Calm the Negative Self-talk

Is this really working? Am I doing something wrong? Should I stick with this? Why is this happening now after doing so well for weeks? These are just a few of the thoughts that began swarming around in my mind today.

I feel down, worried, anxious, uncertain, and more because I woke up and had full-on bloat. Why? I ate a homemade stir-fry for dinner, with no gluten, no soy, and no dairy. Did I use too many vegetables? Causing my microbiome to freak out from new foods I have not had?

I wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep it all away. This option was not in the cards for me today as I could not call into work since I was covering someone else. So I pulled on my stretchy yoga pants and depressingly grabbed a large T-shirt and a cardigan to cover everything up. As soon as I put pressure on my stomach from the pants the pain and gas started. "Great, this is going to be just an awesome freaking day," I said to myself.

Why do I have to have all these issues with food? What do I take for food today since I am already inflamed? Well, let's not give up because of one flare-up. Maybe it was something from last night's dinner. Do some research to double-check your ingredients. Maybe it is just that you have not eaten several of those vegetables in maybe ever. You may have just overloaded your microbiome and it got inflamed.

As I calmed my mind from all the negative self-talk, I packed my breakfast and lunch. I made myself a blueberry spinach smoothie and grabbed some chia oat pudding topped with granola and some egg salad on gluten-free toast. For all my drinks I had some turmeric chili matcha green tea and water.

After finishing my smoothie the pain and gas had already subsided. The bloat was still there so I had my tea to help with that inflammation. Another great option is ginger tea with lemon. If needed take some tums, gas/bloating medication, or Midol. Yes Midol, it works on the bloat the pain, and the gas all in one.

This negative self-talk can really bring you down and push you backward. It can quite literally push you back to bad habits. Don't let that negative Nancy bring you down and collapse all the work you have put in already. As many say there is no gain if there is no pain, or is that the other way around? Anyway, that is true to a point.

Calm all that negative self-talk. Take some deep breaths, meditate, journal, move your body, call a friend, whatever helps you to calm your mind. Sometimes that negativity can also affect how you are feeling. The worry, anxiety, uncertainty, and stress can cause inflammation as well. Be gentle with yourself. Keep calm so that you do not make any choices that will make you feel regret afterward.

Sometimes you do have to go through some pain to gain the benefits. Take working out for example. If you live a very sedentary lifestyle and begin a workout routine your muscles will be sore from the new use. After time they will not be sore anymore because they have become accustomed to the use. Same with your gut microbiome. As you rebuild your gut microbiome you may have periods of pain and discomfort from the inflammation of new growth building.

This was a great reminder for me to take it slow. I did make the stir-fry at home, but I did have a lot of vegetables I have not eaten in decades or ever, all at once. The introduction of so many different plants all at once caused inflammation, obviously if you have read thus far.

So to combat that I went through my weekly meal plan to ensure that I was not overwhelming my gut again and taking it slow with the introductions of new plants. I planned out dinners that had diversity but not to the extent that would possibly overwhelm my gut. Meal prepped the breakfast items that have been working for me, such as sweet potato berry toast, chia oat pudding, smoothies, and avocado toast. 90 % of my lunches are leftovers from dinner, but every now and then you just get a craving for something else so I always like to have some tuna, hard-boiled eggs, cut-up vegetables, and fruit on hand for those days.

After getting a plan together for the coming week I felt so much better about continuing this lifestyle. Feel those feelings let them out assess them and move on from them. This is not a quick fix and there may be ups and downs during that time. Understanding, coping, and planning for it will also help you get through those downtimes.

Reminding myself that I am worthy, I deserve to be happy, I can do this, and this is not going to change overnight helps cope with that negative self-talk that we all do. You have probably been dealing with some kind of gut issue or maybe not living the healthiest lifestyle for more than a couple years. This will take time to complete that 180 and feel great all the time. You got this!

💖,

The Wellness Blondie

I would love to know, what do you think?