INTRODUCTION:
2 min of my personal story
How I know how this feels personally
How I felt when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease 17 years ago
How I thought my body betrayed me; feeling devastated, scared
Some of the things that I was no longer able to do
How this had affected my family, my career and me
Readjusting to the new me with IBD
The commitment that I made to self care and loving myself anyways - even with the diagnosis and how that changed everything
5 Simple lifestyle shifts that made all the difference that were easy to do ... but easy not to do and so simple most people ignore them
How taking responsibility for the things I could control led to being symptom free for 5 years.
Outline what I will cover in body of talk:
We are going to talk about easy ways to manage your stress, easy ways to get your sleep in, get your water in, nourish yourself and replace sugar with healthier options, and set up a daily routine.
THE BODY OF MY TALK: The 5 Simple lifestyle shifts
I will share on how I took responsibility for my life and how things shifted for me
(nothing crazy just a few aha moments)
- I was committed to self care and learned how to love myself even with this diagnosis
- I knew how our bodies were built to heal and I was determined how to figure it out- Although it felt like a lot was out of my control, I looked at the things I could control and committed to do my best to take care of myself as best I could and to learn what that actually was
1. Sleep became a priority to me
Easy ways to improve sleep
How I prioritized it
Daily/ nightly Routine
Environment for sleep
Turning off screens, etc.
2. Nutrition
Instead of eating the foods that did not agree with me, I started focusing on the foods that helped me feel good
Learning to listen to my body as to what foods it liked and what made it feel sick
I can’t tell you what you should eat, but I can say to listen to your body and be mindful of what you are eating and even journal and observe and note symptoms. When you get bloating or flares, what had you eaten and start to reverse engineer what foods agree or disagree with you. Everyone is unique.
Easy ways to eat healthy foods- meal prep
Tips for eating out and travelling
3. Stress
Instead of stressing out about all the things, I learned how to be present, and meditate
Instead of holding onto anger, resentment, I learned how to let things go
easy movement and exercise instead of coffee and energy drinks to get energy
4. Hydration
Instead of numbing out with wine or sugar drinks, I hydrated with water
Easy ways to make sure you are drinking enough water
5. Consistent Daily Implementation
Setting up a daily routine
When I tripped up or fell off ... I simply got back on track as best I could as soon as I could
All part of the learning to love myself that most of us struggle with
But it is not doing this just for one day. It is consistent daily habits that leads to these compounded results - and it is so worth it
CONCLUSION:
People think these simple lifestyle things don’t make a difference so they do not do them. So they continue to stress out, be overwhelmed, angry, continue to eat the foods that make them sick, watch toxic things and they do not realize what it is doing to their health. These things I shared worked for me and maybe they would be helpful for you.
Our bodies are all built differently Everyone is unique and I am not hear to tell you what to do but I have learned some things and being symptom free for five years after being devastated by symptoms for over a decade, I thought my experience would be helpful for you to hear. Potentially you may have heard something you might like to try, so you can feel relief sooner. My goal is that you don't feel so helpless and like your body is beyond your control. There absolutely are things you can do and they do make a difference. and what I have learned doesn't necessarily work for everyone.
My goal is I am not going to tell you what you should eat, because I don’t know what foods you are intolerant to, or what time you should go to bed or even get up in the morning. I have shared what worked for me and you can do your version of that.
I do know how devastating it is to be diagnosed with IBD, but I also know what an amazing life you can experience. The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation are here to support you and I am too. Just know that you have the power within yourself to make your lives better. Our bodies are so amazing and they are constantly communicating with us on what is working and what isn’t. We just have to be open listening to them.
Although you may have been devastated by this diagnosis on day 1, there are some simple daily habits that you can build in and you can get your life back.