How do we rebuild ourselves after being diagnosed with IBD? I think the analogy of recovering after a hurricane or earthquake is fitting. How would we rebuild our home after a natural disaster?
- We assess the situation – Ok, I’m still alive…I’m feeling (enter 1 or more human emotions here) but things are going to be ok somehow. I still have all my arms and legs. I can still eat (to some degree).
- We start a clean up effort – What can I remove? What needs to stay?
- We prioritize – Start with the big rocks first. What is most important right now?
- We chart progress – awesome, today is better than yesterday! Or maybe today isn’t better than yesterday? Either way, how do we know? What measurable factors are we charting to see progress?
- We stay the course – find a system that works for you and stay with it. Find a process that works to help you improve your life, your strength, and your nutrition.
The rebuilding process can be tough, exciting, painful, tedious, etc…
One guarantee is that things will have changed at the end of this phase.