How do you cope on the tough days?

that's a tough one. seems like I have had more bad days than good lately. Do you have a pet? I notice that petting my dog really relaxes me, lowers my stress and blood pressure. Also, taking a mental health day off from work and just losing yourself in some mindless tv. Music is another thing that helps me.
Hard as it is, you have to keep the tapes in your mind positive.. "this too shall pass".. try not to let the negativity get hold of you. Personally I don't have a spouse or significant other, but if you do, let them take care of you, give you a back massage and be there for you to help you feel better. this all may sound hokey and simple, but I believe it. Also, try your best to keep your stress level down.. It just makes things worse. Most important, be good to yourself and treat yourself lovingly and kindly.. 😀

Sometimes I have tough days that hit me on my commute to work or once I'm there. There have been times where it's put my mind at ease to let a colleague know ahead of a presentation or a call that I'm leading that I may need to step out to use the restroom. Knowing that I have someone who is willing to jump in has gotten me through some tough days where my flares and then my nerves start to take over. It really helps that I'm surrounded by friends, colleagues, and family who understand the condition and my needs. I'm also at a point in my life where I find being up front about it makes it easier to deal with rather than feeling super embarrassed and feeling pressure to hide things. Also having bathrooms I know I can stop at on my way to work helps 😀

My bad day's are very frequent ! I have learned that I take my anxiety and depression meds and just deal with the pain most day's. If the pain is to bad then I also take my pain medication. None of the Crohns medications work for me anymore so really that's all I can do !

Try to take it easy. Take a bath or watch a movie. Drink tea. Don't eat much. Keep the stress to a minimum and get sun and fresh air if possible. Anyway, that's what I'd advise but different things work for different people.

--Matt (Team Member)