Living with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may change your holidays, but you can still have enjoyable and meaningful celebrations. Although IBS may make some holiday traditions challenging, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy connecting with friends and family during the holiday season. By communicating your limitations due to IBS, being flexible, and adjusting your expectations, you can help make sure the holidays are happy and memorable.
Communicate Your Needs
Let your loved ones know that connecting with them over the holidays is as important as ever to you, but IBS is making it hard to plan as usual due to symptoms like abdominal cramping, nausea, and diarrhea. Stress can exacerbate your IBS symptoms so you need to put yourself first or risk worsening your condition.
Be Flexible
Instead of saying "no," say "yes" to something else. If a family tradition no longer works for you since you developed IBS, it may be time to suggest an update.
If it's just not possible to get together in one place this year, consider using a video chat service such as Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime to have a special holiday call on a smartphone or laptop. During a video chat, you can:
Adjust Your Expectations
Even without a chronic illness like IBS, holidays often come with high expectations that lead to disappointment and stress. Letting go of the illusion of a "perfect" holiday can help you keep expectations realistic and focus on what's most important about the holidays. For many people, that means connecting with loved ones, being thankful for what you have, and finding hope for the new year.
Here are some mindful tips from Johns Hopkins Medicine for adjusting holiday expectations:
During the holidays and year-round, the members of myIBSteam are here for each other. Joining myIBSteam means gaining a support group of thousands of others with IBS who understand exactly what you're going through.
Here are some conversations from myIBSteam members about navigating the holiday season with IBS:
Have you found ways to celebrate the holidays despite IBS?
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Hi Sue. I have pain on my left side, right side lower back, legs ache and feel as if I have been punched in the stomach. Do you feel overwhelmed, tired and dread the day ahead? Sending you a big 🤗
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