How Frustrating Life Can Be With IBS

I've always considered what in Italy we call a "buona forchetta," which means basically that I love to eat and I love to try new things. Food has always been a big part of me as a person, both from a personal and cultural perspective.

What fulfills me the most is traveling, but what expresses me the most is cooking. Experimenting with new ingredients, enjoying my dishes, tasting new unexpected combinations, and above all, spoiling my family and friends with new recipes, are at the core of me as a human being.

IBS is frustrating

Acts of service are my main love language and I learned to express my feelings with food. But IBS deprived me of these joys and my main expression of affection toward my loved ones. It is simply FRUSTRATING. I think that "frustrating" is the word that represents my feelings toward this condition the most.

I don't comprehend why I put so much effort, time, study, passion, and love into learning about a balanced regime, using seasonal ingredients, and variate my diet following the pyramid of food, and IBS just popped out of nowhere to ruin such a deep part of my personality.

My positive mindset

Luckily I'm not a negative person or someone that complains much. I focus on finding the bright side in every part of life and learning from my experiences. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade!

I had to work hard on acceptance and acknowledge that it is now a part of me. This will affect a big part of what I thought made me who I am. I learned that we should not label ourselves and that life constantly evolves and changes in the fastest and most unpredictable ways.

"Let it go" has always been a big mantra for me. In my opinion, overcoming challenges and growing with them is a superpower. We all need to walk with life's difficulties instead of fighting against a giant that we cannot defeat.

Holidays with IBS

Christmas is the most challenging time of the year for us IBS pals. Dinners, lunches, drinks, and foods that are hard to say no to. Still incredibly frustrating.

In my opinion, to maintain a balance between our physical and mental health, we should open a little more than usual about higher FODMAP foods and enjoy them more than we would usually do, without fear.

The mind-gut connection

We always have to remember that our mind and gut are connected, and the more stressed we are, the worse our IBS will act. Being more relaxed toward food might help reduce the stress-related IBS symptoms and possibly discover that our body will not react as badly as we expect it to.

We should forgive our bodies more. It might be a little imperfect, but it does incredible things for us every day, and it deserves to be treated as a temple with love and respect.
It is ok to be frustrated sometimes, but let's enjoy what we can and indulge a little in something we usually limit. We all deserve a little treat sometimes!