For some people mental stress is a major trigger.Doesn't mean IBS is caused by stress, just stress triggers it to act up. IBS has a physical cause, but like most every disease stress tends to make it worse.Different people have different triggers.Physical stress (over-tired, over-worked, etc.) can be just as bad for some people as mental stress. For others it is diet, or the weather, or hormon fluxes, etc.If mental stress triggers your IBS then finding healthy ways to deal with stress may be a good approach for you.K.
I think most of my IBS is mental
If I am at home I can do anything.I think worrying makes my IBS worse.I started a job in mid January. At first there were big problems and I had to get up 2 hours before work just to see if I could make it to work that day. I wouldnt eat lunch with other people for fear that i would have an "occurance" After I started to get comofortable ,the IBS slowly went away. Now I can go to lunch and be ok with eating most foods. (still cant eat whatever I want)I still have some IBS but not near as bad as it was 3 months ago. Now I can atleaset workout in the gym with no worries of IBS.My main concern was ALWAYS "wheres the bathroom" and I would freak myself out with worry. I have learned that everone has to "go" and its not really A big deal. Sure we may go more than 5 times a day **ID RATHER GO THE BATHROOM 5 TIMES A DAY,THAN HAVE NO LIFE**
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I think a majority of it is mental, I am the same way. When I'm at home I usually feel fine, but as soon as I'm about to go out, it triggers an attack. Some of it has to do with your diet also too.
Oh yeah i totally agree. If im at home im fine but as soon as i have to go anywhere then it triggers an attack.If i know i have something coming up then i worry about it weeks before
Yea, it's definitely mental. If I'm in a situation where there is no bathroom, I absolutely freak out. I won't go there. Which means that I have to miss the amazing fireworks that occur every year in my hometown and also in the city where I go to school. Things like that - it really stinks. But if I'm calm, know where the bathrooms are, know I took my medicine, know I have extra underwear and immodium in my purse, things go a lot smoother. It took me a while to work up to this, though - I basically spent my whole Christmas break this year re-learning how to be okay in public. It was so hard. I had a lot of bad experiences.
Same here. At home I don't worry because I CAN go. If I have to go on a bus, plane, etc...I worry. If I have to go to work and have 1-2 or more hours without access to the BR, I can worry. Still I agree with Kathleen, it can make it worse but doesn't cause it. Some days I worry and for nothing...am totally fine. Other days I'm not worried and it ends up being a bad day.
"For some people mental stress is a major trigger.""If I'm in a situation where there is no bathroom, I absolutely freak out. I won't go there."I coudln't agree more. Why is my problems don't show their ugly face until something important comes along?
Same here. I was doing okay and then had a few bombshells dropped on me the last few days. One time it was about an hour before I had to give a presentation for my home based business. I had stopped doing shows but with my IBS under control, started again.After about the 3rd time, I took a half of Imodium and half an ativan and made it through although not having much fun.The next morning, I had another bad day. It is like the stress of the day before continued right on!Hoping to rebound tomorrow.
Stress does not cause IBS. Stress causes symptoms of your IBS to worsen. It is a mind-gut disorder, but that is part of what we work on to be able to live our lives successfully and do things we used to do before IBS hit us. For example, Lynnie, who says you have to miss those fireworks? There is so much that can be done to make doing these things possible, whether it's medication wise or therapy wise. This is where we decide whether we will be our own advocate and research and read how other's did it to get to where they are, or we don't and we miss out greatly! There is life with IBS. It just has to be "tweeked" like a car!
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