The necessary identity change I’ve had to go through

Healing requires us to change ourselves

MY HEALING JOURNEY

3/14/2026

Identity change I’ve had to go through to heal stomach inflammation

Getting diagnosed with this disease that I have has made me a whole new person- I had to decide that if I’m going to heal myself, if I’m going to heal myself naturally and truly, it’s going to take more than diet shift and supplementation.

I refer to this change as the real self-improvement in my life, since I’ve changed so much for the better thanks to it.

My thoughts, my habits, my sleep, my attitude towards life itself have all changed for the better- I have acknowledged that my main thoughts were negative, judgmental and dark and switched them to positive, aspiring ones, because I’ve learned how much my thought pattern impacts the way I live and the decisions that I make as well as words I speak and content I consume, they all affect my decision making and through that, my life.

If you’re a regular reader here, you probably know how my sleep has changed thanks to this healing journey, which is all about sleep hygiene- good sleep habits that promote high-quality sleep and long uninterrupted sleep duration, like blue light restriction before bed and meditation to help me wind down.

Healing has not been easy- it means sacrificing things that society has taught me I should be doing, and replacing them with other activities that are necessary to me personally, and I’ll explain:

cooking and meal preparing in the evening for the next few days, instead of partying/ eating out/ hanging out with friends during the week days- it’s not been easy, but what actually motivates me to do it is that if I don’t make the effort to make my own food, I’m putting myself at risk for eating something inflammatory that aches me more because I’m hungry and am not well prepared. It’s the only free time I have in a day to take care of it. It also saves me tons of money, which I’m so grateful for. I remember having to cook every single evening before discovering glass food storage boxes and the freezer- haha, weird, right? Anyway, it took me two hours a day, and now I meal-prep foods that sometimes last me up to two weeks! (if I do it right). It also calms me down, knowing I have food available for me and knowing that I'll never go hungry- something that has been a real issue for me back in the day. Food insulators help when I’m at work and at other places outside my home.
Another challenge I’m facing on a daily basis, one I have yet to talk about on this blog, is dealing with and accepting the ongoing, never-stopping pain that always follows me around. Yes, it is getting better with time, but that doesn't mean it's not there anymore- it means the same constant pain I feel is just a little more bearable every week I stick to healing that passes me by.
Going on this journey has also improved me in the exercise aspect- before the diagnosis, I went to the gym three times a week, lifting weights that only made me suffer more, increasing pressure in my stomach. Now, ever since then, I get to do bodyweight exercises and ride my skateboard, activities I love and do every day. I figure that at this pace, within a few months, I'll be performing impressive calisthenic skills that I would never be able to do with a standard gym plan.
Keeping sane during the weekends is another one: not going overboard with inflammatory foods, even when they're delicious, irresistible, and impossible to stop eating. It also means resisting the urge to snack on foods I shouldn't eat around dinner itself and not stuffing myself too much at that meal.