# Surviving the anxiety of a week away



## 14448 (Jun 14, 2006)

Next week I'm going on a 'residential week' organized by my uni course, to an old farmhouse in the countryside. We have to share rooms and bathrooms, eat together, study in the day and socialise in the evenings.I'm terrified!! I haven't been away anywhere for 6 years, other than to my parents' house, and that is nerve-wracking enough.








I live alone so I'm not used to being around people 24-7. I don't know what to say to them or how to behave. I worried I'll totally freak out and spend the week in intense psychological pain, trying to hide my anxiety from everyone. Or I'll be so drugged up on benzos everyone will think I'm weird. Or that I'll spend every day hiding in the woods.







I'm not so worried about the IBS side as I plan to water-fast for the week (the only way I can think of to sedate my colon or I will have non-stop D caused by stress). But this raises problems in itself... how do I give the illusion I'm eating at mealtimes? If I drink clear alcohol, will it break the fast and trigger IBS symptoms? I'm too ashamed to tell my tutors, and I don't know the other people v.well. But I feel I have to go on this trip and get over my fears, or I risk being a hermit forever.


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## Noremacam (Sep 12, 2006)

Do you take soluble fiber? If you take soluble fiber every day, your D will be greatly reduced. If you start now, you'll be improved by next week. I worry that a water fast may do more harm than good. It'd be wise to keep a stock of soluble fiber foods, like rice cakes, bananas(although they sometimes make me a little bloated), baked chips(in small doses), or cream of wheat. For me, I find cream of wheat has the most filling with the minimum discomfort of any other food I eat. So you could just make a packet to eat. Soluble fiber cuts down diarhea and makes going more comfortable.Also, a simple way to deal with the stress is to break down the week into simple steps. Break down anything stressful into "one task at a time". Just think about what you have to do next, and don't think about anything else until you get that task done. I find this helps eliminate how monumental something can be sometimes.The best thing you can do, in my opinion, is to simply be honest about problems you have. You don't have to say "I'm gonna be having the craps all week" but you can say that you have stomach troubles when you're stressed, and if anyone sees you're nervous that's why. If I'm embarrassed of my IBS, I usually just admit the anxiety part of it.Lastly, it's a health problem. Nobody is going to make fun of you because of it. I know what I'm asking is tough, but try to put yourself in a mindset where you want to socialize. Just mentally decide "I love to socialize" and see your IBS as an mild inconvenience, not a show stopper. That's asking a lot, but if you take this mindset, you'll feel better. When I had a public speaking class in college, I decided I was going to treat myself like I was the best public speaker there. Not in a snobbish sense, but in the sense that I put myself under the belief that I was a professional. I did some poor speeches with confidence! lol. Point being, the mindset works.


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## 14448 (Jun 14, 2006)

Thanks for your advice Noremacam







Breaking the week into steps really helps. I leave tomorrow and right now I'm focusing on getting through the train journey.I've tried soluable fibre without sucess. I've also tried eating very small, bland meals but it didn't help- eating ANYTHING triggers cramps and D when I'm stressed. The last holiday I went on, many years ago, I just snacked on crackers and sesame bars and was running to the bathroom the whole time.I squirm at the thought of telling my close friends about IBS, let alone my uni group and tutors.But I am trying to get into the mindset of liking to socialize. I'm on day 2 of the fast and one of the advantages of it is I feel too spaced out to be anxious!


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## 14448 (Jun 14, 2006)

You were right! Fasting was a bad idea. Although I had no D (or BMs) for the week, I was also too tired even to hold a pen, and spent the whole time lying on my bed longing to go home. Also I still had pain and cramps despite entire digestive system being empty.It has taught me one thing though- never to go on holiday unless I have my own room and bathroom!


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## Noremacam (Sep 12, 2006)

Sorry to hear it didn't go that well. Just don't get discouraged. I tried not eating when I started a job several months ago. It worked for a while, but eventually I got too anemic to the point where I couldn't concentrate, and I was afraid to drive home!


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