What Are You Passionate About?

When I first started my career in social work I noticed that all of my colleagues had their own VERY particular style. One guy was the TOUGH LOVE guy, he would rant and rave and lecture about self-advocacy and personal responsibility. Another guy was the ‘I can relate guy’. He basically immersed himself in the community in which we serve and by making connections in this way, he developed street cred and is a hero to the people he works with. Then…there was the ‘PASSIONS’ guy. Now, part of the reason I didn’t take him very seriously was simply that I didn’t like his approach. Very pushy…I don’t dig pushy. But, recently while dealing with another quiet period between IBS bouts, I started thinking about his ideas about ‘passions’ and how important they are to recovery from illness. What are these passions and what do they mean to our recovery and management of IBS?

Discover your passions

When we are talking about passions here, we are not necessarily talking about like…you know…like SOAP OPERA passion or La Passione. Although, as we will discuss later, this could be exactly what we’re talking about. I digress…let’s continue. We spend so much time worried about managing our IBS and the related symptoms (including anxiety and depression) that we end up just going through the paces of life, sometimes simply waiting for the next attack. Instead of ‘just waiting’ for your whole life, it is so important to discover or re-discover what you are passionate about. These are the things that make life living and also keep your mind healthy and positive WHILE you deal with the responsibilities of having an illness. I can’t tell you what your passions are. Only you can decide this, but it doesn’t need to be climbing Mount Everest. It can be drawing, reading, walking, being interested in sports (even just on TV), music, dance, art, ponies, cross-stitch…you get it. I am lucky enough to have twin twelve year old boys who keep me engaged and happy. I am passionate about their wellbeing, their care and their happiness. When they are happy; I’m happy. I also have music, my books, my job, my writing, my meditation and whole bunch of other things to help fill the hole that IBS leaves sometimes. Discovering or re-discovering the things you are passionate about is sometimes not so easy. You have to work on it, just like everything else that holds benefit in our lives. You can do it though and I think you’ll be happy you did.

Good vibrations

I do need to say that finding your physical wellbeing while dealing with IBS is one of the most important things you can be passionate about. Feeling good about how you look and your intimate relationships with others is one of the primal part of our beings. So…as promised...this type of passion can be one of YOUR passions. Becoming interested in sex again after a long lay off due to physical or psychological issues can be the most difficult ‘passion’ to re-discover. However, do you remember how all those good vibrations from a healthy, passionate relationship with someone used to make you feel? Don’t be afraid and don’t be self-conscious. There are ways that we can have amazing passionate relationships again. Just requires a little more thought, a little more planning and some self-confidence. So, now that we have covered the passions, what are you gonna do about it? I think I’m going to the gym, because my stomach is starting to look really…not terrible.