Chronic illness: stress, trauma, and relapses
How do you avoid symptoms flaring up during periods of high stress? I think this is the question everyone with IBD has asked themselves. As much as the triggers can be different for each of us, there is one trigger that most of us have in common … and that is stress!
Stress, trauma and flare ups
Whether it’s the everyday fear of life – just keeping up with the pace – or something traumatic like a death in the family, stress is everywhere! I actually used to have PTSD thinking about stress and PTSD myself. That alone would make me cramp up and get sick because I KNOW super stressful events would trigger my colitis flare … and once that flare had started there was no going back.
When my bleeding started nothing stopped it and I felt completely helpless. It was like being in a hamster wheel! I felt like I had to control everything around me in order not to flare up, but trying to control things that you cannot control makes you more helpless … and likely creates a flare up in itself. Because the fact is, you cannot control people or certain things in life and if you do you will suffer because it is a never ending fight!
So what’s the bottom line with all of this? We don’t want to live life in a glass box in which we protect ourselves from all stress (because that also means that we cannot experience life), but we also don’t want to push ourselves so far that we flare up.
You may have seen my 6 part series on what to do when you already have a flare-up of symptoms, but if you haven’t, here is the first video (you can find all 6 videos linked there). However, today I’m going to share some tips with you guys that have helped me avoid a flare-up entirely in times of high stress …
Practice acceptance
As I mentioned earlier, trying to change and control other / things can waste a lot of energy! This is energy better used for healing so instead of trying to change / fix anyone and everything, I decided to just let go – and then I realized that this was probably the most important thing that helped me!
Instead of immediate constriction, tension, and resistance to stress, just try to accept that it happened or is about to happen. That may sound cheesy, but you’ll be surprised how much we subconsciously reject! When we reject something, it becomes difficult to deal with what is happening, to process it and to move forward. If we don’t accept that _____ happened, how can we move on?
Now acceptance is an interesting thing because maybe we have accept that a certain traumatic experience has occurred, but the acceptance can still be associated with negative symptoms and / or sensations such as feelings of revenge or fear. While it may be scary, accepting what is happening to us can help us stay in our bodies and not detach ourselves, which leads to more illness (as Jini likes to say).
Stay in the moment
When we’re getting out of something traumatic, even something small – why don’t we take the time to pause and think? Taking a BREAK is so underestimated and underestimated. This reflection can help us take every moment as it is – to find out what happened and how we can not repeat it if possible!
Jini has always believed in the power of pause and silence. It has helped her tremendously on her healing journey, and it has helped my healing too. When you go away you get clarity and so many other things. Your beliefs and patterns have a huge impact on your healing, and taking a break gives you a chance to focus again on what you want – rather than the bad thing that has been ahead of you all day. It’s like taking a break, a mini vacation for your mind and body as they work so hard for you every day.
Staying in the present moment and focusing on one task at a time can also help erase any what-ifs of the future or past. Do one thing at a time and save yourself trying to do 50 things at once – which is just not possible!
It also helped me remember that I now have tools. I’ve read Jini’s logs, I know how to follow an elementary diet, I know how to turn anti-pathogens on and off, and I’m no longer helpless. And if you haven’t read any of Jini’s transcripts, that’s fine too! Jini’s Home Remedy Pages are a fantastic place to start when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Simply select your symptom (s) from the drop down list and begin your healing today. If you need additional assistance, you can reach out to a Jinis recommended practitioner!
Judgment-free zone
Take out the verdict. The first thing most of us do is BLAME ourselves!
It was that lobster I ate and now I have a terrible torch …
LIFE happens so don’t blame yourself. Blame and guilt are so bad to us, and have you ever thought about how that guilt could actually be more harmful than actually eating? I cover ALL of this in my post on food guilt. The stress associated with guilt can lead to more stress, which in turn releases negative chemicals into the body – and this can instantly lead to reactive symptoms!
GI problems usually appear, and even other symptoms like headache, back pain, anxiety, depression, and a weakened immune system. The list goes on because remember, your body feels like it has done something “bad” and these harmful emotions can cause a number of side effects.
Instead of pointing blame, shame, and self-judgment … treat it as a lesson or a learning experience! If you can learn a lesson from a negative experience, be sure to take it – but don’t let it get you down.
Do not live in constant fear
One lesson I learned the hard way is that if you are living life through a lens of fear, avoiding places, people, experiences, etc. just because you may need to flare up or be near a toilet – this is not really life!
If you want something, you should do it. You will be surprised that your body is fine because you respect your gut by following your own intuition!
One of my mentors shared a specific experience of her with me – it was during one of her personal therapy sessions and she was saying something that really touched me.
The body wants to live.
She was afraid of sensations, just like me. For us (her and me) the sensations have always been bad – death, pain, or something terrible – and all of these feelings were based on some kind of trauma that we went through! So every illness, every symptom, every side effect was an instant panic for us.
You can relate to it, especially if you apply it to that thought of a flare up – because the very thought of a flare up can panic! But when I heard this statement from her and she told me this story, she started to memorize herself.
Our bodies don’t want to die. You are working extremely hard to keep us! So instead of getting freaked out with flare-ups or symptoms, why not see this as an opportunity to get more information from our body. What message is your body sending you?
Ask your body: Where do you need support? How can I support you right now? When asked this I had to teach myself how to allow sensations / flares / symptoms / side effects. Instead of resisting right away, I had to learn to leave them there. I had to learn acceptance.
Now I say it was so uncomfortable to accept that I had hives all over my body (for example)! But it wasn’t until I just accepted that it was happening that the Sensations I was experiencing did not mean that I was in danger, attacked, or died. that my symptoms decreased and went away. I would just ask myself, how can I feed myself right now? And then I would do what my body said – even if it danced around my room while barking Taylor Swift LOL! When you find ways to just let go, whatever that is, you will really feel the change I talked about today.
I’ve tried many things over the years, but my personal goals (which I practice daily!) Are guided meditations and Jini’s lazer tapping. It doesn’t matter whether I make myself comfortable at home or go for a walk in nature, in my opinion there is nothing else like it! With Lazer Tapping, Jini helps us laser focus on individual problems, trauma, memories and beliefs and access where they live or are stored, in the physical body as well as in the emotional body. When we speak loudly, we activate awareness and get our emotions and chi / ki flowing. We talk about our feelings or memories while knocking on important points along the meridians and this connects us to our energy body, our subconscious and the traumas that are stored in the physical tissues and cells of the body so that we can resolve them!
Try a free jini tapping session today – learn to set healthy boundaries, as it is crucial for anyone with chronic illness to say “no” when you need your time and energy (especially to loved ones). Or, if you have bowel problems, try Jini’s free bowel release session that causes physical illness.
Whether or not you flare up, once you’ve reassured your body that you are safe and that you find healthy outlets for your stress, your body can make some remarkable strides. 🙂
Linsy is Jini’s assistant. From a highly sensitive / reactive case of ulcerative colitis to complete freedom from medication and surgery using exclusively natural methods, Linsy understands the interplay of mind / body / soul on the healing path firsthand.
