was like, rest is an action. And that became a big mantra for me because I was like, Oh my gosh. Like, we live in capitalism, and I need to be productive, and I need to be successful, and I'm running a business, and I'm going to be failing at this stuff, and it's like, Oh, my work right now, my really active work is actually to soften and to rest. And I think that can be the hardest thing for a lot of us to do.

Stephanie Mara 30:24

I was explaining actually to someone this morning about how someone was asking me, like, Why do we get so much hungrier when we're sick? Think about it, like, your body is doing so much internal work, even though externally, you're like, Oh, all I'm doing is sitting on the couch and like, you know, watching Netflix and like, why am I so hungry? Internally, you are doing so much work to heal. Your body is getting into action to make sure that whatever is going on that it's going to bring you back to homeostasis and equilibrium, and so you're going to need a lot more food and nutrition to do that. I talk here about how it took me about two years to heal from long covid. And when I first initially got covid, I was voracious, like I was so hungry all the time. I needed so much food. I love that saying of, like, rest is the act. You know, like, that is what's needed because actually, your body, even though you can't see it, it is doing quite a lot internally to support and protect you.

Miriam Jacobson 31:32

There's so much internal movement, and it's not something that's glorified or celebrated in our society, unfortunately, because it really is really important. And I think that especially people who are suffering from invisible illnesses like that compounds their trauma of like, Ow, like, actually, I'm suffering. Like, I feel exhausted because my body is doing so much work to support itself, but like, I can't show up in the world in the way that like is glorified is rewarded.

Stephanie Mara 32:03

I often like to offer people little baby steps that they can start to explore, and you've offered a lot of different ones today, but I'm curious. Like, where do you feel like someone getting started, or they're listening to this and they're struggling with their digestion and they're hearing all these different things, like, there's one thing to know, the information I'm curious, what has helped you, or those you've worked with actually, like, put it into action.

Miriam Jacobson 32:30

From - just from our conversation, because there's a lot of ways that I can answer this question, I think. But based on our conversation today, I think when it comes to nutrition and somatics, eating regular meals, how many people who are listening like skip meals? And so it's making sure that it's so simple. But again, it may not be easy, but it's so simple. Eat every three to four hours. If you're going more than five hours without eating, your body physiologically goes into stress, and so you're working against your own physiology, your own nervous system regulation, whereas, if you're holding emotions, if you're holding stress, you know, you're navigating life in a fight and flight way, and then you're skipping meals, you're compounding that, so you're going to feel more anxious, versus taking the time to eat, sitting down at a table, chewing your food. You know, like, what a revolution.

Stephanie Mara 33:23

Wow. Sitting at a table and chewing my food. What is this? Long story short, I've told this story here on the podcast. Basically what happened to me is I lost my ability to swallow. Had to, like, relearn how to eat, all through my long covid healing journey, but that was a big part of it. Is when I was relearning how to like chew and swallow, was I had to sit down with no distractions and, like, chew the food and notice when my body told me it was ready to swallow. Again, it sounds so simple, but so difficult in practice to actually be like, You know what? This is an activity. This isn't just something for me to bypass, just so I can get on to my next thing. Eating and a meal is an activity in your day, and it needs to be set aside, just like you would a meeting or a date or an outing. You know that you put that time in your calendar and you're okay, I have this meeting from this time to this time, and it can be so hard to do in our fast paced culture.

Miriam Jacobson 34:30

Physiologically, it's essential, right for digestive health, but also energetically, it's reminding yourself that you're prioritizing your own well-being and that you are actually a priority. And, like, when I went back into work after I was sick, I was like, You know what? I'm going to build my work life around my wellness and not vice-versa. I'm not going to squeeze my wellness into my work life. My wellness is going to be the foundation for this, and how work comes in, and folds in is how I really want to approach things moving forward. Because what. Working when I was doing it the other way around. And I have to tell you that has been one of the most radical choices I've made.

Stephanie Mara 35:05

Also, a great suggestion, regardless of if you are working, not working, working for yourself, retired. Like, does your self-care your wellness - is that the groundwork? Is that the basis, or are other things informing you of, like, well, I have to make sure everybody else is okay, then I can take care of myself. Or I have to make sure all these pieces happen, and then this can happen. Like, just cultivating that awareness, like, not that that's wrong or bad, it's just, like, that's also happening for a reason.

Miriam Jacobson 35:36

Like, I do think, like, there is a piece of like privilege that comes into it, right? And, like, we all have different life circumstances and different abilities to prioritize ourselves, but I think what you're saying is really powerful, that just asking yourself that question and putting it in the forefront of your mind as like an intentionality, I think can really pave the way for some incredible action, but it's just about keeping that as the carrot that you're following.

Stephanie Mara 36:04

Well, I have just loved this conversation. Thank you so much for sharing all of your wisdom. How can those listening keep in touch with you and the work that you're doing?

Miriam Jacobson 36:13

Thank you so much, Stephanie. Yes, so I - they can follow me on my website, I'm everybodybliss.com. I'm also on Instagram, here and there, as it feels good. So I'm @everybodybliss. And, you know, I'm available to work one-on-one or,and I also do corporate workshops and work with, you know, larger companies as well. So yeah, I would love to stay in touch and hear from people.

Stephanie Mara 36:38

Awesome. Yeah, I'll put all those links in the show notes and just thank you again. Like I even feel inspired by our conversation. Sometimes, it's those, like, little reminders that we all need to get back to the basics of just like, Okay, my body's talking to me whatever symptom is happening. And what are some things that I can slowly start to incorporate that are totally for free, and while simple, not easy? But it's just saying, Okay, what's one baby step I can take towards this?

Miriam Jacobson 37:05

One step in front of the other. Thank you so much for having me. I feel inspired. I'm gonna go and sit down and have some lunch soon.

Stephanie Mara 37:13

Awesome. To everyone listening. As always, if you have any questions, reach out at support@stephaniemara.com anytime, and I look forward to connecting with you all again soon. Bye.

Keep in touch with Miriam:

Website: https://www.everybodybliss.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-jacobson-10066555
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everybodybliss/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everybodybliss1