It’s not easy living with ulcerative colitis or an ileostomy. It can direct us towards negative thinking and all-around impact our general well-being. However, if there’s one thing to remember, it’s that we don’t have to mindlessly accept the position we find ourselves in. We control our future, nothing else.
You may have heard of the concept of having a “growth mindset” in recent years. People of all backgrounds are incorporating it into their lives to boost their mental health and to help them live a life that they’re happy with. A growth mindset stands in opposition to a fixed mindset, and both yield different results. With a fixed mindset, you remain set in your ways; you’ll stay in the same mental and spiritual space that you are currently in. With a growth mindset, you choose your future — it’s an outlook that accepts that things aren’t fixed; they’re changeable, and that change is within our hands.
Looking to give yourself a growth mindset? Try the following tips.
Understand That Your Health Condition Doesn’t Have To Hold You Back
You have a health condition; it’s not who you are! Having ulcerative colitis or an ileostomy can be all-consuming in the beginning, but at some point, we have to realise that it’s not those conditions that are in charge of where we’re going: we are. The possibilities and opportunities of life are open to us from the moment that we accept that having a condition does not need to define us.
The Importance of Self-Care
Reaching your full potential will take work, and it requires that you spend time caring for yourself from time to time. Sometimes, in order to grow, we have to stay still and give our bodies and mind what they need in order for them to step up and reach their highest level. Self-care can be whatever you like. So long as you’re putting your needs first, you’ll be on the right track.
Being Mindful
It’s not easy living with ulcerative colitis or an ileostomy. But that doesn’t mean that we should deny ourselves life’s pleasurable moments when they come along. A wandering mind may focus too much on the health condition and become too bogged down with issues for the future or get stuck in the past. Those moments can deny us of the goodness that’s right in front of us. Through meditation and yoga, you can learn the art of mindfulness, which can help you to find balance, experience joyful moments to the fullest, and dampen the effects of the not-so-fun moments.
A Grateful and Healthy Lifestyle
A healthier lifestyle, gratitude, and positivity can all work together to push all of us to new heights. Tiny changes can make the biggest difference in our lives. If you eat well, exercise, keep a gratitude journal, and find ways to give yourself a dose of positivity each morning, then you’ll be on the path toward making a valuable change in your life. And once you’re there, there’s no telling where you might go.