All Gut Love & What That Means

I'm back in my fighting stance!
I think anyway...

I'm learning how to stand on my own after 24 years of marriage. When a long term relationship ends it really messes with your head.

You wonder:

• What's wrong with me? 
• Why is this happening? 
• What happened to happily ever after? 

You feel:

• Brokenhearted
• Hopeless
• Confused
• Angry

You want to:

• Crawl up in a ball under the covers in the safety of your bed.
• Lash out.
• Sit and watch mind numbing TV.

But because you are an adult you have to function in the real world and find a new path. So here I am, adulting on my own.

While married, my future seemed secure and mapped out. Finances, retirement, daily routine... As a single person, things are different. My divorce left me financially stable thankfully and this post is not bashing him in any way, I'm just trying to figure out what my new future will look like. I want to be able to add to my finances but with a chronic illness and it's unpredictability, working outside of home is not feasible. Trust me, I sometimes can't function at home let alone in an office! 

I think I've found my compass finally!

I've been working on something that I'm passionate about. Through the years of living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease I've discovered many products that really make a difference for my well being. These products help me not only physically but also mentally. Anxiety is a very common struggle for anyone who has a chronic illness or condition and often can bring on physical manifestations of the illness. The physical body and the mind are not separate parts, they really do function as one. There are studies that have proven a link between gut health and depression which I find very interesting (Gut-Brain). I'm also a believer in trying natural ways to find solutions to ailments. Please, don't get me wrong--I love my docs and I am currently on a hefty biologic to control  the Crohn's, I think they are brilliant people and I trust their advice so the natural things I do I keep them informed on. The homeopathic methods I choose act like helpmates to my current pharmaceutical strategy. 

Do I wish I could go drug free? Yes, but that's not realistic for me so the next best thing is doing what I can to keep my pharmaceutical needs to a minimum. This means taking care of myself: body, mind and soul. I use several types of supplements to aid in nutrition absorption which is a constant struggle when you have IBD. I try to exercise regularly even if it's walking laps around my own living room while watching re-runs of Friends. I use essential oils for countless things from aromatherapy to ingestion and topical uses. I meditate, journal and pray. I allow myself time to re-charge when needed. I protect my energy and let go of negativity (sometimes I have to do the latter several times a day!). Most of all, I rely on a Power Greater than myself.

I'm not here to preach at you or bang a Bible in your face, I am a Jesus lover because I want to be. I chose this Faith and so I strive daily to embrace the principle that LOVE for all people is what we should be about. I am not worried if you believe the same as me, I worry that you know how much I care and want the best for you. Sorry, side tracked here...moving on!

This Love principle that governs my life brings me to my next venture. I want to help others who struggle with the same things I do. I want to share products that have helped me or others, products I know and feel good about recommending. This idea gave birth to All Gut Love a website where many of these items can be found and purchased easily. My hope is to make the complications of living with chronic illness a little less daunting. I'm also promoting another company It Works! because I have found so many of their products beneficial and very gut friendly! And of course I still have my Essential Oils site. 

All of this is to say, please understand when my social media starts to promote my business. If that is bothersome to you, it won't hurt my feelings if you unfollow me. If you feel the urge to share a post I would be ever so grateful!