Surviving December and January

Well, I'm back from vacation and a long work conference, and I'm doing pretty well, thanks be to God. I thought I would make a list of all the things I'm doing to take special care of myself during this unique time of (during and after) both positive and negative stress:

(1) I'm keeping an eye on my bowels (nothing is TMI on this blog anymore, right? Can I hear an amen?), and then adjusting my water intake or applesauce/safe bulking fiber accordingly. Using foods as medicine is something I am doing more of in general. For instance, I read somewhere that apple juice is a bit of a diuretic and applesauce does the opposite. I try to use foods for what they'll help me with and supply me with.

(2) I'm taking my probiotic everyday, and not forgetting to.

(3) I'm trying to drink a good amount of water but submitting the amount to what's mentioned in (1).

(4) I'm trying to move around some after I eat (leisurely walking, doing errands around the office, standing to do dishes), instead of sitting on my butt, so that food can get a good start digesting.

(5) I'm avoiding foods that are in my "caution" category: foods that sometimes give me trouble and sometimes don't. During this time of stress and post-stress, it's important that I don't take risks.

(6) I'm eating small portions of everything and being conscious to chew thoroughly (thank you, Pierre, for reminding me of this).

(7) I or my husband massage my stomach lightly before sleep, and occasionally when I'm having cramps after eating. It seems to loosen things up, and my physical therapist swears that it could help break up scar tissue. I don't know if I want that (it's my impression that some of my intestines are ONLY scar tissue at this point), but I wouldn't mind the scar tissue that is developing to be shaken up a bit, like when you floss your teeth and the bacteria don't have a chance to settle into your gums.

(8) I am watching how I sit, stand and lay down, being conscious of my posture and how it affects my abdomen and breathing. This is good for stress management as well as pain.

(9) I am trying to sleep as much as possible.

I think that's it. Thank you for your prayers!