Trying to prove yourself is exhausting, but it’s hard to unlearn. Being sick for so long and trying to over explain and prove you are capable, is a hard habit to drop. When you live in a body that doesn’t present the way you feel, you constantly feel like you have make sure people understand. And that’s exhausting. I know because I did it everyday for a majority of my life. The feeling of people not believing you is often worse than the disease itself. And that way of living has been so ingrained in my consciousness that it’s a natural response, even though my health is back. You owe no one an explanation. Boundaries are good for your mental health. Breaks without explanation are okay. If they don’t believe you, that’s not your problem. Not everyone needs an explanation. Proving myself is just one of the habits I’m working on unlearning. And an extra spice on the life of an invisible illness warrior🥴 I’m learning that healing myself from the “invisible illness experience” is messy, and not always clear cut, but everyday I’m learning about the person I was before this. How are you with over explaining to prove your illness? Be well💜 #⁣crohns #crohnsdisease #colitis #ulcerativecolitis #ibd #ibdawareness #chronicillness #chronicpain #autoimmunedisease #ostomy #ostomate #colostomy #ileostomy #pain #stoma #health #surgery #recovery #mentalhealth #inspire #selflove #nocolon #nocolonstillrollin #happiness #postop #colectomy