What are your favorite hobbies or distractions?

I like to play uplifting music. I find music to be so powerful. And even during a bad flare, I play calming music while in bed and it often puts me to sleep.

Yoga is another way that helps calm me down. I go online and find a video on Youtube and follow along. Every single time I feel so much better! It’s a great tool for me.

Also, being outside barefoot in the grass can do wonders for me. Fresh air and sun can be so therapeutic.

Elizabeth (team member)

Watching my favorite shows, cleaning my house when I have the energy, music 😀 Prayer isn't so much a distraction but it helps me cope. Right now is bad for those of us with anxiety disorders. Hang in there everyone! This too shall pass

I live in the north so we only have 5 months of gardening weather. Gardening helps me with my stress levels. I love the outdoors and I hate being held inside because of the cold and snow for 7 months of the year. I despise being cold because of my fibromyalgia. I hurt all over besides dealing with my IBS. I am almost 60 and have suffered severely from this since I was in 10th grade. Why oh why can't they come up with a drug to help? I know have the cramps so bad that I will throwup from the pain too! Oh what a joy. Bring on the nice weather.

I am taking a class right now that was offered via the Internet designed by a Yale professor on the Science of Well-Being. I would encourage all to Google this course. It's free!
I am about half-way through it-- but already I've learned three basic things that are so important to boosting your balance sheet from unhappy to happy"
Savoring
Being Thankful
And the biggie (to me) Gratitude.
Besides physical exercise, meditation, taking pro-biotics, Miralax for constipation, I've added in my course work, and am "rewriting" my brain to be mindful of savoring life experience-- small or large, being thankful, and bein aware of and expressing gratitude.
Living life in the positive isn't going to miraculously cure us. We're still going to miss those life events and be left lying on the couch watching bad TV. But, if even by a smidgen, we can turn up our well-being -- tune into happiness-- it really does make a difference.