If you are sick of dealing with IBS chaos, you are not alone. For me, the most difficult part of having Irritable Bowel Syndrome was not only experiencing the challenging symptoms, but trying to live a normal life amidst the disruption IBS causes. That’s before I realised that I could do something about it.
What IBS disruption can look like
If you suffer with IBS, you know that what starts out as a normal week can be turned upside down in a matter of minutes.
It’s difficult to feel confident when you never know how you will feel at any given time – or when you’ll need to rush out, postpone, disappear or go to bed. And for how long…?
When IBS chaos can strike at any time, you can never really let your guard down and relax.
I used to chronically prepare in advance. Whether it was my kids’ school stuff, what I need for work the next say, or a project.
I was forever preparing, trying to get ahead just in case a flare-up took me out – for a few hours, or a few days.
I was constantly trying to get ahead and outrun the chaos. Or I was playing catch up.
Living like this was hell. But I couldn’t find a better way of trying to stay on top of everything.
However, underneath it all, I never had peace of mind – and became anxious.
The truth about IBS chaos
I now see this in coaching clients. Highly capable people wondering when their IBS will hit next.
IBS chaos undoubtedly hits IBS-D sufferers (with diarrheoa) that hardest.
I’ve had both IBS-D, then IBS-C (with constipation). And in either case, never knowing how you will feel ruins so much.
This comes at a cost. It becomes that ikky anxious feeling that never really leaves. It robs us of our confidence, and of the capacity of planning and implementing anything in our lives.
But worse of all, it robs us of our enjoyment, as we can never fully enjoy anything without IBS symptoms threatening to spoil it.
Most people go on tolerating the disruption. Some of us got used to disruption at an early age, and it kinda feels “normal”. But it isn’t.
And there is a way out.
How to stop the IBS chaos
If my IBS chaos hadn’t taken a turn for the worse, I would never have taken the solemn decision that this had to stop.
And this is the precise moment most coaching clients now find me. When they are at, or close to breaking point. When they are scared to eat, or worried because they can’t function.
While we can bear it, we keep tolerating the flares – while our precious lives go by. We continue to ask Google or AI how we can live with IBS better. But the honest truth is that we can’t.
The truth is that your IBS flares will likely keep going if you don’t take a stand.
You may say “But Alison, I’m doing my best!” I’m sure you are. But maybe you haven’t yet decided that you deserve better. Or maybe you’re not sure where to start.
If you want control over your IBS, the first step is to understand it – and yourself better. If you’re not sure where to start, I designed this 14-day journey to help you open up your IBS.
Now there is a way out of IBS, continuing with IBS chaos is a choice.