Good Days Do Happen

I remember the first year of my IBS journey so well. I was freaked out, miserable, and felt like I would never lead a normal life again.

It took me ages to figure out my triggers, and I’ve spent months eating the same thing every day. Going out and traveling was not even a possibility since I barely survived going to work.

Well, I wish I would have known then that I would be okay one day. That I would be able to be happy and do stuff, even with IBS!

The past couple of months have been good IBS-wise. Of course, I had the occasional flare-up or anxiety, but nothing too bad. And I’m so happy that I’ve finally found the ingredients to help minimize my digestive issues!

Reduce stress and focus on self-care

Stress is truly the most important IBS trigger for me. As long as I’m not stressed, I can eat almost anything - if I don’t overdo it, obviously.

Of course, we can’t always expect our lives to be stress-free, but there are a couple of things that can help get us as close as possible.

For me, the biggest change in my IBS journey was working from home. Being able to deal with my morning IBS inside my comfort zone made the biggest difference! I don’t wake up anxious anymore, I don’t have to stress about what I eat at night, and I don’t have to deal with flare-ups around people every day.

The second thing that truly helped me was putting my health first. I started doing yoga and meditating to reduce anxiety. And I decided that working more to make more money wasn’t worth it if it left me feeling sick. Obviously, I still work too much sometimes, but reminding myself to focus on my health really makes a difference.

And finally, I avoid situations that will cause me a lot of anxiety without being worth it. Getting out of my comfort zone is great, but that doesn’t mean that I need to participate every time my friends go out for pizza (major trigger food for me!). Sometimes, it’s better to take a step back when the situation is just not worth it.

Acknowledge how you feel and be okay with it

Even when I’m generally feeling good, the illness still leaves certain traces. For example, whenever I have to go to an event, I start feeling anxious about a possible flare-up, which in turn can make me feel really sick.

Last year, these situations freaked me out. I was sure that I was getting a massive flare, I kept thinking that I wouldn’t be able to go, etc. But in reality, I was almost always fine once I got to the event.

Instead of letting my anxiety get the best of me, I now tell myself that it’s okay that I feel that way. I don’t pretend like I’m okay, but I also acknowledge that it’s most likely just my anxiety coming through and my stomach will calm down as soon as I do. I’m not sure what it is, but the mere acceptance of how I feel really helps me get through these situations!

Do not reintroduce trigger foods

When I first started feeling better, I somehow stopped caring so much about what I ate. If I don’t have anywhere to go, I can eat everything, right? Wrong.

At the beginning of last year, I spent quite a couple of days being miserable after I tried pizza once again. Every time I decide to buy normal yogurt, I regretted it for the rest of the night. Trigger foods remain trigger foods, even if I haven’t had a flare-up in days!

I’ve come to accept that the illness isn’t going anywhere, and I will probably never be able to eat those things again. But that’s okay! After all, if I can feel okay, I don’t need pizza or yogurt, right?