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Bathroom anxiety

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Bathroom anxiety

Postby agateaqua » Sat Sep 16, 2017 8:27 am

Hello,
Does anyone else go through this? Whenever I'm out somewhere when I don't know immediately where there's public restrooms nearby I get very anxious. Then I get anxious, panicky, and will need to pee all of a sudden , very badly!
I don't get this locally or even in my state wherever I go by car. But if I go on a trip out of the country , the trip (by plane) makes me very anxious. And then again I get the same anxiety walking about cities in Europe , and then I need to rely on public transportation as well.
It's making it very difficult for me to travel. Now this wouldn't be a problem if my son didn't live in Europe. He's six, and I haven't seen him for almost five months :( I miss him so much it hurts.
I want to go see him, but this trip is terrifying me. Any advice, tips, tricks etc are welcome.

My son is in school in Europe because he's half Swedish and it's the best thing for him , he's happiest this way as schools are better there. But I'm miserable in the process :(
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Re: Bathroom anxiety

Postby InquisitivePursuer » Sat Sep 16, 2017 8:46 am

Do you have any recollection of such a deeply disturbing bathroom location incident having occured as you were younger?
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Re: Bathroom anxiety

Postby Ncmilla » Sat Sep 16, 2017 3:49 pm

Hey! I actually used to get this really bad and it was actually the first symptom I got of my anxiety disorder. It was really distressing and made life difficult. Even popping to the shop at the end of my road I'd end up running home feeling like I was about to wet myself then I'd rush to the toilet and I barely even needed to wee. This is common so you're not alone!

The theory behind it is that when the body's fight or flight mode is triggered, our bodies are busy trying to prepare ourselves to fight the threat or run away from it. They believe the weeing thing is your body attempting to get rid of any extra weight so you can run away faster as you'll be lighter. It also shuts down systems it doesn't need at that 'life threatening' time like the digestive system, being able to communicate, etc.

I can happily say this annoying symptom has died down now for me. The best thing to do here is to treat the anxiety itself! You can do this with regular exercise (any type of cardio that will get your heart rate up such as running, dancing, swimming, etc.) and aim for at least 3 times a week. Eat healthy most of the time (a treat here and there is fine), meditate everyday (absolute lifesaver for anxiety and try an app called Calm if you need guidanc), drink lots of water (seems scary when you need to wee often but dehydration can actually increase anxiety), try chamomile tea, cut down on caffeine junk food and sugar, try a CBT course and talk to a counsellor to address the cause at the root.

Anxiety symtoms often come from our body being out of balance (the mind body connection) so follow these tips and it'll improve quickly :)
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Re: Bathroom anxiety

Postby InquisitivePursuer » Sun Sep 17, 2017 2:15 am

Ncmilla wrote:Hey! I actually used to get this really bad and it was actually the first symptom I got of my anxiety disorder. It was really distressing and made life difficult. Even popping to the shop at the end of my road I'd end up running home feeling like I was about to wet myself then I'd rush to the toilet and I barely even needed to wee. This is common so you're not alone!

The theory behind it is that when the body's fight or flight mode is triggered, our bodies are busy trying to prepare ourselves to fight the threat or run away from it. They believe the weeing thing is your body attempting to get rid of any extra weight so you can run away faster as you'll be lighter. It also shuts down systems it doesn't need at that 'life threatening' time like the digestive system, being able to communicate, etc.

I can happily say this annoying symptom has died down now for me. The best thing to do here is to treat the anxiety itself! You can do this with regular exercise (any type of cardio that will get your heart rate up such as running, dancing, swimming, etc.) and aim for at least 3 times a week. Eat healthy most of the time (a treat here and there is fine), meditate everyday (absolute lifesaver for anxiety and try an app called Calm if you need guidanc), drink lots of water (seems scary when you need to wee often but dehydration can actually increase anxiety), try chamomile tea, cut down on caffeine junk food and sugar, try a CBT course and talk to a counsellor to address the cause at the root.

Anxiety symtoms often come from our body being out of balance (the mind body connection) so follow these tips and it'll improve quickly :)


Even popping to the shop at the end of my road I'd end up running home feeling like I was about to wet myself then I'd rush to the toilet and I barely even needed to wee. This is common so you're not alone!


