Feeling low, anxious, or not quite like yourself? It might not be all in your head. It could be starting in your gut.
Feeling Depressed? The Problem Might Not Be in Your Head…
I talk to people all the time who say they feel emotionally drained or mentally foggy. They’ve tried everything, therapy, medications, lifestyle changes, yet they still feel like something’s not quite right. And honestly, I get it. That sort of frustration can wear you down.
But here’s the part most people don’t hear about: your gut bacteria can directly influence your mood. If your digestion’s been a bit off and your emotions feel wobbly, those things might actually be connected.
Yep, the trillions of microbes living in your gut have a lot more power over your brain than you might expect. Let me break it down for you in simple terms.
Your Gut and Brain Talk Constantly
There’s something called the gut-brain axis. It’s like a direct line of communication running between your belly and your brain. When one’s upset, the other usually reacts.
This link happens through a few key systems:
- Vagus nerve: Acts like a hotline between your brain and gut, carrying constant updates.
- Chemical messengers: Your gut bacteria help make neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
- Immune system: Inflammation in your gut can travel upwards and cause inflammation in your brain too.
So when your gut’s unhappy, say, inflamed or out of balance, your mental health often takes a hit.
Your Gut Bacteria Literally Help You Feel Good
Most people are surprised to learn that about 90% of serotonin (your feel-good chemical) gets made in the gut, not the brain. And it’s not just serotonin. Your gut microbes help regulate other brain chemicals too, like:
- Dopamine, which impacts motivation, focus, and pleasure.
- GABA, which helps calm your nervous system.
- Norepinephrine, which keeps you alert and helps regulate stress.
If your gut microbiome is out of balance, maybe from antibiotics, a poor diet, stress, or illness, then production of these chemicals can slow down or even stop. And when that happens, it’s no surprise that you might feel flat, overwhelmed, or emotionally unsteady.
Inflammation in the Gut Can Affect Your Brain
When your gut lining becomes leaky or inflamed, it can allow harmful substances, things like toxins, bacteria, and partially digested food particles, to slip through into your bloodstream. That triggers systemic inflammation, which can eventually affect the brain. This type of brain inflammation can show up as:
- Foggy thinking or forgetfulness.
- Low mood or emotional numbness.
- Anxiety that doesn’t make sense.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Trouble sleeping or feeling truly rested.
If you’ve ever felt like your body’s out of sorts and your mind’s just not sharp, it could be that low-grade gut inflammation is silently disrupting both.
What’s Messing with Your Gut Bacteria?
Let’s talk about what might be throwing your gut out of whack in the first place. Because for many of us, it’s not one single thing. It’s a slow build-up of daily habits, medications, and stressors.
Here are a few of the biggest culprits I see over and over:
- Antibiotics: Wipe out both harmful and beneficial bacteria.
- Stress: Alters gut movement and reduces bacterial diversity.
- Highly processed food: Starves your good microbes of the fiber they thrive on.
- Alcohol, smoking, recreational drugs: Damage gut lining and disrupt bacterial balance.
- Artificial sweeteners and additives: Can feed unhelpful bacteria or cause irritation.
- Long-term medications: Including reflux meds, NSAIDs, and hormonal birth control.
It’s not about guilt or shame, many of these are common, even necessary at times. But if you’ve had digestive symptoms for a while and you’re not feeling mentally like yourself, your microbiome might need some attention.
Do Digestive Symptoms Go Hand-in-Hand with Mood?
So many people come to me struggling with emotional overwhelm, but when I ask about their digestion, they hesitate. Then it comes out, daily bloating, irregular bowels, constant food cravings, skin breakouts, fatigue after eating, but they’d gotten used to it. They figured it was normal.
Here’s the truth: It’s not normal to feel awful after meals, or to need coffee to poo, or to feel emotionally flat most days.
If you’re dealing with:
- Constipation, diarrhea, or bloating.
- Reactions to common foods.
- Fatigue despite sleeping.
- Anxiety or low mood with no clear trigger.
- Skin flare-ups, headaches, or brain fog.
… then I’d bet good money that your gut has something to do with it.
Real-Life Example: How Michelle Got Her Life Back
Let me tell you about someone I worked with recently. She’s a 32-year-old primary school teacher here in Adelaide. She came to me exhausted, anxious, and completely fed up. She said, “I feel like I’m constantly wired and tired. My GP said it’s depression, maybe burnout. But antidepressants just don’t feel like the answer. I want to know what’s really going on.”
When we dug into her history, she also mentioned chronic bloating, constipation, and skin breakouts. She’d just accepted those symptoms as part of her life, until I explained how her gut could be behind her mood.
We did advanced microbiome testing using the CoBiome MetaXplore stool analysis. Her results showed:
- Low levels of key beneficial microbes.
- An overgrowth of inflammatory bacteria.
- Signs of a leaky gut and poor SCFA (short-chain fatty acid) production.
We created a personalised plan that included probiotic therapy, gut-healing nutrients, a real-food anti-inflammatory diet, and some small but powerful lifestyle shifts. Within 6 weeks, her bloating reduced and her energy started to come back. By 3 months, her anxiety had settled, her sleep had improved and she actually felt clear-headed for the first time in years. She didn’t need meds, she just needed a gut-brain approach.
Why I Recommend Microbiome Testing
I know testing your poo doesn’t sound glamorous, but honestly, this test changes lives. The CoBiome MetaXplore test we use looks far deeper than anything your GP can offer. It gives us a precise breakdown of your gut ecosystem, including:
- What bacteria are thriving (or missing).
- Levels of key short-chain fatty acids that affect inflammation.
- Markers of leaky gut, immune activation, and gut lining health.
- Evidence of parasites or pathogens that might be stressing your system.
- Metabolic function that links directly with mood and hormone health.
It’s like taking a full inventory of your gut health, and it helps us create a protocol that’s specific to your body, not just a generic gut cleanse or guesswork supplement plan.
What Treatment Actually Looks Like
Once we understand your gut profile, I’ll put together a program that’s tailored to you, not some random advice pulled from ChatGPT.
Here’s what we often include:
- Personalised Probiotic Protocol: We match strains to your gut needs, some help with anxiety, others with inflammation, sleep, or even cravings.
- Anti-Inflammatory Gut Repair: Nutrients like glutamine, zinc, curcumin, and aloe support your gut lining and reduce systemic inflammation.
- Food Strategy Based on Your Microbiome: Instead of cutting everything out, we guide you towards the right kinds of fiber, polyphenols, and nourishing foods for your unique gut bugs.
- Targeted Supplements: We may support your digestion with enzymes, bile flow support, or anti-fungals, all depending on what your results show.
- Nervous System Support: Small changes like breathwork, better sleep habits, and mindful eating help calm the gut-brain loop.
This is not about restriction or punishment. It’s about helping your gut work for you so your mind can finally feel steady again.
Let’s Get You the Right Support
If any of this has you nodding your head, if you’ve been feeling mentally off and physically out of balance, don’t wait for things to get worse.
I’m based in Adelaide and offer microbiome testing consultations both in-person and online. We’ll take a deep dive into your health story, your gut health, and build a plan that helps you finally feel like yourself again.
Ready to Get to the Bottom of Your Mood Struggles?
Book a Microbiome Testing Consultation today.
- Personalised gut healing programs
- Advanced stool testing
- Support from someone who actually listens
You don’t have to keep guessing or pushing through. Let’s work together to find out what’s really driving your symptoms and what you can do about it.
Not sure if microbiome testing is the right fit for you? Book a free 10-minute discovery call. I’ll answer your questions and help you decide next steps.