Here’s something we can say with confidence (how often can we say that?!): chronic stress can worsen inflammation and symptoms in people with IBD.
Last September, I shared a list of stress-management strategies I often recommend in practice. The goal isn’t to do everything—just to start somewhere.
And here’s another tool I’d like to add to that list, designed specifically for people with IBD.
A FREE relaxation guide created by Meira Gorlin, a Certified Health Education Specialist and Certified Health and Wellness Coach who also has Crohn’s disease.
This isn’t meant to become another “thing to do regularly.” It’s a gentle prompt to check in, notice patterns, and practice calming the nervous system.
👉 [Download the free mindfulness journal here]
Tools like this can be genuinely helpful—but, for many, still tough to turn into daily habits.
Not because they don’t care. Not because they aren’t motivated.
Because managing IBD already takes a lot of bandwidth—and even “helpful” tools can start to feel like just one more thing on the list. (I say this as someone with a stack of beautiful, mostly blank journals.)
This is where expanding one’s care team can help.
⭐ Having someone whose role is to support behavioral changes—like a GI psychologist or a certified health coach with experience in IBD—can make it easier to turn insight into action.
That kind of collaboration benefits both patients and providers.
As my 4-year-old always says, “teamwork makes the dream work.”
