Living with Crohn's Disease

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Like many people in life, I’ve had my fair share of pain too. I’ve lost a brother to suicide, I’ve suffered financial ruin from unwise business decisions,  I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 1999 and lost my mum in 2015. I’ve had some hospital stays with the Crohn’s and I refuse to take steroids and other drugs because of the side effects, therefore, I have to manage it in other ways. There have been times I’ve become slack with my diet and the disease flares up which causes me excruciating pain. Sometimes living with Crohn's disease has given me such severe pain that I’ve literally doubled over. In 2019, I could have died of a Psoas Abscess as a complication from Crohn's disease. Crohn's is distressing and scary. On this blog, I share my diet, tips, mindset, and anything else that has helped me keep off heavy-duty meds.  Six months after I left hospital, my dad died. 

 

Health, Wellbeing and Low Tox Lifestyle

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We live in a world of chaos, war, famine, murder, stress, working to make others rich and the list goes on. Yet, amongst all this, we can create our own little sanctuaries and practice routines that can keep our stress levels down. The Jasmine in the Forest is partly a health and wellbeing blog sharing stories about mindset and healthy recipes. There is a lot on here about Crohn's disease because I've been living with Crohn's since 1999, but this blog is not the focus on Crohn's because I do not want to focus on what I do not want to have.  I also share my love of essential oils and the benefits of living a low-tox lifestyle for health and wellbeing. 

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Nature and Gardening

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Nature is the most powerful force on this planet, yet many of us take it for granted. The Jasmine in the Forest is partly a nature blog showcasing beautiful photographs and stories about nature. I have found that living with Crohn's disease can cause a lot of stress, and when I immerse myself in nature, even if it is my own little garden sanctuary, it brings me a tremendous feeling of wellbeing.

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Living an eco-friendly lifestyle

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There is something really rewarding about living an eco-friendly life, whether it is the power it gives you to break from the norm by doing everything you can to recycle, upscale, reuse and put your kitchen scraps back into the earth. Maybe merely the power you have over what you spend your money on by only purchasing sustainably. All these factors make living an eco-friendly life worthwhile and personally bringing me a lot of happiness. You will find lots of tips such as reducing kitchen waste on this blog. 

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Spirituality and Growth for the Soul

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The above is my professional BIO, however, the down to earth, get my hands dirty girl, loves to inspire other people, and although I have built a thriving blog with Sydney Chic, which I love and adore, I could not share the real me. The woman who has asked the question of Who Am I? Since she was a little girl, and always curious about life and why we are on this planet, and what happens next? One of my biggest questions of this life is why do so many people have nothing and others are living an abundant life? And what exactly is an abundant life? To me living an abundant life is when you are truly happy with what you have, you are grateful and the bills always find a way of getting paid, and life brings you lots of unexpected pleasant surprises. 

 

Final Thoughts

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Since I can remember, I have always had a fascination with the spiritual world and death (I know that sounds weird).  I know I am here for a reason, as we all are, and it is because of that knowledge that keeps me striving to live every day to the max, experience everything I can in this physical realm, and prepare myself for the next life, by being as loving and caring as I can.  I also know that my life is a precious gift, and it is my responsibility to make the most of it, always strive to be content and to embrace it. The most important lessons are to love .... and that can be hard when people annoy you! This is exactly the same for you.

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I do not understand the man-made rules, and especially those of religion. Politicians and bureaucrats do my head in! I have studied Near Death Experiences for over 30 years, and it is this that really helps me to understand why we are on this planet, and why we should strive to find and live our life purpose. I was brought up a Catholic and the church put the FEAR of GOD in me. Luckily, I can think for myself and realise that no-one has the right to tell me how to live my life. I gave up the Church over 30 years ago. I do believe in Jesus, I do believe in God, and I do believe our soul continues on after we die; I absolutely do not need the middle man (priest, church, etc) to communicate on my behalf. I also believe in the power of prayer.

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Please never forget; you do not take anything physical with you when you leave this world; you only take love so buying a meal for a homeless person is worth millions in spiritual dollars. 

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Why I named the blog "the Jasmine in the Forest"

 

Am I psychic? I prefer to say I'm intuitive and yes I've had many psychic experiences, I've also experienced out-of-body episodes, an NDE under anesthetic and much more. I get a 'feel' for phenomena. A lot of what I write on this blog I do not believe comes from me, but from a 'higher' source. The name of this blog was 'told' to me and I have been pushed and pushed for years to work on it, originally I thought I was going to write a book but as it turned out this website became the book. The day I came up with the name was when I was going through a rough time, and I took myself on a bike ride to pray to the Higher Source for guidance by a lake. On the way back riding my bike an overwhelming surge of words came into my head "you have to write a book and call it The Jasmine in the Forest". To this day I distinctly remember it was a message not of this world. Later that night, a remarkable thing happened with a heavy object moving, and there was no explanation that I could conceive of how this was possible other than it was confirmation of my message.
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Disclaimer

 

Any products I have posted are because I think they are amazing and ended up in my life for a spiritual and conservation reason. There may be some affiliate links on this blog, however, anything that I publish here is because I feel it belongs here. I am not a medical doctor or nutritionist so please see a professional for any medical condition or nutrition advice. What works for me, may not work for you.

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If you are going through a scary time with Crohn's please reach out. Sometimes knowing there are other people you can talk to or relate to can really help. 

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With love,

Deb 

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