Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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I tend to think dire.

michiev
michiev
So i know i've been stressing lately and it can cause bowel/stomach issues. I get that.. and anxiety can't make that any better.. I am doing better, but the problem is i tend to automatically think it's the end of all my good progress. Of all healthy/fun/happy living.. When i get cramps/bm's or other such things.. I could be fun and happy but as soon as i get a little stomach ache (most times) i turn into this fretting nightmare, And maybe that stress worsens the problem. I tend to think if this one thing happens, thats it.. I am no longer allowed to have fun, be happy, smile, listen to music.. I have to lay up on the couch all night being depressed if i have a sudden stomach ache or case of diarrhea. There is no possible way i can go on living my life if i get a stomach ache and have to go to the bathroom.. Suddenly all my happiness, all my fun stops when this physical trigger happens.

Any advice?
deleted_user
deleted_user
michiev- i can totally relate! not so much to just stomache issues but all the other physical symptoms that affect me. i can be happy and laughing and wanting to do fun things BUT the second i feel the aching in my body or my stomache feels like it is being twisted out of me or my back starts to hurt....that is it! i can't think beyond those ailments and i start to think about what the symptoms mean and that they are something serious and they keep flaring up for a bad reason! it is awful and it controls my life and moods. ppl have told me to try and do things to disctract myself when the symptoms start. i try to but the second my mind is not occupied, thye seem to reappear. i wish i had some insight or good advice to share but the only thing i can so is tell you that i can relate to you and that you aren't the only person experiencing these crazy feelings. hope this helped a bit.
lyns
deleted_user
deleted_user
I can totally relate. Before I was diagnosed with GAD, I spent a lot of time at the doctor's office. Doctor told me I had spastic colon... is there a worse name for a condition? Started obsessing about the word "spastic". There is a definite connection between gut pain and anxiety/depression. Seems that the anxiety causes the gut problems, or the gut problem adds to the anxiety. I take immodium more than I should for the cramping, etc. I've found that when my stomach feels better, my attitude definitely improves. Hang in there.
gooch
gooch
michiev---what does your doctor say about stomach/intestinal problems? The number of people with the problems you describe are many many man, Including me.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I understand completely. I am fine when I am alone but when I am with other people I tend to really take notice of how my stomach is feeling and so the slightest uneasiness causes me to get even more nervous which only makes it worse. Half the time I am not actually having fun because I am more worried about having an accident and people laughing at me or asking to stop and go to the bathroom too many times. And then when I leave everyone and am on my way home I am fine again which tells me its definitely all in my head.

I have been drinking ginger tea because I read it helps ease indigestion and it has been calming my stomach down. Chamomile tea also worked too but I am allergic to ragweed so I had to stop that. They both tend to relax you so maybe it can help you forget about your stomach for a little while? Or pick one thing that you really like to do (watch TV, read, etc.) and try and work at doing it when you are upset. I'm definitely not an expert but I hope this helps!