Is this [common]?
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Re: Bathroom anxiety

Postby agateaqua » Sun Sep 17, 2017 8:54 am

InquisitivePursuer wrote:Do you have any recollection of such a deeply disturbing bathroom location incident having occured as you were younger?
Only thing is maybe when I was about 13 and went swimming with school , which I hated as I hated having to wear a bathingsuit. I couldn't find a restroom and felt panicky. The panic subsided and I was able to change and actually swim and everything without finding a restroom. It was just a random first panic attack that may have triggered it.

-- Sun Sep 17, 2017 3:56 am --

Ncmilla wrote:Hey! I actually used to get this really bad and it was actually the first symptom I got of my anxiety disorder. It was really distressing and made life difficult. Even popping to the shop at the end of my road I'd end up running home feeling like I was about to wet myself then I'd rush to the toilet and I barely even needed to wee. This is common so you're not alone!

The theory behind it is that when the body's fight or flight mode is triggered, our bodies are busy trying to prepare ourselves to fight the threat or run away from it. They believe the weeing thing is your body attempting to get rid of any extra weight so you can run away faster as you'll be lighter. It also shuts down systems it doesn't need at that 'life threatening' time like the digestive system, being able to communicate, etc.

I can happily say this annoying symptom has died down now for me. The best thing to do here is to treat the anxiety itself! You can do this with regular exercise (any type of cardio that will get your heart rate up such as running, dancing, swimming, etc.) and aim for at least 3 times a week. Eat healthy most of the time (a treat here and there is fine), meditate everyday (absolute lifesaver for anxiety and try an app called Calm if you need guidanc), drink lots of water (seems scary when you need to wee often but dehydration can actually increase anxiety), try chamomile tea, cut down on caffeine junk food and sugar, try a CBT course and talk to a counsellor to address the cause at the root.

Anxiety symtoms often come from our body being out of balance (the mind body connection) so follow these tips and it'll improve quickly :)


I was thinking about trying hypnosis I don't know if you have any experience with that? Exercise helps, but it's not enough I think. But thanks for the reply.
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Re: Bathroom anxiety

Postby Ncmilla » Sun Sep 17, 2017 2:38 pm

InquisitivePursuer wrote:
Ncmilla wrote:Hey! I actually used to get this really bad and it was actually the first symptom I got of my anxiety disorder. It was really distressing and made life difficult. Even popping to the shop at the end of my road I'd end up running home feeling like I was about to wet myself then I'd rush to the toilet and I barely even needed to wee. This is common so you're not alone!

The theory behind it is that when the body's fight or flight mode is triggered, our bodies are busy trying to prepare ourselves to fight the threat or run away from it. They believe the weeing thing is your body attempting to get rid of any extra weight so you can run away faster as you'll be lighter. It also shuts down systems it doesn't need at that 'life threatening' time like the digestive system, being able to communicate, etc.

I can happily say this annoying symptom has died down now for me. The best thing to do here is to treat the anxiety itself! You can do this with regular exercise (any type of cardio that will get your heart rate up such as running, dancing, swimming, etc.) and aim for at least 3 times a week. Eat healthy most of the time (a treat here and there is fine), meditate everyday (absolute lifesaver for anxiety and try an app called Calm if you need guidanc), drink lots of water (seems scary when you need to wee often but dehydration can actually increase anxiety), try chamomile tea, cut down on caffeine junk food and sugar, try a CBT course and talk to a counsellor to address the cause at the root.

Anxiety symtoms often come from our body being out of balance (the mind body connection) so follow these tips and it'll improve quickly :)


Even popping to the shop at the end of my road I'd end up running home feeling like I was about to wet myself then I'd rush to the toilet and I barely even needed to wee. This is common so you're not alone!


Is this [common]?


It is common - I learnt about it in CBT for my panic disorder
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Re: Bathroom anxiety

Postby InquisitivePursuer » Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:37 pm

Ncmilla wrote:It is common - I learnt about it in CBT for my panic disorder


Oh, okay, i see.
And yes, i can now imagine it's a commonly experienced symptom for people who endure strong social anxiety.
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