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Times are tough, I won’t sugar coat it. But if you have Crohn’s or Colitis like me, then this is not your first self-isolation rodeo. That doesn’t make it easier, but it does temper our expectations a little better than those on the healthier end of the spectrum who have never experienced an extended period of quarantine before. It is especially scary for us immunosuppressed people being at high risk, but nothing that we are not already used to. Wherever you fall on the spectrum of health, a global pandemic is a first for all of us and is truly difficult to comprehend. That is why I created a Quarantine Survival Guide for Crohn’s and Colitis.
There is no right way to handle it or one way to feel. Everything you are feeling right now is perfectly acceptable and valid.
The sun still shines and we must remain hopeful for the day we can once again leave our homes and rejoin each other in community.
Until then, I have created an extensive list of resources for you to survive and thrive with Crohn’s and Colitis (although these are relevant for anyone!) during the quarantine. Enjoy my Quarantine Survival Guide for Crohn’s and Colitis!
What to watch
Since I have been in a flare-up, and essentially a self-quarantine, since September 2019, it is safe to say I have made my way deep into the streaming service archives. You may say you have seen all that Netflix has to offer, but have you discovered shows or movies with subtitles yet? When you get that point, let’s talk 🙂
Comedy
- Schitt’s Creek
- The Office
- Parks and Recreation
- Grace and Frankie
- Dollface (Hulu)
- Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Hulu)
- Fleabag (Amazon)
Drama
- Ozark
- House of Cards
- Peaky Blinders (one of my favorite shows of all time)
- Narcos
- Narcos Mexico
- Stranger Things
- Jack Ryan (Amazon)
- The Killing
- Billions (Showtime)
- This Is Us
- Northern Rescue
- Lucifer
Romance
- Outlander (Starz)
- Jane the Virgin
- Virgin River
- To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (the only movie on the list, but it’s a good teen romance)
- Sweet Magnolias
- Never Have I Ever
Spanish
Fun fact: I dove deep into the Spanish language section of Netflix during my flare up and now we have to use my husband’s Netflix if we want to see recommendations for anything else 🙂
- Elite
- Money Heist (La Casa de Papel)
- Cable Girls (Las Chicas del Cable)
- Morocco (Amor en tiempo de guerra)
- Velvet
Podcasts to listen to
Comedy/Entertaining
- Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
- Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
- WTF with Marc Maron
- The Office Ladies
- SmartLess
News
- Up First
- The Daily
Uplifting & Encouraging
- Unleashing Us by Brene Brown
- The Rise Podcast with Rachel Hollis
True Crime
- My Favorite Murder
- Crime Junkie
- Serial (I have a separate list of crime podcasts that could be its own blog post)
- Up and Vanished
Health and Wellness
- Almost 30
- Ben Greenfield
- Manifestation Babe
Learn Something New
- Planet Money
- Hidden Brain
- Smart Passive Income
How to get your sweat on
Obe Fitness–This fitness on-demand streaming service offers pre and postnatal, yoga, strength training, and HIIT classes. Their membership is $27 per month or $199 per year. You can try them out for free, although it isn’t clear on their website how long the trial lasts.
Yoga With Adriene–Adriene is my girl 🙂 She offers free Youtube videos for a wide range of levels.
Daily Burn–They offer running, yoga, and HIIT classes that you can stream at your own pace. You can try it for free for 60 days.
Sweat app–Kayla Itsines redesigned the workout app for in-home workouts and it is only $19.99 per month or $119 for an annual membership. They offer yoga, HIIT, weight training, postpartum fitness, high intensity strength training, and heavy lifting.
Blogilates–Cassey Ho offers free pilates classes on Youtube that are sure to make you sweat in under 30 minutes.
Alexia Clark— Join the QUEENTEAM when you sign up for Alexia’s fitness membership program. You can try it free for 7 days and right now she is offering 20% off for 3 months.
Get outside–Go for a (socially distant) walk outside! It truly is amazing what 20 minutes strolling the neighborhood can do for my sanity and my health.
My IGTV 🙂 — Shameless plug, I know I know 🙂 Right now I am posting free workout videos on IGTV specifically designed for people with autoimmune diseases (I have Ulcerative Colitis) who are coming out of a flare-up and are starting at square one like I am at the moment. Join me!
For practicing mindfulness
Calm–Clear your head with this app as it provides you with a guided meditation practice each day. They offer a 7 day free trial and then it costs $60 per year after that.
