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Health

Meditation Helped Me Poop Less

The link between mindful breathing and my IBS.

I have a bit of a poop obsession. As a child, I was blessed with what my parents called a "sensitive tummy." I was prone to stomach aches, bloating, and stress-induced diarrhea (when I was nervous, I didn't get "butterflies"; more like a pack of lions pouncing at my gut). But it was after a trip to Florida in my 20s—in which I didn't shit for a whole ten days—that the obsession began. Anyone who is chronically constipated will tell you that pooping becomes the absolute focus of your life. I became fixated with eating foods that would help my bowels move. I was never into medical laxatives, but super-strong coffee was my friend. I found it hard to poop outside the comfort of my home (hence the ten days of constipation while vacationing in Florida), so I'd obsessively time my coffee-drinking with when I'd be home and relaxed enough to go. Read more on Tonic

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