Most people in your life will tell you that confidence is half of everything. It will not matter how beautiful, smart, witty or fit you are if you do not believe that you are wonderful in every way. However, there are times when our self-doubt does not stem only from our appearance or irrational fears of not being good enough; sometimes there are actual physical issues causing us to experience a major lack of confidence, and one of them is our stomach. This is not a metaphor like ‘the gut feeling’ of not being good enough, but actual problems that might be going on inside your belly. These things can make you feel discomfort, pain, bloating, all of which are not necessarily dangerous, but are enough to ruin the positive feelings you have about yourself on a particular day or get inside your head and ruin an important day. In order to combat the issues of confidence, let us first see which of the stomach health issues are the most common ones, and what are some of the things you can do to get rid of them and get your stride back.

The Reflux

Although it sounds like the Duran Duran song, sadly it is just a pesky stomach issue. The reflux is a very common problem most people experience several times in their lives and it is usually manifested as hot or burning feeling rising up from the center of the abdomen area and into the chest under the breastbone or sternum. It certainly does not feel like a picnic and can cast a shadow on a perfectly good day you might have been having up to that point. Suddenly you feel uneasy, even in pain a bit. More importantly, it can make you unfocused and perhaps you will miss a great moment in your life. Let us prevent that from happening. Of course, there is a number of medications you can use to relieve the symptoms, but it is always better to attack the problem at its very core. To keep the reflux from ruining more of your days, some of the things you can do is to sleep on your left side as snoozing on your right side worsens reflux and so does stomach sleeping. So, as Beyoncé would say, ‘to the left to the left’ should be your mantra the next time you go to bed. Other great things you can do are to chew your food well, perhaps cut down on carbs, and have smaller but more frequent meals.

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Houston, We Have a Problem

One of the issues that can hugely affect our stomach health, and shatter our self-confidence is the leaky gut syndrome. This issue basically occurs when the intestinal lining becomes more porous, i.e. there are tiny holes in it that allow unscreened and unprocessed food molecules to flow directly into your bloodstream making your immune system very unhappy. The condition is known to be caused by improper diet, chronic stress, and lack of zinc, among other things. It can also make you crave carbs like crazy and the most uncomfortable thing of all – it can make you feel bloated, which in itself is enough to make you feel sluggish and not up to dressing up and going about your day carefree. Luckily, there are ways to work around this, and make it a problem no more. They include certain dietary restrictions, probiotics, supplements and much more. If Houston can solve outer space-related issues, you can attack this one head on and never have another day ruined again.

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Staying Put or Going Out Too Often

There is of course one issue that is proven to be a mood and confidence killer, and it happens to virtually all of us ‒ that is either constipation or diarrhea. Which of these affects the levels of confidence more? It would be safe to assume it is a tie. Running to the restroom and being exhausted or feeling like a swollen log, neither of these are a picnic. There is no reason you should be enduring this. According to Joyous Health, practicing yoga can do wonders for your insides, and as a result, you will feel happy and confident. So, the next time you feel like reaching for medication, perhaps it is best to stop yourself and go for a solution that will not only serve as a quick and temporary fix, but something that will put you at ease and bring back your confidence for good.