5 Ways to Have More Control in Your Life with IBD

Reclaiming parts of your day, learning to trust yourself, protecting your energy, and making sure you know what’s in your food can go a long way toward helping you feel more in control.

Fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, appointments, and tests galore — living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comes with a lot of moving parts, sometimes making it feel like you’re a piece in a chess game instead of the mastermind player.

Even when it feels like you’ve had to surrender all control in your life, there’s always something you can manage. In times like these, claiming autonomy over what is in your control can provide some stability in your life. Consider these 5 approaches.

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1. Make the most of your mornings and nights

Morning routines can help prepare you for what lies ahead in your day, and nighttime routines can replenish you after a long day. Whether you have 5 extra minutes or 30, dedicate some time to just focus on you.

Here are some morning routine ideas to start your day off on the right track:

• Write in a journal about the intention you want to set for your day. (Do you want to have more patience for yourself today? Will you be mindful of building in periods of rest?)
• Get some movement in while your energy is higher, like by taking a sunrise walk or moving through a gentle yoga flow.
• Go through a breath work sequence or a meditation to feel grounded before your day begins.

Here are some nighttime routine ideas to wrap up an eventful day:

• Journal about what went well in your day and what you’re grateful for. (Did you receive a compliment today? Did you get to talk with your best friend?)
• Enjoy a bath or sip a cup of tea while reading — indulge in all the relaxation!
• Watch a funny show — it’s a great way to make sure you smile if the day was a tough one.

Morning and night routines can be productive ways to ensure that you’re making the time to nurture your body and mind when your time and energy feel out of your control. Taking care of yourself is a must!

2. Keep commitments to reestablish trust in yourself

You’ve likely been in contact with someone who didn’t keep commitments very well. Maybe they gave up on their goals quickly or canceled plans often. You’ve also probably come to the conclusion that you don’t trust them very much to follow through on what they say.

Take this perspective and apply it to yourself. Are there things (wellness-related or not) that you’ve said you want to do but haven’t? With the unpredictability many of us experience with IBD, it can be challenging to feel safe in your body. You may feel a lack of trust that your body will perform in the way it’s supposed to. That’s why keeping commitments to yourself (even small ones) can help reinforce the idea that you can trust yourself.

In my IBD nutrition practice, I recommend that my clients start with one or two small goals to establish safety and trust in themselves — no need to make these commitments over-the-top and unachievable. Consider committing to a goal such as:

• a daily 15-minute walk to support your energy
• a morning meditation to calm your busy mind
• going for that acupuncture session you’ve been thinking about

While these commitments may feel surface-level compared to what’s going on deeper in your body, trust has to start somewhere, and these small daily commitments are a great way to begin.

3. Plan and prep your meals

Having healthy food on hand is one way to support your health with IBD, and doing food prep and planning at home gives you total autonomy over the quality and types of ingredients in each meal, so you know exactly what’s going into your body.

This may sound intimidating if you haven’t tried meal planning or prepping before, so take an approach that works for you, such as:

• browsing a few recipe blogs and choosing some IBD-friendly recipes for the week
• grabbing some of your favorite safe foods and prepping them so you have options to mix and match
• taking the spontaneous route and letting the offerings at the grocery store or farmers market inspire you

To keep meal prep simple but still have variety, choose 2–3 proteins, fruits/veggies, and grains/starches. Having control over your food means you know you’re eating nourishing, safe meals that will best support your energy and manage your symptoms. Plus, planning removes the need to always wonder what you need to eat next!

4. Keep to-do lists

I personally love keeping to-do lists because it allows me to transfer the many thoughts in my head onto paper, which relieves the stress of needing to remember them all.

If you’re in a season where most of your focus is on your health, other tasks may seem trivial in comparison, and it may feel overwhelming to think about fitting them into your day.

I like to use a method I call the “big three”: During days when you’re strapped for time or (especially) energy, choose the three things you most want to accomplish. Anything else is a bonus!

A “big three” to-do list could look like:

• scheduling an appointment
• picking up groceries (or, better yet, getting them delivered)
• taking a midday break

By creating to-do lists with the three most important things you want to achieve, you can remove the pressure of finishing a laundry list of tasks but still feel productive.

5. Protect your energy

Just as a flight attendant tells you to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others in case of an emergency, you need to ensure that your energy is stable before giving it out to others. IBD can take a lot of energy (mentally, physically, and emotionally), especially during flare-ups, so be sure to make choices that support your overall well-being.

This can look like:

• knowing your energy limits and not overscheduling your day
• suggesting a movie night at home over a dinner date out
• taking a rain check for any invitation that will use more energy than you have to give

It’s important to remember that your productivity or ability to show up for others when you’re working on your health does not determine your worth.

The takeaway

It can feel like your energy is given away to all things IBD, but by taking the reins in these other areas of your life, you can reinstate some control. You may just have more control than you realize!