Crohn's vs. Your Dreams

It’s hard when you watch time pass you by while you are incapacitated and feeling sick in bed from a Crohn’s flare. These last couple of months have been hard on me, as I have been dealing with a pesky flare that seems to not want to quit.

Dealing with a Crohn's flare

I was exploring new treatment options earlier in the year and in doing so was sent into flare-mode and my body has been struggling to get back into normal gear ever since.

Being that I have been mostly resting for these months and taking things extremely slow due to the usual symptoms, it occurred to me how scary the idea of time can be. I feel as though the older you get, the quicker time flies and this hasn’t become more real to me than now.

The benefits of working from home

Working from home has been the biggest blessing. I am able to make my own schedule and lower my stress levels due to the fact that I am not rushing or feeling pressured to be at a certain place at a certain time.

If I am feeling ill, I am comfortable at home and can move my work schedule around my health. When I feel good, I work. When I don’t feel good, I don’t work and I am able to rest.

But being at home and resting also can make you feel like you live in a bubble where time accelerates and weeks and months fly by at lightning speed.

Accomplishing goals with a chronic illness

It has hit me like a ton of bricks that I have been out for the count for a couple of months now! I have been in hermit mode, locked away it seems like for months. How did time fly so quickly? And how scary that it has flown by so quickly.

In addition to this realization, it makes me realize how important it is that I am intentional with my dreams and ambitions. I have things I want to do with my life.

I have goals and visions for my future, but if I don’t make a plan to execute, they will remain just that, dreams. Dreams that just stay in the clouds rather than become a reality.

Do you ever catch yourself talking about your future and saying “yes, when I have X it’s going to be awesome,” or “I can’t wait when X happens;” as if your dream has a life of its own and will show up at your door to introduce itself. That will never happen.

And here is the kicker, we are fighting a chronic illness. So things like dreams and ambitions can often get pushed to the side because, well, something more important is at the forefront—duh! Our health!

Making a plan for the future

Health is everything and when you don’t have it, everything takes a back seat.

But I guess what I am trying to point out is no matter how bad things get health-wise, we need to remain intentional and make a plan and goal to get out of the ditch so that our dreams and ambitions can be sought. It is so easy to get stuck in survival mode.

And I have been stuck in this mode for months until it occurred to me that I really haven’t made a plan or system to actively get out.

I have been resting a lot which is great and drinking my bone broth and foods that are nourishing and gut-healing, but I haven’t come up with an action plan to push me out of survival mode.

My action plan for better health

So I encourage you if you are experiencing a similar moment as me, to make a system. A detailed system to accelerate your body out of the ditch. For example, I need to make a food menu and make sure that I am incorporating healing foods and fatty foods, as I am underweight and desperately need to gain pounds and muscle.

I need a solid daily routine which includes light exercise to get my body moving again. And I need to be extremely mindful of any foods that cause me pain and be diligent in not incorporating them into my diet. Most importantly I need to put this system in writing and stick to it!

Finding ways to move forward with Crohn's

We all get into these uncomfortable ditches throughout our journey with Crohn’s, and it is normal to get into a place where you feel like you aren’t moving forward. But at the end of the day, if we don’t make the effort, it will never happen.

So don’t let time get the best of you, and have a year or two go by and you remain in the same place wondering where the time went.

You can do this! Let’s move forward together. A small step is a step in the right direction.

Can you relate? Do you ever feel stuck and wonder where the time went? How do you remedy this? Share below!