Anxiety, anxiety anxiety

[Wifflesnook]

I’ve suffered from IBS flare ups for years. I know that it is always triggered by anxiety. My symptoms are trapped wind on the left side of my abdomen right at the bottom. But worse than the wind pain which is bad enough is the overall feeling of illness and lethargy I always get. This flare up has lasted several weeks and is really debilitating. I’ve tried Colpermin, Buscopan, Windeeze. All the remedies really but nothing seems to help. And I’m sure that is because I’m so very very anxious. I won’t itemise why but there are things going on in my life apart from the worry about the virus. So it is my mind that needs the attention. I’m doing qigong which I love. I try to walk daily. Has anyone ant tips? For calming my mind and anxiety. I’d love to take some anti anxiety tablets but even if a house would give me any (doubtful) a trip to go right now is impossible. I’m only too aware that there are people in a way worse situation than me but that doesn’t help.

[Noodles43]

Hi,

If I have very bad pain,or a stomach bug then I find J Collis- Brown liquid works really well. It’s an old fashioned medicine containing peppermint oil and a little morphine to relax the digestive system so ideal for colicky stomachs. The liquid works better than the tablets, you can get it at most pharmacies or ask them to order it in.

I also find that taking peppermint oil capsules an hour before meals really helps with the day to day wind.

Hope you feel better soon xx

[Wifflesnook in reply to Noodles43]

Oh thanks. I will give it a go. I’m desperate to get through this.

[Wifflesnook in reply to Wifflesnook]

Maybe not as it says for diarrhoea and if anything I’m constipated

[Noodles43 in reply to Wifflesnook]

It doesn’t block you up, it just eases wind and pain, I can’t use the remedies you mention because they just make the wind worse! I think the morphine is good at relaxing the bowels so it helps the vicious cycle of pain and tensing cease.

Hope you feel better soon xx

[Iesgobdafydd]

I find focusing intensely on deep relaxation of my body is one of the most calming things I can do. If my mind is taken up with getting my body to relax and my body is able to relax then the anxious thoughts stop coming and triggering physical symptoms, and the physical sensations stop making my mind race around looking for what it needs to worry about. I don't know if you've ever done yoga - I did years ago, and the thing they had us do at the end of the class, lying down and relaxing and talking to us about each part of our body in turn and relaxing it is the kind of thing I'm thinking of. I find it's easiest to do if I've actually done some yoga exercises first - my body's more geared up to relax then, and the contrast when I stop exercising and lie down and relax is bigger. I hear "mindfulness" is quite similar, if you've ever tried that. If you're not familiar with either of those, another approach would be to try listening to guided meditation exercises for relaxation - there are some free online on sites like youtube; or you can buy recordings aimed at this kind of thing. I bought some downloadable hypnotherapy recordings from Michael Mahoney aimed at treating people with IBS - they didn't help my IBS, which I afterwards worked out wasn't caused by anxiety - but I found them great for deep relaxation.

Obviously relaxation isn't going to make your life problems go away, or stop them causing you anxiety. But it can help some if it just gives you a break from it. I hope you're getting support from friends, and professional help if needed, if you're finding it hard to cope in the face of the problems you're facing. There are a lot of people out there who would love to be able to help people in difficulties, but it can be frightening and a big effort to start looking for help, so very hard to do when one is struggling with anxiety anyhow. What really counts is not how big or small your troubles are, it's how big they are compared with your ability to cope with them.

[Wifflesnook in reply to Iesgobdafydd]

Thanks. Yes I do meditation and relaxation. I’ve got apps and o also like Belleruth Naparstek. I think I need to do them more as they do help. I never like to bother my family. They have their own difficulties and I don’t want to be a burden so basically it is just me and I was very dependent on my beloved husband so like many widows I’m bereft. Obviously that is contributing too. Thank you for your helpful response