What is anxiety poop? Anxiety poop is the urge to go to the toilet for a bowel movement either from anxiety or a fear of not having a bathroom close by in a public place. Jason Demant, London hypnotherapist and IBS gut hypnotherapist will explain more about anxiety poop and how to deal with this troublesome anxiety. In this article we look at anxiety bowel movements and how hypnotherapy can help you feel more comfortable and confident about the urge to poop. For information about Jason’s IBS hypnotherapy sessions for bowel urgency, click here.
Anxiety poop is a real fear
Do you sometimes feel you need to go to the bathroom when you hear bad news, or maybe before an exam, a big work presentation or just leaving home in the morning? This may be anxiety poop. Anxiety poop affects more people than you might think. It is indeed common for many people that anxiety-producing events can trigger digestive issues. Anxiety can result in abdominal pain, diarrhoea, constipation, and even nausea and fainting.
This is because the brain and gut are linked together. As such, this is where Gut directed hypnotherapy can really help manage anxiety and anxiety poop better. In other words, anxiety poop may be body and mind’s reaction to stress.
Why does anxiety poop happen?
Research shows that high stress situations can upset the digestive system. This then, in turn triggers diarrhoea, constipation, and abdominal pain. It also can be about anxieties around the availability of bathroom facilities went out and about in public or on public transport. You can also feel anxiety when driving, on a flight or simply somewhere you worry you cannot exit and therefore will feel trapped.
This is hormone related too. Experts explain that stress and anxiety increase certain hormones, such as cortisol, adrenaline, and serotonin. The gut responds to these hormones by producing physical symptoms, like watery stools, nausea, or constipation. If you have experienced this, you will know just how debilitating this can sometimes be and how it can reinforce more anxiety too.
Anxiety poop and serotonin
The brain chemical serotonin is especially important when talking about anxiety poop. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and a hormone involved in the peristaltic reflex (moving food through the gastrointestinal tract. During heightened anxiety, the amount of serotonin increases in your gut. This increase can cause spasms to happen throughout your entire colon. These spasms are enough to produce unexpected bowel movements, a busy or angry tummy and discomfort.
Anxiety poop may also be linked to your nervous system. You probably have heard of the Vagus nerve and its relationship to stress and the digestive system. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body. The vagus nerve carries an extensive range of signals from the digestive system and organs to the brain and vice versa. In recent years, therapies aimed at calming the vague have become increasingly popular.
How hypnotherapy helps bowl functioning
Therapy, in particular Gut directed hypnotherapy, has become increasingly a go-to therapy for IBS and bowel habit regulation. As a London hypnotherapist, I use Gut directed hypnotherapy with clients with IBS every week. One of the most distressing symptoms people come to me for help with is anxiety poop. Though often people don’t use this exact phrase, they will simply say they often have a strong urgency to have a bowel movement. People will sometime find that anxiety exacerbates frequency or nature of bowel movements. It is common for many to also worry about or even stop doing activities out of a fear of loose stools, diarrhoea or other symptoms.
Many of my clients wish to work on lowering anxiety levels when on public transport or in work meetings. In other words, places where it is difficult to escape or exit or find a lavatory. This heightened daily anxiety can have a knock-on effect. IBS causes diarrhoea, and then this prompts more anxiety, followed by urgency increasing. This is all followed by perhaps anxiety about having this whole problem in the first place and as such a vicious cycle is created.
Hypnotherapy can bring calm to the gut and mind
Hypnotherapy itself is simply calming and relaxing. however, Gut directed hypnotherapy is all about calming the relationship of the brain and the gut. As such hypnotherapy can help the whole system, as it were, become rebalanced and more calm reintroduced. I will often work on specific anxieties, fears and concerns that people have about symptoms. The aim of sessions is to help people move back to a more normal daily life and work routine, by starting to reduce anxieties about anxiety poop urgency and other IBS related symptoms.
Other ways to reduce anxiety poop
IBS chemotherapy is extremely helpful for anxiety poop and it’s related symptoms and anxiety producing experiences. You may wish to consider other ways to reduce this troubling experience also. For example it is always good to look at your diet and Lifestyle. It is always worthwhile to consult with a qualified dietitian who can advise about how different foods or supplements may be helpful. Many people consider cutting out gluten. However, ensure you carry out any changes under professional supervision. Is very common for people to cut out spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol.
Look at your home environment
When surrounded by clutter and chaos it is harder for the nervous system to relax. So, you may wish to consider your environment and if it is conducive for your well-being. This particularly applies if you work from home or have home stresses.
Your eating environment is important also for digestion. When you are about to eat, try to make your surrounding environment as calming as possible. It’s a great idea to remove electronic devices from the table. You might even consider putting your phone in another room. Try clearing your table of any items that aren’t related to eating. This is especially important if you’re working from home and eat where you usually work.
Why not light a candle or use plates and utensils that are special to you? The idea is to create a soothing environment, helping to lower your anxiety levels and make your mealtime a peaceful ritual.
Mindful eating and IBS
Digestion truly isn’t limited to be just in the stomach and intestines. Digestion really begins in the mouth through chewing your food well. An important exercise that use when I help people with IBS or anything food related, is mindful eating. Mindful eating is all about slowing down the process of eating. So that digestion can really begin well from the beginning of the process. Mindful eating is also a good way to calm the mind and nervous system as well. Here are a few mindful eating tips.
Eat slowly
When you eat slowly and chew slowly, it helps break down your food better, making it easier to digest. Chewing properly also helps you to focus on the food you’re eating and create more of a feeling of calm overall.
Lower your fork
Between bites, lower your cutlery, so you make each bite a conscious choice.
Breathe
Eating should be an enjoyable experience, almost a meditation. It’s a time for well-being and self-care. So, really take time to enjoy eating, which is after all, one of life’s wonderful pleasures.
Activities to reduce anxiety and calm the nervous system
Let’s consider other mindfulness activities to lower your body’s stress hormones. These can include:
- yoga
- moderate exercise
- journaling
- creative activities, like baking, painting, or knitting
- morning affirmations or mantras
- cuddling or petting an animal
- music therapy
- taking a warm bath with Epsom salts
Try to prioritize activities that make you feel calm and relaxed. Especially do so if you find that you experience anxiety poop regularly.
I know that some of those examples will not be for everyone, they are just a few suggestions. So consider what would be relaxing and calming for you in particular. Think of activities that help you get more centred, grounded and happy.
Anxiety poop and hypnotherapy
If you suffer from anxiety about bowel movements and urgency, which may extend to diarrhoea and anxiety poop, then hypnotherapy can help. Gut directed hypnotherapy is ideal for these symptoms. If you would like to feel calmer and more relaxed about this whole area, get in touch to find out more how my London IBS hypnotherapy can help you. Click here for more details today.
