In short, you’re sabotaging yourself!

‘I’m fine’, the words just roll off your tongue when someone asks how you’re feeling.  

How are you today your cheerful co-worker asks, or the check-out assistant, or your partner or other loved one,  and even though you might have been in the bathroom in agony for the previous 2 hours and you have done everything you can to get to work/school/college/store / the words “I’m fine” just roll from your lips.

You shouldn’t say you're fine when you’re not, it rarely helps!

This self-sabotaging is something I have witnessed almost daily in my 28 years of working with IBS sufferers.  And you’re not the only ones, people with anxiety, excessive stress, insomnia, pain and a whole raft of other conditions say the same or similar words.  ‘I’m great’, ‘Top One’, ‘Tickety-boo’, ‘I’m good’ and others besides are often stated, but you and they know deep down, or closer the surface that you are not ‘fine’, ‘great’, ‘chipper’, ‘tickety-boo’.You are hanging  on by your fingernails, summoning all the internal energy you can, just to get through the day.

In fact, you only need two words – and depending on if you feel up to it, able to utter more – a maximum of four words is all that are needed! 

 Get the IBS Audio Program 100 today - get great discount too!

See also blog post: IBS is more than an inconvenience!

You may have come across phrases such as ‘the mind-body connection’, IBS sufferers will have heard the phrase ‘brain-gut axis’.  These statements often used by health professionals recognize the close connection and interaction between the mind and body.

When you think of someone you love you may get warm fuzzy feelings. When you think of someone who is less likable, you experience a different set of feelings.  But those feelings are a result of thoughts even if the person you love, or dislike are nowhere near you.

When you are stressed or anxious you will experience the emotional impact of those emotions also within your body, often likely to be in your gut, making the IBS symptoms worse.

So what can you do about this?

• The first thing is to recognize the link between mind and body, I expect every reader will be able to relate to that.
• Secondly, be aware that your internal speak is also important  

For example, when you say you are fine, your subconscious tries to match up your words with how you feel emotionally and physically. It instantly recognizes that it cannot relate, so this causes an internal conflict.  Your body and mind are saying one thing, your words are saying something else.

Your subconscious becomes conflicted, why are you saying something that is not true?  How can you be fine, when you feel as you do?

So this internal conflict starts to take energy away from you. It needs to understand!  So you start wasting energy, emotional energy which you may have little of in the first place!    It’s important, to be honest with yourself.

So from now on, when someone asks how you are doing if its appropriate say ‘I’m coping’ or I’m coping thank you – two words or four.

What these words do is several things.

• Firstly your statement is true – you are coping. The lies have stopped!
• Second – It lets others know you are not having the best of times – without going into detail. It’s like code for – leave me alone!
• Thirdly, your subconscious balances your answer internally – yes you are coping, you are not at your best, and it can understand your truthful reply, so it looks no further.  You immediately stop wasting valuable energy!

So those few little words can have a big positive impact. 

Try them out, you will feel better for speaking them. And the great thing is, is that you will be starting a journey of understanding that your internal speak can help you in many ways to feel better in both mind and body.  And that is an exciting and rewarding journey indeed.

In the IBS Audio Program 100 Introduction session you will hear lots about the mind and body, and why you feel the way you do – in easy to understand language. Just hearing this track has helped many to understand there is hope! 

The rest of the IBS Audio Program 100 provides structured learning to aid in the reduction of symptoms and frequency. 

We reserve the right to change, amend or withdraw discounts without notice.