# IBS causing Anxiety, not IBS caused by Anxiety



## Melissa Lady (May 3, 2013)

From what I've read thus far, there are a lot of people who say that their anxiety caused their IBS. My problems aren't rooted in anxiety, but it is a hell of a symptom. When my IBS started, I wasn't anxious in the least, because I was just sick and it would go away soon enough. However, now that I know what hell it can be when I eat something wrong or have an awful flare up, I get so anxious at the mere start of a symptom.

You see, my main symptom is nausea. Anxiety really murders me when the two join forces. I've come to understand with time that the nausea isn't caused by anxiety alone. Even when I calm myself down, the nausea is still present. *What are the best ways to cope with the fear and anxiety of my symptoms? *I'm terrified of my symptoms appearing. They get so bad that it feels like another bout of food poisoning, even with my medicines and gluten/dairy free diet.

The only thing that really seems to help me cope is hope. I have post infectious IBS, which is known to go away in time with most cases. Hopefully. My mother had the same exact thing a few years ago and it lasted ten months for her. Maybe it's not IBS and something hereditary. See? Hope keeps me going.

I do not live a stressed life. I'm not taking summer classes and I have a laid back part time job. It is only fear. Maybe some of you out there know how bad this can get, makes me tear up thinking about it.

(I do drink herbal tea and rest on a daily basis)


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Do you have access to someone that does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? There are a lot of good techniques in that style of therapy that can be helpful, and a good professional can guide you through that.

If you don't, or can't for any reason there are some self help things you can do.

Mindfulness meditation. But this makes a difference over time and with training. It won't stop the first real attack of anxiety, but it can overtime help you manage it, and usually in CBT they will teach one of these. Dr. Brantley lectured at some of my coach training sessions and here is one of his books specifically on that http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1572244879

Also has the five good minutes series http://www.amazon.com/Five-Good-Minutes-Morning-Practices/dp/1572244143/

A book on CBT and IBS by Dr. Bolen who has written articles for our site, http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Bonds-Irritable-Bowel-Syndrome/dp/1572241888/

You body doesn't know where the stress comes from. All stress is equally stressful. I don't know why we think the sometimes tremendous stress of being sick and tired of being sick and tired and dealing with all sorts of unpleasant symptoms should some how be different stress and not cause problems. Maybe because it isn't a stress we choose, but the body reacts to the stress hormones no matter what caused them to release.

Some people have the anxiety triggered by something else before the IBS pops up, sometimes IBS and all that comes with it will trigger anxiety for the first time. Doesn't make it any easier no matter which came first. That being said, now you have it popped up learning how to manage it is a good skill because if you are prone to it in one situation you can be prone to having it happen again triggered by something else.

ETA: If the anxiety is severe it can sometimes take both medication and these other techniques to get it under control, and you may always need some medication. So if you try the self-help route and the anxiety is so bad you can't really even work at the steps to getting better talk to your doctor and see if they think you need medication or a professional to step you through this. A fair number of studies show medication work and a fair number show the CBT or mindfulness approach works, and quite a few show that a combination of the two often works a lot better than either one by itself.


----------

