IBS: Thinking your way through the day

   17/05/2019

Thinking

Thinking your way through the day comes at a price

Thinking and doing. This is what is valued by society, our bosses, our families. We all have busy lives with lots to do every day. So we tend to shut out emotions and drive.

sports carWe often treat our bodies like fast cars. Get out of bed, lean hard on the accelerator and go go go!

When we are tired we push ourselves again and again. Mind over matter, You CAN do this. DRIVE!

Thinking and doing

I was doing this for years without question. My mind decided, and I followed it without question.

Always thinking, thinking, thinking – doing, doing, doing.and ultimately bloating, bloating, bloating!

Why? Because I had to, because this was the only way – or so I thought. And I did this despite having IBS, despite feeling lousy.

But is it normal?

Is it normal to think our way through the day, ignoring our bodies and what they tell us? Is it normal to feel that our bodies get in the way of us achieving what we want to?

Should we be dragging our bodies around like handbags, shutting out emotions and just wanting to get on with things?

Our bodies are not just some separate entity, like a fast car. After all, they are an essential part of us. In fact, they are the essential part of us.

IBS and thinking: What your body does to get your attention

The trouble was that over time, because I was thinking my way through the day and not listening, my body found a new way to attract my attention. Quite regularly my IBS symptoms changed. I would find a product or technique that worked and improved my symptoms, but then my symptoms changed and that solution didn’t work anymore. Or I would develop new symptoms.

doingI didn’t see it – and I had more important things to do.

You know what a struggle the day is when you are dealing with IBS. It can take all the courage you can muster.  I got to the point that I was totally ignoring what my body was telling me, to the point where I couldn’t even physically feel any stress or tension anymore, just intense bloating and fatigue, day in day out.

Allowing change

So how can you change all this? For me, it was a habit of a lifetime and very difficult to change. But you can do it, little by little.

The first big step is to consciously try to tune in to how your are feeling emotionally and physically. Guided meditation can be a great tool for this.

The second step is realizing what you are doing, and questioning it.

Why are you spending so much time every day doing things that make your soul sink?

What makes you feel really happy and alive (remember that)?

How could you get more fun into your life?

Today you may feel trapped by present circumstances. But just by asking yourself these questions you may be surprised what comes up.

Thinking and doing is important, but what is the point of achieving anything if we are unhappy or ill?

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