Anxiety can set in at any time, and more often than not, a person experiences it at the most inopportune times, like when you are in a social situation. Apart from the direct negatives of experiencing anxiety in such situations, the long-drawn side effects that it can bring along- stomach discomfort, for example, make the experience worse.
Have you ever found yourself in such a situation, not knowing how to handle it? If so, you are not alone. However, it can be managed and reduced, and here we explore how.
What Anxiety-Related Stomach Discomfort Feels Like
It is a well-known fact that anxiety tends to have a significant impact on your gut, causing a lot of varied issues such as stomach bloating, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, and many other ailments. Whenever you are hit by an episode of anxiety, your system goes into a fight or flight response, releasing stress hormones including cortisol as well as adrenaline, and causes your nerves and systems to tense up, all of which contribute to upsetting the stomach.
As a result, you can experience symptoms such as nausea, butterflies, a hollow feeling in your stomach, and others, as explained above. Experiencing these symptoms when anxiety kicks in is a normal reaction of the body. And although it can seem overwhelming, managing these issues is possible.
For anyone who experiences these issues, it is essential to understand how these challenges can be managed so that if you find yourself experiencing any of them in social situations, you can handle yourself effectively.
Steps To Manage Anxiety-Caused Stomach Discomfort
If you are experiencing anxiety-related stomach issues before going to a social gathering or have a tendency to experience the same, take the following measures to prepare yourself to manage the symptoms:
Understand Your Triggers
Anxiety is typically caused because of certain triggers, which can be experiences, people, or anything else. It is essential to understand what triggers anxiety in you, which will then help you understand ways to cope with it.
Some effective remedies for this can be practicing visualization and self-reflection, as well as maintaining a journal where you note down the discomfort and what caused it, which can help you avoid conflicting situations.
Pre-Socialization Practices
If you tend to experience anxiety and related stomach discomfort, engaging in mindfulness practices and calming exercises can help you go into your social engagements with a relaxed mind. Some practices that can help include meditation for a few minutes, consuming calming beverages, opting to consume light meals, going for a walk, listening to calming music, or doing an activity that relaxes you. These can help you gain a sense of control, which helps in building confidence, thereby minimizing anxiety and related stomach issues effectively.
Practicing Mindfulness
Learning and practicing mindfulness techniques can have a massive impact on reducing anxiety and, in turn, minimizing stomach challenges. What mindfulness does is it allows you to redirect your mind and attention to your current surroundings. Some simple exercises that you can incorporate include the following:
Counting Exercise
Also known as grounding exercise, this method compels one to engage all five senses in a systematic manner. To do this, start by finding 5 things you can see, four things that you are able to touch, three that you can hear, two that you are able to smell, and one that you can taste.
Sensory Distractions
Try employing tools like fidget toys (rings, spinners, figurines), stress balls, and other sensory toys as they help in redirecting stress and nervousness, thereby relieving anxiety.
Focused Breathing
Try to focus on your breathing by drawing in and exhaling deep breaths. This sends a signal to your brain to destress, helping in relieving anxiety and thereby relieving you of any symptoms of stomach distress.
Be Prepared To Socialize
If social situations induce anxiety in you, you can take steps like preparing conversation starters to avoid any uncomfortable silences. These periods of awkwardness can lead to anxiety in a person, and by using conversation starters, you can fill the gaps effectively and even create an engaging environment.
Conversation starters do not need to be something very clever or deep. In fact, a light-hearted compliment and inquiry, such as ‘I love your dress, where did you get it from?’, can be a wonderful conversation that makes the other person feel comfortable, pleasant, and interested in carrying the conversation forward.
Getting Professional Help
If you are having trouble with anxiety and feel like you cannot control or manage it on your own. Don’t worry. We at Mindspa Psychiatry are here to help you overcome anxiety and the complex feelings which come along with it.
As a nurse-owned practice, we offer compassionate services extended in the form of telemed, assisting you as and when you need it. To consult with our team of experienced professionals, you simply need to connect with us, and we will support you with your issues as best we can.
So, if you are preparing for a social engagement and fear that anxiety can kick in at any time, and spoil things for you, connect with us, from the comfort of your home, and get dedicated and guided solutions that will get you ready and confident to thrive in social situations.
For deeper consultations to address the root cause of the anxiety and how it can be remedied, we offer comprehensive consultation services as well.
Conclusion
Anxiety is known to manifest in physical forms and, most commonly, wreak havoc on your stomach and gastrointestinal system, causing problems of all kinds, from feeling nauseated to stomach bloating, churning, diarrhea, constipation, and more. However, these are not issues which cannot be managed through conscious efforts.
All you need to do is understand what triggers your anxiety, try to avoid the triggers as best as possible, and implement a daily routine that promotes overall mental well-being, which minimizes the occurrence of anxiety altogether. Through such measures, you can make sure that your condition is managed, and you can enjoy socializing to the fullest.
