Your Body Isn’t Attacking You—It’s Protecting You

What if your autoimmune symptoms weren’t a mistake, but a message?

For years, I thought my body was at war with itself. I tried every diet, every supplement, every protocol—searching for a way to stop the attack. But the truth was something I never expected although intuitively knew!

My body wasn’t broken. It was holding onto survival response.

Autoimmunity isn’t just about the immune system—it’s deeply intertwined with the nervous system, past trauma, and the gut. When we live in a chronic state of stress, our bodies adapt for survival, sometimes in ways that lead to illness.

But just as the body remembers, it can also relearn.

If you’re living with autoimmunity and chronic gut issues, this might be true for you too. The symptoms you’re experiencing aren’t random—they’re messages from a body that has spent years adapting to stress. And when we begin listening to these messages, rather than silencing them, true healing begins.

If you’ve been struggling with:

…then there’s a strong chance your nervous system is stuck in survival mode.

How Does Stress Trigger An Autoimmune Response?

Research shows that chronic stress plays a major role in autoimmune disease development. JAMA, found that individuals with high levels of psychological stress had a 36% increased risk of developing an autoimmune disease (Song et al., 2018).

When we experience ongoing stress—whether from childhood trauma, work pressure, or daily overwhelm—our hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis becomes overactive. This in turn:

Over time, the gut lining becomes more permeable, allowing undigested food particles and toxins to enter the bloodstream. This fuels systemic inflammation and exacerbates conditions like Hashimoto’s/Graves, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and more (Fasano, 2020).

The result? A body stuck in attack mode.

Like many, I used to believe the answer was just in what I ate. And while food is powerful, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Even the most gut-friendly diet won’t work if your nervous system is still dysregulated, because chronic stress shuts down digestion. When we’re in fight-or-flight mode:

Without addressing both the gut and nervous system, the immune system stays inflamed—no matter how many ‘clean’ foods we eat.

If your body has been stuck in protection mode for years, the good news is: it can relearn safety. Here’s where to start:

1. Nourish the Gut for Resilience

Prioritise gut-healing foods that soothe inflammation and support microbial diversity:

✔ Fermented foods (if tolerated) like coconut kefir & kimchi → replenish good bacteria
✔ Prebiotic-rich fibres like artichokes, leeks, and flaxseeds → feed beneficial microbes
✔ Polyphenols in berries, turmeric, and green tea → reduce oxidative stress

🚫 Reduce gut stressors: processed foods, refined sugar, and inflammatory oils that fuel dysbiosis.

2. Regulate the Nervous System

Since gut health is directly tied to the vagus nerve, nervous system regulation is key.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation:

Somatic Practices:

These simple techniques help shift the body out of fight-or-flight mode, allowing digestion and immune function to normalise.

3. Address the Mind-Body Connection

Many of us have spent years fighting our symptoms. But what if, instead of resisting, we listened? Healing is about creating an environment where the body feels safe enough to repair itself.

💡 Instead of asking: How do I stop my symptoms?
👉 Ask: What is my body trying to communicate?

The body isn’t broken. It’s just responding to what it has been through. And just as it adapted to stress, it can adapt to healing.

If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts – book your free Vitality call below to reclaim your life and finally be in control of you health and wellness!