Lesson #1 in Coping with Crohn’s
I've recently been reading a new book, The Foul Bowel by John Bradley and it's full of excellent tips for coping with Crohn's Disease. He seems to have been one of the unlucky ones and has had to deal with more problems than most sufferers, but his wisdom still applies to all of us (I'm a sufferer, in case you hadn't realised).
One of his tips stuck out for me, "Be realistic about what you can achieve each day".
I'm quite lucky in that I have a mild version of Crohn's, which has so far not resulted in any surgery. The worst I've had to suffer is regular endoscopy and colonoscopy treatments. However, that doesn't mean I lead a normal life either.
If you're realistic about what you can get done in any particular day then you're not going to let anyone down, especially the most important person, yourself. After all, you're the one who has to put up with the illness and adding stress into the mix isn't going to do you any good. You then have the added bonus of those days where you feel better than usual and you get more done than you had hoped!
Having a bad case of OCPD doesn't usually help, but I find it can in this case. Being able to break down your daily tasks into manageable chunks makes it all easier to get through. For example, tidying a room can be broken down into tasks such as tidy the bookcase, tidy the desk, etc.
Ultimately it's your health that comes first, so don't feel bad if you have to let people down, they'll understand. Also, taking a day off to recuperate can do wonders for your energy levels!
