“Believe you can and you're halfway there.” - Theodore Roosevelt

What the heck do you do when you’ve tried absolutely everything to reduce IBS symptoms, and nothing works?

It can be incredibly frustrating, defeating, and heartbreaking.

It can feel like a curse.

IBS is a complex and challenging chronic condition to live with. And it reduces your quality of life and drains you of the energy to keep trying, especially when you’ve tried countless things and none of them gave you symptom relief.

It’s times like these when mindset becomes the most valuable resource you have to help you find what DOES work for you.

If you really want to get to the bottom of your IBS and feel better, you must take these 5 mindset shifts and make them yours.

1. Make a Powerful DECISION.

If you’ve got IBS, then I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you’ve suffered enough. You’ve struggled enough. But it’s up to you to decide that you’re worthy of a better, more enjoyable life.

The decisions we make, make the life we live.

A very powerful decision for someone with IBS is:

"No matter how many times I've tried and faced challenges before, I believe I can control my IBS."

When your mind truly believes in the possibility of getting better, you'll find the strength to persevere and never give up.

What if Thomas Edison quit? Or Michael Jordan?!

By acknowledging your worth and choosing a path of possibility, you can pave the way for a brighter future.

Every great outcome starts with a powerful decision.

2. COMMIT to the Outcome.

Think about a time in your life that you made a commitment to master IBS. Did that commitment look like this?

“Let me try something and see if it helps.”

Or did it look like this?

“I AM TAKING CONTROL OF THIS THING, AND NOTHING WILL STOP ME.”

If it looks like the second one, you’ve a way better chance of improving things.

When you make a commitment to the outcome with ruthless determination, your brain uses the power of that commitment to keep moving forward, even when you hit roadblocks.

Your powerful commitment will help you stay resourceful and creative.

3. Have a STRATEGY for Bad Days.

The road to feeling better is never a straight line.

Whenever you start something new, there will be setbacks and bad days. If you understand that this is part of the process, you’ll be less likely to throw in the towel.

An IBS expert can help you implement a strategy for dealing with flares and symptoms while you learn more about your body and what works for you.

4. Be RESOURCEFUL.

This means being willing to make lifestyle changes, let go of old habits, and make tweaks to your diet.

It might mean going out of your comfort zone to try different things or learn to cook in a new way.

Our motto in the army was: “Improvise, adapt and overcome.” We had that motto because it was our job to be resourceful. If something didn’t go as planned, we couldn’t give up or waver. We had to get the job done, no matter what.

When it comes to IBS and your health, we have to be resourceful but base it around quality scientific evidence and your needs and work in your best interests. It's not get resourceful and make it up as we go along! ... and at the expense of risking your health and wellbeing. Nope, that's not the way.

But you can be resourceful and adapt effectively 👍

It might seem daunting, but you can do it.

My husband, Glenn can eat curry without an IBS flare, simply because his symptoms are virtually non-existent, and we changed some of the ingredients without losing the flavour. We got resourceful. The recipe calls for onions, but that doesn’t agree with him, so we use the tips of scallions and Asafoetida instead. These give the flavour of onion without the onion.

Making small tweaks is part of a willingness to be resourceful.

5. Find an EXPERT.

If you want help with anything in life, you get the fastest results when you enlist help from someone who’s qualified and helped hundreds of people with the same problem.

A true expert won’t just give you a list of foods to avoid and send you on your way. An expert will tailor their recommendations to your body and your symptoms, because you’re unique and not like everyone else.

It can be tough to find a real expert.

People who have IBS can fancy themselves experts on the topic if they’ve found what works for THEM 😲 These well-meaning people go on social media and happily dish out their advice.

But will it work for YOU? Don’t waste your time trying to find out.

And is their advice safe for you? Don’t risk your health to find out.

👉 Instead, go to a trained, qualified health professional.

If you’re here reading this post, and wondering who I am, you can check me out here. I’ve helped tons of people, including soldiers and athletes, with their IBS, which has had a massive impact not only on their symptoms, but also their ability to perform at work, to train and compete, and have better relationships.

👉 If you’re a guy with an official IBS diagnosis from a medical professional, watch this complimentary training giving you the step-by-step strategy to finally start living life on your terms.

Mark’s IBS had plagued him for over 5 years and his career had turned stagnant. Juniors were overtaking him and getting selected for courses and moved up the ladder faster.

Then things took a turn when he came across my training and decided to give it a try. Today, his colleagues are like, “I thought you had IBS?” and “You haven’t been off sick for ages!” And they were complimenting him on how well he looks.

But more importantly for Mark, he’s also been promoted and is enjoying the benefits that come with it.

You can follow in Mark’s footsteps and watch the training here.