Today is Day 7 of IBD Awareness Week and we're wrapping it up with some life lessons I've learned along my journey with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease. You can find the rest of our posts from each day on our Instagram and you can start with day one here.

What is IBD?

IBD stands for Inflammatory bowel disease and is an autoimmune disease that mainly affects the digestive system. Inflammation occurs and degrades the intestinal gut lining and ulcers begin to form. Cases vary from mild to severe and there are limited treatments but no cures or explanation for why it occurs. Side effects include pain, anemia, fatigue, weight loss, malnutrition, depression, surgical complications and many others.

1 ) You are stronger than you think:

The mind always tries to come up with excuses and quit before you max out your potential. An excuse is nothing more than an alteration of reality and your mind trying to protect you from harm, physically or emotionally. Have you heard this before, "I don't have the time, I'm too busy, this person annoys me, I don't feel good, or it probably won't work anyway!" none of those statements do anything to improve the situation. Instead, focus on the things within your control and make progress there. I've been tested time after time along my health journey and guess what? I survived 100% of my worst days and if you're reading this right now, so did you. That's something to be proud of!

Remember: it's not a matter of CAN you, but WILL you?

2 ) You don't have anything if you don't have your health:

I didn't value my health before being diagnosed like I do now. I would eat what I wanted when I wanted and didn't care about any consequences because I was young, active, and healthy. I was naive and wasn't educated on all the poison I was putting into my body. But once I began to educate myself to find the truth about the American food industry, there was no turning back. Now I meticulously read food labels, don't consume anything processed, limit sugar and dairy, only buy organic, cook 90% of my meals, and even take cold showers to maintain and improve my health.

Why do I go to these "extreme" lengths? Because when you're in constant pain, can't sleep, have no mental or physical energy, and god forbid your mental health begins to relapse, nothing is easy and everything feels like a struggle.

3 ) How to manage my emotions better:

Growing up with an alcoholic father generated a lot of stored anger over the years. The constant stress and traumatic events became normal and that's just how I was, or so I thought. Most people never knew about my home life. I didn't talk about it with friends and always appeared to be a normal kid with a normal life even though that was far from reality. When I got sick, I quickly learned what real trauma and adversity are, and my old way of bottling everything up inside was no longer an option. The bottle (me) exploded and I was left to pick up the pieces. I couldn't make excuses or blame others. I was forced to deal with my problems head on and came out on top after years of struggle.

Here are three things that helped me manage my emotions:

Knowing that everything is temporary, good and bad.
Acceptance and grace to learn to love me despite my flaws.
Stoicism philosophy to direct my attention to things that I can control and change.

4 ) Attitude of gratitude:

We have two choices, look at the positive or negative. I don't know about you, but I prefer winning and enjoying when life is good. Just like excuses, being negative does nothing to improve a situation. Instead, adopt the stoic phrase, Amor Fati, the love of fate. This old idea is similar to the modern saying, "everything happens for a reason." Amor Fati is a reminder to stay present. The past does not determine your future so there's no need to overthink and become anxious. And don't just bear what happens to you but learn to love it all, the good and the "bad."

Remember: life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you.

5 ) Memento Mori:

Early in my diagnosis, I was severely depressed and got to the point where I felt suicidal. I was ready to let go of everything just so I could stop the pain. I even decided on a deadline to end my life but fortunately chose not to follow through. Six months later, I had the first of two major surgeries that removed my colon and got into a bad headspace again. After pulling through both episodes, I can't shake the feeling that I'm living on extra time. This new perspective makes me want to make the most of each day. It's best to live with a sense of urgency because you never know what tomorrow may bring, if you're lucky enough to make it to tomorrow. Make each day count! : )

“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”
— Marcus Aurelius

6 ) Adversity is your advantage:

Everybody loves a story of resilience. The underdog with all the odds against them and somehow, they come out on top. It's inspiring, moves our emotions, and shows us what's possible. Getting sick put a chip on my shoulder to climb out from the depths of hell and rise to the heavens. Those painful experiences ignited my inner fire that continues to burn brighter each today. I remember all those dark days and nights and will do everything in my power to never go back. That's a massive advantage that nobody can take away from me.

How can you turn adversity into your advantage?

7 ) True character is revealed during times of hardship:

You will quickly find out who your real friends are. Fake people flake when life gets hard. The ones that you can't get rid of are the ones who genuinely care about you and you should cherish them back. I didn't want anyone at the hospital when I was going through my surgeries. It was a boring wait for them and I didn't know what to expect but knew I wouldn't feel well to socialize. Past my persistent no's, my grandpa and a friend from high school decided to show up while everyone else received text updates from my mom. I couldn't get rid of those guys but I'm glad they came. Both put smiles on my face and helped me get through my darkest hours. They made sure I wasn't alone and I am forever grateful for their kindness.