Working From Home Has Eased My IBS-D
My IBS symptoms have always been the worst in the mornings. Suffering from IBS-D does not make working life easy for me, especially when there’s travel involved.
For me, I find that even the thought of having to get up and out of the front door early in the morning is enough to trigger an IBS attack. Following this, the thought of having an uncomfortable gut and sharing a bathroom in an office environment also stresses me out. I hate the judgment and embarrassment that comes with it.
Traveling for work with IBS
I have had to travel for work my whole working life. In order to do so, I’ve had to put lots of provisions in place to get me to the office without any IBS incidents. I have to adapt my life in a way in which I can minimize stress for myself. This usually involves getting up much earlier than I would have pre-IBS. I do this to allow my gut time to settle after eating breakfast. It also gives me more time to allow for lots of bathroom trips before leaving the house. I usually try to give myself time to stop and do some meditation or some breathing to keep me calm. I have to carefully avoid trigger foods during the working week to try and avoid flare-ups. It’s also important that I have to leave my house with lots of IBS-related supplies such as medication etc.
Work stress
All of these things would cause such a stress in itself that I could never relax, and no matter what provisions I would put in place, I would still suffered quite severely with my IBS. By the time I got to my work, I had found that I was exhausted and drained before even starting my working day. I wasn’t able to give my full potential at work, and I would experience quite a lot of anxiety at work.
Work from home has helped
Since I started working from home, I have found my stress levels have reduced massively, and as a result, my IBS symptoms have greatly reduced. With my IBS symptoms being reduced, my anxiety has also decreased. I feel like overall, I am a happier person within myself.
Having to worry about using a shared bathroom is now a thing of the past. I also no longer have anxiety about having to leave the house by a certain time each morning. Best of all, there’s no stress around not making it to a bathroom on time when I’m on my commute. I have the comfort of my own home!
Since all of these pressures have lifted, I think about my IBS much less than I used to. Reduced worries around my IBS mean I no longer constantly live in a vicious cycle. I really have seen a decrease in all symptoms.
This doesn’t mean that I no longer have IBS and that it doesn’t affect me daily. However, I have realized that I have found something that works for me and my health.
Do you find that working from home helps with your IBS? Do you think more employers should make allowances for this?
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