Stomach anxiety

[lemonsqueeze]

Hi guys!

I'm really struggling with life ATM and was hoping to connect with people who may be experiencing what I'm going through.

Long story short Ive experienced childhood trauma which has made me more anxious than a typical person. Anyways, this happened in school were I was hungry and my stomach rumbled I immediately panicked in class, and was so embarrassed. A boy laughed and my life has never been the same since. I would get anxious it would happen again, and it did,and he would laugh more and more, then it escalated to other classes, outside school etc. It has plagued my life. I have tried all types of meds, therapy, etc but nothing seems to work. Because of this problem I find it very hard to leave the house and when I do I'm often met with people laughing, mimicking the sound, saying I'm gross etc. 

I don't remember the last time I was able to go to the cinema or 'normal' places people enjoy. 

I really hope there is someone out there that can relate, cause at this point I really feel my life is worthless. 

[jd2345]

Can relate, I also have some bowel issues related to my anxiety. There were many occasions I had a flare up which caused me embarrassment. Something I tell myself when feeling embarrassed is that it won't matter in a week. If you're being bullied over this, I recommend that you should ignore these people and try to not bring much attention to it. If your gut rumbles, so be it.

Also, when it comes to managing your symptoms I recommend a few things. How is your diet, exercise, sleep and anxiety management? Doing something as simple as reducing or cutting out processed foods and eating more fibre can do wonders for your gut.

Going for a 15 minute walk everyday can help vent your anxious thoughts and can even improve your gut's mobility.

Poor or disrupted sleep can make your gut inflamed, try to practice good sleep hygiene and get a good 7-8 hours of sleep a night.

There are meditations on YouTube dedicated to bowel disorders such as IBS. I use them from time to time when I get bad flare ups. 

I am in your shoes, I still worry a bit about having another flare up in a public place. But doing the things I've stated above has really helped me. It might take you a while to understand your body and what works with it. But I have faith that you'll be able to find that out. 

[lemonsqueeze]

I think once I moved into my apartment it became a lot worse as it's on a very quiet street and everytime I have to walk past people/units most laugh make comments, this unfortunately makes my social anxiety worse.

[jd2345]

How recent was your move to the apartment? When I moved out of my household, I chronically felt anxious/stressed for about 5-6 months. It may take some time to adjust to the new environment.

If your neighbours aren't great, I recommend that you find a group around your area to socialise with. Such as a mental health, gardening or anything else when it comes to socialising. You're not going to get better if the only social interaction fills you with shame and embarrassment. That'll only lead to more pain and eventually resentment. 

[Rebecca-b]

Hi, have you tried drinking water to fill your tummy? It might help.

You could also try wearing headphones and listening to music maybe, it could drown out the comments.

At the end of the day, it is a tummy rumble it is not disgusting it is a normal bodily function one of many that we all have, I get a loud hiccup .. just one, but it is loud enough to make everyone look. I just ignore or laugh it off. I really hope this helps you, good luck.