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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 8/24/2011 5:17 PM (GMT 0)
 

Let's encourage each other! This disease can certainly get you down sometimes! I would love to know what you do to encourage yourself when faced with bad UC days. We spend so much time talking and worrying about medication, doctors visits, diet and so forth. I'd love to just hear some positive thoughts! Whether it's a quote, scripture from the Bible, a book you read, an activity you do to get your mind off of it. Whatever it is, share with me what gets you through the tough times!

 

Posted 8/24/2011 5:26 PM (GMT 0)
I'll start.....I love to exercise. Getting out of the house, going to the gym and working up a good sweat always makes me feel good! Yoga is a wonderful way for me to wind down and de-stress!

I write down scriptures about healing and put them around the house. One of my favorites is: "Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth." Jeremiah 33:6

I also love the quote: "This too shall pass"
Posted 8/24/2011 5:40 PM (GMT 0)
I found yoga and meditation to be helpful. I also did a lot of research and reading on alternative therapies and general digestive health. I'm a big proponent of the "knowledge is power" theory. Learning and experimenting helped me feel more in control of my health.
Posted 8/25/2011 12:56 AM (GMT 0)
i have healing rituals. i know it sounds quacky but it puts my mind in a more positive place.

i also find that air and exercise are helpful.

recently i have found a therapist that i have connected with and its helping, i have done therapy before with no success but for some reason this person is truly helping me.
Posted 8/25/2011 1:03 AM (GMT 0)
I love yoga too princesa! I do a class at the gym and we have 10 minutes of relaxation time at the end. I love it!

Sounds like you have some good rituals too sas! Glad you found a therapist you connect with!
Posted 8/25/2011 1:08 AM (GMT 0)
I have been stretching and walking in the mountains. I love it, it's a form of meditiation for me. I always try to challenge myself, I keep a fast pace and don't stop even when I have up-hills that are tough for me. I also love to cook and garden. Working takes my mind off things. Of course talking on the phone with friends. Most of them don't know I have UC so it's not a topic we discuss and that's nice sometimes. It makes me feel like it's not a central issue in my life. Whenever I talk to my fiances parents they want to ask a million questions about how I am feeling and it brings me down.
Posted 8/25/2011 1:12 AM (GMT 0)
When I am having a bad day, I throw on the headphones and listen to Bob Marley :) My favorite is 3 Little Birds....

I also just veg on the couch and watch my chic flicks. The movies on Lifetime make me realize there are worse things to have or do!
Posted 8/25/2011 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
Red_34 That is too funny! So true! Those Lifetime movies definitely make you feel better about your life!
Posted 8/25/2011 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
I have a group of girlfriends that like to go fast-paced walking after we all get our kids in bed. We can chat, laugh and get exercise at the same time. I look so forward to those nights and feel so much better after. I rarely talk about my UC with them - in fact I find that I don't talk about it much with anyone, even my hubby, most of the time. I am with notsosickly girl - I find talking about it too much brings me down. Talking about other things can make you forget about how you're feeling...if only for an hour at a time!
Posted 8/25/2011 7:40 PM (GMT 0)
I try to have a sense of humor in everything I do.  Those that hang out with or know me well know they will usually have a good time.  At work we work hard but boy do we have fun cracking jokes with ourselves and with our patients.  Also I enjoy a good glass of wine or a large mug of coffee with a nice fireplace with good company.  Of course I often liven up my life with some good old fashioned funky music.  You can often catch me in the kitchen playing my air guitar with the broom or scrubbing the dishes to some slammin bass.  In essence life is short, I just remember that my colitis does not define me.  It's a genetic artifact.  I have my off days and have been know to shed some tears from time to time but my smile makes me feel better and it's definitely infectious. 

MyUC

Posted 8/25/2011 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
I have learned that "some days your the tire, and some days your the pile of poop"... lol It helps to remind me that today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow, good-bad- or indifferent it is another potential good day.
I also forgave all that I was harboring ill feelings towards and that settled me quite a bit. Reduced my stress with not getting so involved in things that really didn't affect me(such as friend's drama or petty disagreements)
I listen to Joyce Meyer's broadcast on my computer and she is a great spiritual evangelist and talks about life lessons and Christ. Humorous and healing to the soul I think.
;)
Posted 8/25/2011 8:51 PM (GMT 0)
Glad to know some of you folks are exercising! It's like the only way we can keep our bodies from deteriorating due to this dreaded disease.

Once my colon is clear in the morning, I do some minor toning exercises with free weights followed by a standard four mile jog. There are days I definitely don't feel up to it, and of course my colon complains at first, but it's just one of those things that I have to push through. The body will definitely thank you for it later.

As far as the mind is concerned, meditation keeps the bad thoughts and anxiety at bay. I suggest looking into the neuroscience studies on the meditating mind - it's proven to be effective at reducing some medical ailments, albeit with a lot of practice and patience.
Posted 8/26/2011 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
Martial arts helps me keep fit and litteraly beat out any stress and frustration I'm feeling. When I am in the dojo, my mind clears, and I only think about doing the best I can that day, because there really isn't anything else I could do.

I also loose myself in a book very often as a way to unwind after a rough day or while in the hospital to kinda block everything out.
Posted 8/27/2011 3:29 AM (GMT 0)
What a great idea for a post!

I wish I had some wonderful things that I do to combat stress, but it's mostly watch trash TV just so I can zone out. This has been such a crazy summer with my daughter being so sick that I gave up on exercising, which I know I need to get back to doing.
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