The theme for World Health Day 2017 is depression, you might ask, ‘why should we be talking about it?’ Depression affects people of all ages and from all walks of life. It can cause considerable mental anguish, and impact on people’s ability to carry out even the simplest everyday tasks. It can sometimes have devastating consequences on relationships with family and friends, and on people’s ability to earn a living.
In the SIBO community we are amongst those vulnerable to suffering with depression, especially during the period of seeking a diagnosis, and embarking on treatment of our chronic illness. And studies show that the health of our gut impacts the health of our mind, which is why SIBOers can experience anxiety and depression as a side effect of their SIBO. If you have a strong network of supporters, be they practitioners, family, friends and community, then the chances of suffering with depression seem to be lessened. However if you feel alone and unsupported this can be a daunting, and maybe even frightening time while you find your way.
However, there is help out there, and there’s no reason that you should have to experience this alone. The good news is that depression can be prevented and treated. We love to talk here at The Healthy Gut, and we believe that talking about SIBO with your network of supporters is one of the best ways to avoid feeling alone, and prevent depression. You need your support network to understand what you are dealing with on your SIBO journey. Providing friends and family with information about what you are dealing with can really help to ensure that everyone is on board. They will understand better why you can’t eat something for instance, or why you tire quicker than them, why you experience bloating or even just why you feel a bit sad sometimes.
We want as many people as possible to talk about SIBO to help reduce any stigma associated with the condition. We hope this will lead to more people seeking help when they need it. We firmly believe that support is the key to success, so today we ask you to change your profile picture on your social media accounts whether you have SIBO or not, to show your support for those of us with SIBO. Simply copy the images below and save them as your new profile picture. Together let’s get people talking about SIBO.
Next week we’re blogging about our very own team tips for mind and body wellness. What inspires us, calms us, keeps us balanced and helps us get through the tough times.
Profile Picture for social media
Facebook picture to share
Instagram picture to share
Twitter picture to share
