Hey Hey Everyone,

I am thrilled to share with you all a new guest writer today on the blog! Krystal has been a UC Warrior since 2016 and today she will be sharing with us her journey towards self love and acceptance. So without any further delay, lets get on to Krystal’s top tips for learning to love yourself more.

Hi everyone! My name is Krystal, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2016. I just recently had surgery to remove my entire large intestine January 3rd 2019 after multiple failed medications. This surgery left me with an ileostomy. Through all of this I struggled with loving myself, and body image issues, but my confidence has grown greatly with the help of family and friends. Self-love is something that I have been working on daily and want to share some tips with you all.

1. Tell Yourself You Are Beautiful Everyday

This for me has helped greatly. Wake up in the morning and start your day by telling yourself you’re beautiful. This starts your day off on the right foot! I also try to compliment others throughout the day to try and brighten others day!

2. Respect Yourself & Know Your Self Worth

Knowing your worth is very important! When I got my ileostomy I was scared that no one could love me. I have not dated anyone since I got my bag but the response from everyone that I have told has been absolutely amazing! If the person you are with truly cares about you, your bag will not matter to them, if it does they are not someone you need in your life.

3. Exercise

Working out for me is a huge part of self-love. Keeping yourself in shape and just giving yourself a break from the daily hustle and bustle is so beneficial to your physical and mental health. Even on the days I don’t really want to go to the gym I make myself go and I always thank myself after. Giving yourself that mental break for 30 minutes to an hour is the best thing you can do. Even if you can’t get to a gym, go for a walk, a hike, something to give your mind a break!

4. Help Others Along The Way

This has probably been the most helpful thing to me. I work in a hospital and I have come across so many people who I’ve told my story to. All of the patients I have spoken with have been very thankful for me being so open and a lot of the patients have been dealing with the same things I have. When I had my surgery I asked God to give me a ministry out of this and he definitely has! Being there for others gives you a feeling you can’t describe, but it’s definitely worth it!

5. Treat Yo’ Self

I think that doing things for yourself is very important! Even the simplest things can make a difference. I try to get a pedicure regularly to just relax and take my mind off of everything for at least an hour of the day. Even just getting outside and spending time in nature is a treat in its self.

6. Remember the Big Picture

I get questions daily asking if I plan on reconnecting my bowel. I question whether keeping my bag is a good choice or if I should reconnect. I don’t have an answer at the moment but I do know this, I feel great! I am at the best point I have been in a really long time. I don’t question whether I have made the right choice by getting my bag ever. God gave me the ability to have my life back and to help others throughout my journey. Therefore, it is important to keep the big picture in mind when dealing with self-doubt.

Thank you so much Krystal for sharing your experiences with us today. If you would like to follow her over on Instagram make sure to CHECK IT OUT HERE.

If you liked the post make sure to share it with a friend and s ubscribed to my blog to get email updates every time I post. Also be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get more updates from me on my day to day life.

Your trusty, gutsy gal,

Nathalie xx

GET YOUR FREE SELF CARE PRINTABLE

Processing…

Success! You're on the list.

Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

View this post on Instagram

#TransformationThursday . . Today I want to talk a bit about my body transformation since surgery and how my scar has healed. I had my bowel resection open surgery July 10th 2018, so it has been exactly 6 months today since I had my surgery. This surgery left me feeling 1000x better and I dont regret it for a minute. Unfortunately, with the surgery came some scars. . . At first I had a hard time excepting the scars, mainly because they were causing me pain. It took me quite a few months for me to live without pain in my scar. But, I can happily say that for about the last two months I have had no more pain in and around my scar. . . The main things I did to help with my recovery was exercise (after 6 weeks post-op), mainly focusing on doing yoga, and core. At first core, was so hard, I couldn't even do 5 sit ups. But slowly with time I got stronger. It wasnt always easy but I stuck with it and listened to my body along the way. As well as exercise, I made sure to use bio oil twice a day since 6 weeks post-op. This really helped to keep the scar moisturized. I also recently started massaging the scar by pinching lightly up and down the scar. My doctor told me this helps to stimulate cell regrowth. . . Overall, I am super happy with how my scar is looking, and I am so proud to show off my battle scars. The first picture here was taken on my trip to Florida a week ago. The rest are as followed: 📷July 16th, 2018, day 6 post-op. 📷July 20th, 2018, after staple removal. 📷August 20th, 2018. 📷October 18th, 2018. . 📷January 10th, 2018. . . . #crohns #colitis #ibd #ibdlife #crohnswarrior #chronicillness #invisibleillness #autoimmunedisease #inspiration #blog #love #hope #photooftheday #instagood #positivity #happiness #blogger #selflove #selfcare #mindfulness #wellness #yqg #windsor #surgery #scars #beautiful #progress

A post shared by Nathalie | Wellness Blog (@gutsyfeeling) on Jan 10, 2019 at 1:36pm PST