What I Learned From the Texas Freeze

Last week in Texas, we had record-breaking weather conditions. I know those of you living in colder climates view snow and ice as the norm, but here in Texas this NEVER happens. 

I grew up in Southern California where it was sunny and 75 every day, and although Texas weather is not as glorious as Southern California, we do get spoiled with rarely-cold temperatures.

When I woke up to several days of zero-degree temps last week, let’s just say I was not prepared!

Not only did we have record-breaking lows in Texas last week, but we also experienced power outages, loss of water and unfortunately a lot of casualties to homes. 

I woke up Monday morning and our house was in the low 50s. Our home dealt with rolling power outages for several days, so we were grateful to stay with my in-laws for the majority of the week.

Now, let’s move on from the weather and focus on what I really want to share with you…

As I was reflecting on the last week, I couldn’t help but think about how much has changed over the last decade and my gratitude for how far I’ve come on my own gut health journey. 

Quick rundown of my story: I struggled with chronic constipation and digestive symptoms for 20-plus years of my life. At times, these symptoms were debilitating and held me back in a lot of areas of my life. My life often revolved around my symptoms, how I was feeling and what foods I felt like I could tolerate at the time. It was stressful, isolating and miserable.

Last week, we were sitting down for dinner at my in-laws house and all I could feel was gratitude. Gratitude for a warm place to stay, for water to drink, and also for a life no longer revolving around my digestive symptoms. In the past, a week away from my familiar routine and home would have been extremely anxiety-provoking. It’s not anymore! As hard as last week was, it was a super memorable week with my gracious in-laws who cooked for us and took us in. 

If you are at all like me and feel like your digestive symptoms hold you back from living in the moment or from being flexible, trust me when I say that I hear you. I’ve been there and I understand.

To start finding relief from your digestive symptoms, here is what I recommend: 

1. Start each day with gratitude and an affirmation. Shifting your mindset to what you are grateful for and what you are looking ahead to is so empowering and healing.
2. Take 5 minutes each day to just breathe – this simple stress-reducer can improve your digestion and greatly improve your outlook.
3. Celebrate any small wins you have along the way. Big or small, it’s important to recognize how strong and capable your body is.

You’ve got this!