A new diagnosis of anything can really change how you look at your life. Being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease is no different. It can be strange once you start the new lifestyle of dealing with Crohn’s disease, but there are key things to remember as you move forward.
Take Things Day by Day
A diagnosis is something new. It’s not something you can’t pay attention to or something that can be on the back burner of your life. It usually takes prevalence and understanding. Even though Crohn’s disease is a bowel issue, that doesn’t make it any less important to pay attention to. Crohn’s disease can cause pain, fatigue, and malnutrition.
Because of this, there may be certain things that you used to do that you no longer want to do. You may find yourself having less energy, not having as much strength as you used to, and overall feeling a bit different than how you normally feel.
This is okay.
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For long-term reasons, you don’t want to become dormant, but it’s okay to take things day by day to first figure out how you’re feeling and work to your strengths for that day. If you’ve been doing well, but ate something that caused you to feel more fatigue, it’s fine to take a break.
Don’t be afraid to cancel plans because of how you’re feeling, or rearrange your schedule due to stomach or bowel irritation. If you’re around those who love you, they will understand the changes that need to be made, and if you love yourself, you will give yourself grace in this time.
The best thing to do is take everything day by day, and not push yourself too hard.
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Pay Attention To Your Diet
Though you can’t cure Crohn’s disease, it’s important to remember that there are many foods and drinks that could simply just make it worse.
For example, some people remove dairy from their diet due to the fact that it causes them to have more diarrhea. For others, caffeine and alcohol can cause the stomach to get upset, making Crohn's disease even worse. For you, it can be completely different.
Pay attention to the foods that usually cause you more pain and discomfort, and try to cut those out of your diet as much as possible. It’s known that bland foods usually help people with Crohn’s disease and cause the least amount of pain, so it would be wise to start there and slowly branch out to see what foods are fine, and what foods are not helping the process.
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Try Yoga
Yoga can be a great exercise for battling Crohn’s disease. Exercise is important to maintain even when dealing with bowel inflammation and irritation. That’s why it’s even more important to choose the right exercise so that it doesn’t cause more discomfort to the disease.
Yoga is a great choice for this because it’s based on meditation and body mobility, so not only is it a different kind of intensity than things like cardio or weights, it also helps you have a better state of mind.
If you’re someone who likes to exercise or someone who just wants to find some balance or comfort in your body, yoga can help that greatly. There are many different types of yoga so it’s important to try the different types to see which ones will better help your journey as you battle Crohn’s disease.
Crohn’s disease can be difficult to deal with but if you keep these three things in mind, not only will it help you have a better sense of your body, but it will also aid in your overall body care both mentally and physically.
