How to deal with flare up sadness

Physically to help: try a liquid diet for a day or two. Lots of bone broth and chicken broth. Butternut squash soup and pumpkin soup are excellent.


Mentally: get fresh air. move your body anyway you can. even if it is just stretching for 10 minutes. Talk with a friend, don't isolate. And ask for help if you need.


I find when I flare, I tend to isolate and not ask for help and it sends me into a spiral. I now no longer do that, and these tips help me tremendously.


I hope this helps some and you feel better soon.


Big big hugs. You aren't alone.


-Elizabeth (team member)

Honestly, I just get so happy that it's over. Sure, in the moment I'm sitting, or laying there, praying for the pain and discomfort to be over. Swearing up and down that I'll eat and behave differently as to prevent this. The euphoria of coming out the other side is so rewarding. When I get in a bad tummy place, I just as for privacy and work through it. I'll use a heating pad or massager and try to move the pain around. I usually just stick to water to rehydrate.


I hope you've been feeling well today without any symptoms. Thank you so much for sharing and I hope you're feeling well! ~ Sawyer (team)

I empathise with you about the dark place and the sadness. I feel that too when I get a flare up. Part of it in my case is due to the extra weak tiredness a flare up can bring, and a worse sleep quality. (I don't actually get symptoms while asleep in the night, but wake up too early and can feel I haven't had the best sleep.)
I also liken that to almost a form of grief. Very much missing the times when I didn't have IBS and life felt so different, and it's as if something has just come in and swiped it all away.
When a flare up hits I can't even think one nice thought or appreciate anything, even a movie or music. I try but my mind can't focus on it. It makes me cry sometimes.

I know from experience the worst of the flare up will pass, even if it leaves my tummy a bit "iffy" for a few weeks. At least I know the worst symptoms will ease up if I give it a day or two.
So fortunately I don't have to go to work as I'm retired. I know other people aren't in that position so I am very lucky. It must be much harder with work and family commitments.

I start drinking herbal teas which I have found to help at least a bit. Sometimes they help more. I have Meadowsweet and Blackberry leaf tea, and take Tormentil tincture. I also adjust my diet, eat white rice, white toast, boiled eggs, plain steamed fish, just maybe one portion of vegetables that usually cause me no problems. Mine are green beans, spinach.



I don't lie around, I go outside and get on with jobs out there depending on my energy level (and fortunately not too far from a toilet!!) Doing something does help my mindset a bit.

By the second day things are usually a bit calmer and my gut has tightened up every so slightly. But I then have to be careful I don't tip too far the other way so it's a balancing act.
Depending on what happens in the following days, I adjust my diet accordingly being very very careful.
I think what helps is knowing that in my own case a bad flare up is limited, and even if my gut isn't great for a while, the worst passes.

I totally understand you, I'm fighting very hard myself at the moment (losing more and more weight every day).
Meditation and slow walks in the sun usually help me quite a bit.