Bathroom anxiety - getting worse?

[kio]

Hi everyone,

Basically I've had what I call 'bathroom anxiety' for years and years now, where I am continually worried that I will need to pee in a public place/there won't be a toilet if I need one. I know quite a lot of people have these anxieties, but mine has certainly gotten worse. I believe it all started when I was a young child and I was on a long car journey and when I needed to go to the bathroom there was no where to go, and being only young and dying to pee, I was crying until we stopped off behind a bush or something. I think its just me not wanting that to happen again. But after that I was fairly concerned about needing the bathroom, like always going before I leave the house or not drinking too much if I know i'm gonna be on a long journey or somewhere I don't want to be interrupted by the need for the bathroom. However, in the past year, I've only become more anxious about it for some reason. When I was in my last year of high school, I started going to the bathroom in every break (which I've often done anyway just because I was too shy to ask in lessons like other people did) but I also started going between lessons, feeling like I had to take the opportunity to go while I could, even if it had only been one hour since I last went. Now when I go out, I will often go to the bathroom 5 0r 10 minutes before I go out and then once more right before I go out the door. And recently when I was out for the day/ long car trips I didn't drink at all during that time period at least for my peace of mind. It's become so ridiculous that everywhere I go I worry if there will be toilets, often not enjoying myself because of this anxiety that I have. My family frequently joke about how I wouldn't like to go somewhere 'because there aren't any bathrooms' or my mum is always saying that its ridiculous how much I worry about it and that its all in my head (but she just doesn't understand anxiety in any form anyway, she just thinks people make a big deal of being a little nervous). While I know I lot of it is psychological because i'm thinking about it all the time, it doesn't mean that I don't need to go, because the brain and anxiety can be very powerful in that way. I just hate how its taking over my life, and i'm becoming too anxious about it.
Is there any help out there I can get? Like trying to get rid of that psychological constant fear I will need the toilet?

Thanks in advance for any answers and taking the time to read this

[MiST]

The body can go for hours withnout needing to pee. Limiting your fluid intake while out and going before leaving the house is good.

Your never really that far from a toilet or bush anyway, go with the flow ;)

[Kirk]

Once you get my age, no matter what, you have to pee quite a bit. I remember once I was driving somewhere near Rockville, Maryland and I had to pee pretty bad and for the life of me,
I could not find a bathroom to save my life. I saw a large church parking lot, and drove in the lot, pulled the car over in a corner of the lot, opened the door, got on my knees and
began to pee, with the open car door acting as a shield from potential onlookers. What a relief!

[MiST]

Once you get my age, no matter what, you have to pee quite a bit. I remember once I was driving somewhere near Rockville, Maryland and I had to pee pretty bad and for the life of me,
I could not find a bathroom to save my life. I saw a large church parking lot, and drove in the lot, pulled the car over in a corner of the lot, opened the door, got on my knees and
began to pee, with the open car door acting as a shield from potential onlookers. What a relief!

After your epic encounter with the Gorn, your entitled to pee wherever you please. Thank you for your service :p

[Kirk]

Thanks. I was lucky to defeat the Gorn. He was a tough one to beat.