Today is World IBD Day: a meaningful moment to pause and recognize what it really means to live with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. These conditions touch much more than the digestive system — they can affect energy, sleep, relationships, work, school, and how you feel about yourself and your place in the world on a day-to-day basis, especially when you are also managing ongoing stress and pain. Research shows that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are 3 to 5 times more likely to experience anxiety and 2 to 4 times more likely to experience depression than the general population.

This year, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s World IBD Day campaign highlights that IBD is “More Than the Gut,” with a special focus on the stress, pain, and relationships that are often invisible to others but very real for those living with IBD. World IBD Day is an invitation to recognize those challenges, to talk more openly about the emotional toll of IBD, and to remember that feeling overwhelmed is understandable, not a personal failure. It is also a reminder that there is hope: There are evidence-based tools, from gut-directed hypnotherapy and cognitive reframing to simple breathing practices and pacing yourself.