IBS Lifestyle » stress relief

Letting Go of Normal

Laura Tirello — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 21:14:35 +0000

I spent a lot of time in the last two years wishing my life could go back to normal. Some days I longed for normal so badly that it made me cry. It wasn’t that I was just in pain from being injured in an accident; it was the frustration that I could no longer do some of the things that were normal to me.

In my career as a mind-body coach I watch people long for normal all the time. Many of my current clients suffer from IBS or digestive disorders. They talk often about wanting a normal life. [...]

Why Connection Is Important For IBS Relief

Laura — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:47:42 +0000

Like everyone else who saw the news on Monday afternoon, I was completely shocked at what happened at the Boston Marathon. I felt sadness for the families who lost loved ones. I also found myself feeling anxious and had to rush through the streets that were full of debris from the fallen buildings. We had friends who lost family members that day. At that time we also lived in the area of New Jersey in which the anthrax mail attack happened. I remember clearly being fearful when opening up my mailbox.

I could clearly relate to what people are going [...]

Self-Care and IBS Relief

Laura — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:40:49 +0000

We hear often in the self-help world how important self-care is. However, we don’t do it enough and it’s because we don’t know how. I think we have a perception that there’s a right way to do self-care.

I laughed inside when my client thanked me for not telling her to do yoga and forget the fun stuff.

The interesting thing is that self-care is the fun stuff. My definition of self-care is letting yourself do what ever you want to do. If yoga, meditating, or writing endlessly in your journal about your woes is not your thing don’t do it. [...]

The Power of Breathing for IBS Relief

Laura — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:41:41 +0000

?? Listen, are you breathing just a little and calling it a life? ~Mary Oliver

That quote from Mary Oliver really got me thinking. I often talk to my clients about the importance of breathing but I’m not always sure if they fully understand the importance of it.

For a long time I didn’t either. I would do a short meditation and take quick deep breaths if I felt stress but I really wasn’t consciously aware of how I was breathing. It was actually through the process of being in pain that I became aware of the lack [...]

Body Language, Superheroes, and IBS

Laura — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:32:44 +0000

I just watched the Amy Cuddy, social psychologist and assistant professor at Harvard University, video on body language.

She talked about body language and how it affects our entire lives.

It got me thinking about how body language affects our reaction to discomfort.

She discusses successful people having higher levels of testosterone and success where as low power poses increases our cortisol levels, which is our stress hormone. So staying in a low power poses can in essence increase your stress level, which in turn decreases your sense of confidence.

It got me thinking about, you, my community. How do you hold yourself [...]

4 Easy Ways to End Pressure and Get IBS Relief

Laura — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:04:50 +0000

How many times have you heard people say they perform best under pressure? In our society the idea that applying pressure to a situation will reap the best results is very prevalent. It’s such a part of our psyche that we do it subconsciously. For many of us it’s a part of life, basically second nature.

For most people with IBS when the pressure increases so does the IBS symptoms. For years I put tons of pressure on myself without noticing how intensely it was affecting my digestive problems.

I just thought pressure was a natural part of life.

I’m not here [...]

Understanding Your IBS Pain

Laura — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:21:01 +0000

When I first became a coach I worked with people who were stressed about their career. When I coach people who are dealing with a lot of stress I ask them to go into their bodies and discuss all of their life stresses.

I simply told them for one week try stopping once a day and how it feels in your body. Without fail, they all came back to the next session with the realization that they are holding tension, for many in their stomach.

For people with IBS, they are very aware that there is a [...]