You Can’t Manifest Your Way Out of IBD: The Harmful Myth of Positive Thinking
Note: This blog is based on lived experience and general information. It is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional.
If mindset alone could cure disease, I’d be the healthiest person alive.
Because I tried.
God, did I try.
I made the vision boards.
I wrote the affirmations.
I journaled my “future healed self” into notebooks so full they could fill a library.
I whispered "I am healthy, I am healed" into the mirror while my gut bled and my body broke down.
And still. I stayed sick.
Because no matter how hard you believe, no matter how pure your intentions, no matter how sunny your outlook, you can’t manifest your way out of IBD.
And the idea that you can?
It’s not just wrong.
It’s dangerous.
Where the ‘Positive Thinking Will Heal You’ Myth Comes From
It’s tempting to believe that life is neat.
That good things happen to good people.
That bad things only happen if you invite them in with "low vibes" or "negative energy."
It makes the world feel safer.
It makes illness feel preventable.
It makes suffering feel optional, something you can sidestep if you just try hard enough to be grateful and positive.
But it’s a lie.
Because illness isn’t a punishment for negativity.
It’s not karma for not doing your morning routine perfectly.
It’s not a spiritual lesson because you “failed to align your chakras.”
Sometimes, illness just happens.
Sometimes, despite all the journaling and gratitude and good intentions in the world your body still betrays you.
And you didn’t manifest it.
You didn’t attract it.
You didn’t deserve it.
The Real Damage of Toxic Positivity
Being told you can "think your way" out of chronic illness does real, lasting harm:
- It isolates you, making you feel like your suffering is your fault.
- It pressures you to perform fake happiness when you're breaking inside.
- It gaslights your lived reality, suggesting that if you were really trying, you'd be better by now.
- It delays real medical intervention because you’re busy trying to "heal naturally" through mindset alone.
Positive thinking can be beautiful.
Hope matters.
Resilience matters.
But when it becomes a weapon, when it says "if you're still sick, it’s because you're not doing positivity right", it stops being helpful.
It becomes abusive.
Why Manifestation Culture Fails Chronic Illness Warriors
The truth nobody in the wellness world wants to talk about:
You can do everything "right", eat clean, think positive, move your body with love and still be sick.
Because IBD isn’t picky.
It doesn’t discriminate.
It doesn’t sit down with your gratitude journal and say, "Oh, never mind then, you’re safe."
It’s a brutal, biological, medical condition.
It demands medicine, science, monitoring, and real care not just mindset shifts and Pinterest quotes.
You’re Not Negative for Being Real
You’re allowed to be angry.
You’re allowed to grieve.
You’re allowed to be terrified.
You’re allowed to sit in the messy middle where hope and heartbreak coexist.
And guess what?
None of that will "manifest" more disease into your body.
None of that makes you a bad patient, a failure, or spiritually weak.
It makes you human.
You’re not failing because you have bad days.
You’re not sabotaging your healing because you feel fear.
You’re not inviting more suffering because you cried instead of meditating it away.
You're allowed to live your truth even when it's ugly, raw, and inconvenient.
How I Approach Mindset Now
I still believe in hope.
I still believe in visualising better days.
I still believe in fighting for joy where I can find it.
But I don’t weaponise it anymore.
I don't shame myself for struggling.
I don't blame myself for needing medicine.
I don't pretend that my mind alone can conquer a body at war with itself.
Mindset is a tool, not the cure.
And it's okay to use it without expecting it to work magic.
The Bottom Line
You didn’t manifest your disease.
You’re not staying sick because you "didn’t think positive enough."
You’re not broken, lazy, or spiritually toxic.
You are surviving an illness that demands everything you have and you’re still here.
That’s not a mindset failure.
That’s a goddamn miracle.
You are enough.
Exactly as you are.
Messy. Brave. Complicated.
Beautiful in your humanity, not your performance.
And you don’t owe anyone a polished, Instagrammable, toxic-positivity version of your fight.
Note
This blog is based on personal experience and publicly available information. It is not intended to replace medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for decisions about your health.