Headspace–This app offers guided meditation, as well as mindful workouts, and storytelling to help you fall asleep. They offer a monthly subscription for $12.99 with 1 free week and an annual subscription for $69.99 with 2 free weeks.
Ten Percent Happier–This company offers guided meditation for $99.99 per year and offers a free 7-day trial. Right now, they are providing free memberships for healthcare workers, as well as a live guided meditation every day at 3 pm EST at no additional cost.
90 Days Self-Healing Journal— My dear friend Alexa just launched her Self-Healing Journal and it could not be more perfectly timed. In the journal, you are prompted to track your gratitude, your food and emotional/physical responses, your 90-day goals, and affirmations to get you through the day.
Take time to yourself–If you are quarantining alone, I am certain you have enough of this already. However, if you are quarantining with others in your home, try taking an hour to be alone or doing something for yourself. Maybe reading, going for a walk, streaming an online workout, or just taking a hot bubble bath.
Focus on your breathing–In times of stress, I know that stopping what I am doing and taking slow, deep breaths can really snap me out of my funk.
Journal–I have really enjoyed my morning journal time and it is helping me get my thoughts and experiences on paper and out of my head.
When you need more than meditation
Talkspace–This app connects you directly to a therapist and the service is available 24/7. The plans start at $65 per week, which is a great deal considering other traditional therapy services are much more!
Better Help–This app also connects you with a licensed therapist and you can choose between text messages, video, or a phone call. Their plans start at $40 per week
Food services to try
Instacart–This was my saving grace during my flare up and now they offer a no-touch delivery service to safeguard your health.
Postmates and Doordash–Unless you live under a rock, you already know about these and have been using them like they will disappear tomorrow, myself included! Even still, these are staples in times like these.
Your local restaurants–Some restaurants are offering free delivery, so don’t hesitate to reach out and see if this is something they offer.
Supplements to boost your health
GI Repair–Gut health should not and cannot fall to the wayside during the pandemic. In fact, it should be more of a focus than ever with the gut being a central point of the immune function.
VSL #3–This probiotic is very powerful and offers the most diverse strains of bacteria. I have found it to be incredibly helpful for me as I focus on restoring proper function to my gut.
Amazing Grass Greens Powder–Don’t skip your veggies, y’all! I never feel like I get quite all the nutrients I need in a day and this powder is an excellent supplement to my diet.
Vitamin C–This is essential for staying healthy and keeping your immune system running on all cylinders. Skip the Emergen-C as it has too many additives and sugar to actually be beneficial. I recommend getting a high quality vitamin C supplement instead.
Vitamin D–Those of us with autoimmune diseases are naturally low in this essential vitamin, even more so since we aren’t getting as much of it with the quarantine in place. By supplementing with vitamin D, our immune systems can help fight off viral and bacterial infections.
Calcium + vitamin D–This is important, especially if you are on a steroid that may deplete your calcium stores and put you at higher risk for joint issues later on.
Vitamin B complex–Times are tough right now and vitamin B helps with so many areas in our body, particularly hormones, mood, skin, nails, hair, circulation, and digestion. When we are low in vitamin B12, our white blood cells are lower than usual and can lower our immune function.
Snacks that won’t wreck your microbiome
- Simple Mills crackers
- Larabar snack bars
- Bananas
- Berries + coconut cream
- Carrots and hummus
- Apples and almond butter
- Smoothies
- Avocado + Siete chips
For new recipes to try
With all of this extra time spent at home, I am finding myself wandering into the kitchen and baking something new before I even realize I am doing it. If you find yourself searching for new recipes to try out, I highly recommend checking out the ladies listed below. They are all wonderful in their own unique ways and share allergy-friendly recipes that I can actually eat and feel good about.
Danielle Walker’s Against All Grains
Do you have any additional tips you would add to the Quarantine Survival Guide for Crohn’s and Colitis? Let me know in the comments!
Love this guide! I struggled with chronic Lyme for years, and VSL #3 was so key in helping maintain a healthy gut when I was on all of the antibiotics. I’m also happy to see you recommending Thorne supplements – so many people out there recommend things with a ton of additives! Thorne and Pure Encapsulations are my go-to’s. Great tips for mindfulness too, I really love the Insight Timer App that has a lot of great guided meditations. Thanks so much for spreading this quality information 🙂
~Jules
Thanks for your sweet comment! I am a huge fan of Thorne and rarely go for any other brands of supplements. I haven’t tried the Insight Timer…I will have to check it out!