No bathrooms available makes me super anxious...

[ladylay]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone here can help me out a bit.

I have really bad anxiety when it comes to being in a place or situation where I do not have immediate access to bathrooms. This started about 6 years ago when I was in high school. We used to commute to school and be stuck in traffic on a daily basis and one day I really needed to use the restroom and I couldn't since we were stuck, and the next exit was far. I had to hold it in, the whole way. Since then, I feel like I've been "traumatized".

I get nervous/anxious when I'm in my car, most especially when there are others in there, or even worse is when I'm not the one driving. I feel like I need to "get out". I get very dizzy and a pain in my stomach which makes me feel like I have to go #2 really bad.

Also when I am at work (I am a cashier) and am working alone at the register, I get anxious that I will have to go #2 and not have anyone that can take my place.

Or another example is when I am at a park with no bathrooms, I feel very anxious and can't stay there long.

I know that life is a beautiful thing and I don't want to miss out on anything. Being in a car is a big part of life and so is work.. so I want to find a way to cope with these stressors, and feel better and more comfortable living life.

Has anyone else experienced something like this or similar to this?


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[lawandorder]

hey.
I think your giving the fear outcome too much power, making the actual situation much worse than it really is.
I personally have not experienced the same scenario but all anxiety is essentially the same, it just presents itself differently in different people.
Are you afraid that you won't be able to hold it in? What's funny about your situation is that in the event that traumatized you, you're feared outcome didn't actually occur. You didn't go, even though you really needed to.
Why don't you believe that you can hold it in? You did in your worst case scenario, why can't it be done again?
You need to gradually build up the strenght in yourself that you actually wont do what your afraid of doing... going in ur pants.
It's just like any other phobia.
Good luck!

[palow]

Yes this used to be a BIG one with me years ago. I've pretty much gotten over most of my anxiety but yeah, I still know where all the best bathrooms are in my town, haha.

It's all a big joke to me now, and you've got to eventually treat it as a big joke too and laugh at it. Because taking it seriously is what will make your bladder and your colon constrict.

I used to live in a big city in Canada and there was a long stretch along the subway route where there were no bathrooms, and of course that was when I always had to go (#2). I lost a lot of money along that stretch because I had to get out of the station to find a restaurant bathroom and pay my way back into the subway.

This is what I've learned during my recovery: it doesn't matter what you're afraid of. You have got to face that fear eventually. Avoidance behaviour will make your anxiety worse. How do you face that fear? You get into cognitive behavioural therapy. You get a CB therapist or you get an anxiety programme off the internet or you get a book with a self-directed CBT programme.

Patrick