MrsCluggy
01-05-06, 21:35
Hi There,
Firstly, I apologise for my subject title, but I really couldn't find another phrase to explain my problem !!
Does anyone else, when they get nervous in situations, have a very urgent need to visit the loo !!
Because that is what is happening to me at the moment. If I have to face a situation that makes me particularly nervous, such as a family gathering, travel by car/plane, social outings etc. I find that my body goes into complete meltdown and I urgently need to visit the toilet.
This is where my panic history stems from, I think. I am having a bit of a problem breaking the panic cycle surrounding this situation.
I can be travelling in a car, I am nervous about where I am going, I feel the sudden urge to go to the toilet, I'm on a particular stretch of road that has no facilities for me to stop at, MY TRIGGER IS PULLED and the panic starts. I need to get out of the car, my breathing is rapid, I cannot calm myself down.
It happened to me on Sunday, actually. I had a family social gathering to go to with my husband and son. This particular part of my husband's family make me particularly nervous because I don't see them that often and they aren't very comfortable to be around, i.e. we never really know what to say to each other.
So, I felt nervous from the off. I made sure that I went to the toilet about 5 times before I left the house, just to make sure that I didn't need it when I was in the car. We had to travel for about 1.5 hours and during the last half hour, I knew we were getting closer to the venue and I suddenly felt that familiar 'urge' to go to the toilet.
I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was distraught.
I sang songs in my head, I counted cars, I did anything to take my mind off needing the toilet. However, this isn't just about negative thoughts, this is trying to prevent the physical symptoms of needing the loo happening too quickly (if you know what I mean).
We had to stop off at a nearby pub, that was shut, and I met the Landlord coming out of his car to open up the pub and politely, but rather ashamedly, asked if I could use his facilities. He obliged, but I felt so ashamed of myself.
I kept saying to myself whilst in the toilet, "you are a 36 year old woman who is begging a landlord to use his loo because you cannot control the urge to visit the toilet"
I do give myself a very hard time after the event, but then I rationalise my problem - everyone needs the toilet, some more eager than others like myself. It's just that this is now happening everytime I have to face something that makes me nervous. I urgently need the toilet. If I go to an unfamiliar place, the first thing I look out for is where the toilets are.
I actually missed out on a fantastic helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon because I could not board an aircraft that didn't have toilet facilities, because I knew that if I needed the toilet urgently, I could not get off and I damn sure know that I could not 'hold myself' before we landed and having a full blown panic attack in an enclosed space such as a helicopter is not my idea of fun. I hated myself for turning it down because to me that is just pure AVOIDANCE and I try not to go down that road if at all possible.
I would dearly love to hear from anyone who is or has experienced this problem and any suggestions for how to get over this hurdle.
I have successfully managed to get over my anxiety/panic attacks. I was having these because of absolutely NOTHING and I can now rationalise what is happening to my body when I am short of breath, feel faint etc.
But this is, what I feel, the final hurdle in my complete recovery from anxiety.
It's such a taboo subject, talking to someone and having the need to visit the toilet all the time.
But if I cannot bear my soul on this website and tell my inner most embarrassing ailments to those who have probably experienced the very same, then who can I turn to !!
PLEASE HELP ANYONE. You can PM me or put it out for all to see, I really don't mind.
Firstly, I apologise for my subject title, but I really couldn't find another phrase to explain my problem !!
Does anyone else, when they get nervous in situations, have a very urgent need to visit the loo !!
Because that is what is happening to me at the moment. If I have to face a situation that makes me particularly nervous, such as a family gathering, travel by car/plane, social outings etc. I find that my body goes into complete meltdown and I urgently need to visit the toilet.
This is where my panic history stems from, I think. I am having a bit of a problem breaking the panic cycle surrounding this situation.
I can be travelling in a car, I am nervous about where I am going, I feel the sudden urge to go to the toilet, I'm on a particular stretch of road that has no facilities for me to stop at, MY TRIGGER IS PULLED and the panic starts. I need to get out of the car, my breathing is rapid, I cannot calm myself down.
It happened to me on Sunday, actually. I had a family social gathering to go to with my husband and son. This particular part of my husband's family make me particularly nervous because I don't see them that often and they aren't very comfortable to be around, i.e. we never really know what to say to each other.
So, I felt nervous from the off. I made sure that I went to the toilet about 5 times before I left the house, just to make sure that I didn't need it when I was in the car. We had to travel for about 1.5 hours and during the last half hour, I knew we were getting closer to the venue and I suddenly felt that familiar 'urge' to go to the toilet.
I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was distraught.
I sang songs in my head, I counted cars, I did anything to take my mind off needing the toilet. However, this isn't just about negative thoughts, this is trying to prevent the physical symptoms of needing the loo happening too quickly (if you know what I mean).
We had to stop off at a nearby pub, that was shut, and I met the Landlord coming out of his car to open up the pub and politely, but rather ashamedly, asked if I could use his facilities. He obliged, but I felt so ashamed of myself.
I kept saying to myself whilst in the toilet, "you are a 36 year old woman who is begging a landlord to use his loo because you cannot control the urge to visit the toilet"
I do give myself a very hard time after the event, but then I rationalise my problem - everyone needs the toilet, some more eager than others like myself. It's just that this is now happening everytime I have to face something that makes me nervous. I urgently need the toilet. If I go to an unfamiliar place, the first thing I look out for is where the toilets are.
I actually missed out on a fantastic helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon because I could not board an aircraft that didn't have toilet facilities, because I knew that if I needed the toilet urgently, I could not get off and I damn sure know that I could not 'hold myself' before we landed and having a full blown panic attack in an enclosed space such as a helicopter is not my idea of fun. I hated myself for turning it down because to me that is just pure AVOIDANCE and I try not to go down that road if at all possible.
I would dearly love to hear from anyone who is or has experienced this problem and any suggestions for how to get over this hurdle.
I have successfully managed to get over my anxiety/panic attacks. I was having these because of absolutely NOTHING and I can now rationalise what is happening to my body when I am short of breath, feel faint etc.
But this is, what I feel, the final hurdle in my complete recovery from anxiety.
It's such a taboo subject, talking to someone and having the need to visit the toilet all the time.
But if I cannot bear my soul on this website and tell my inner most embarrassing ailments to those who have probably experienced the very same, then who can I turn to !!
PLEASE HELP ANYONE. You can PM me or put it out for all to see, I really don't mind.