Setting New Year's Resolutions with Crohn's Disease

When the clock strikes at midnight on January 1st, we suddenly feel like we have a new lease on life. Resolutions are made, goals are set, and we all say “This will be the best year yet!” But, living with Crohn’s disease, we truly hope for that but know that we may not get what we plan or wish for.

Setting personal and professional goals with Crohn's

Before starting my own health coaching business, I was a Financial Advisor for a large bank. Every year we were asked to set goals, both professionally and personally. Professionally, I would set goals of bringing in a certain amount of new clients, develop a new skill, or earn a new designation. These were relatively easy to both identify and achieve, for I was in control of each one.

My personal goals, however, were a different story. From 2011 to 2015, the top of my personal goals was to avoid being hospitalized for a Crohn’s flare. I was well aware that most people in their 20s would not have to list “hospital avoidance” as part of their New Year’s goals, however, this was the most important to me every single year, and I repeatedly could not check it off as “accomplished” which left me feeling frustrated and defeated.

Not able to achieve remission

The year 2015 came and I considered setting new personal goals since I was never able to accomplish the item at the top of the list—avoiding remission. However, I realized that just because I couldn’t check it off the list doesn’t mean I should not strive to achieve it, so it had to stay. And, while I left it on the list, I added a few more Crohn’s-related goals so that I felt like I could achieve something, even if it was small.

The first resolution I noted down was to take care of my body in other ways than just for Crohn’s symptoms. I got my flu shot and washed my hands diligently (aka obsessively) to avoid getting sick since I was immune-compromised. I also worked out as much as my body would allow me so that I was physically in good shape, and continued to build strong bones should I be prescribed Prednisone again that year.

I also broke the year down into quarters as opposed to digesting it as 365 days. Setting quarterly goals is much easier because if I could get through the first two quarters of the year without being hospitalized, I felt more confident going into the next month. Basically, it was a mental game, and whatever kept me optimistic and driven throughout the year was what I was going to do.

Lastly, I made a resolution to have a different attitude should I be hospitalized (again) that year. I wasn’t going to lay there feeling sorry for myself and say, “why me”? Instead, I was going to use it as a time to give my body rest, look for a better solution to treating my disease, and listen to what my body was telling me. While I knew I could not control being hospitalized, I could control how I handled being hospitalized and that was inspiring.

I also have to point out that while I said my professional goals were relatively easy to identify and achieve, with every hospitalization came a threat that I would not achieve these goals since I missed so much work. There were years that I did not achieve my professional goals, so I had to prioritize what was most important to me and do the best that I could—and that is ok.

So, if you are living with Crohn’s disease, you may feel like you cannot set New Year’s resolutions due to the disease being out of your control, which is correct. However, you can make resolutions that are more bite-size, based on things you can control, and should you not achieve them, know that there is always next year.

And, in case you were wondering, 2015 was the first year I was not hospitalized since 2010 for a flare and I have not been hospitalized since except for the birth of our daughter this past September (and that was a GOOD thing!).