An irrational fear problem caused by thinking too hard :(?

Question

I have this problem where my body tricks my mind into thinking that i need to urinate constantly or ill lose control of my water. Apparently it is all a form of anxiety and i have a therapist but i don't really like her and i am literally not living my life properly because of this - I can barely go anywhere!

Can anyone think of a way to fix this?

Answer 1

get a different therapist

or put an elastic band on your wrist and every time you have those thoughts snap the band against your wrist

Answer 2

First of all it is a form of anxiety and by understanding the bodies response to anxiety is the first step to changing what is going on for you.

There are three main components to anxiety which are physical symptoms, frightening thoughts and altered behaviour, in your case, you are experiencing the need to urinate (physical) which makes you think that you may wet yourself (frightening thought) resulting in not living your life properly (altered behaviour).

Anxiety is a normal reaction and we all need it to survive, it's called the 'fight or flight response'; it is the bodies natural way of preparing us for action. The brain sends a message through the nervous system to the adrenal gland which releases adrenaline into the bloodstream. One of the physical responses to this is we may feel the need to pass urine, empty the bowels and notice a dry mouth as secretions dry up. This is because the lighter we are, the quicker we can move.

Someone above suggested you use a pad, and although i believe this was said with the best intentions, this will only sustain your anxiety by supporting your unhelpful thinking of you wetting yourself. This is something known as a safety behaviour.

There are two websites that you can register with that will help you with your problem which is based on a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach. CBT's efficacy is evidence based and registration on the websites is free.

Remember anxiety is a normal response that we need to survive, your anxiety is just continuing beyond the point of being useful and is in fact impacting upon your life. You can make changes but this will not happen overnight, it will take some working on.

Good luck, keep motivated and well done for recognising you have a problem.

Answer 3

Stop thinking so hard and relax.  

Answer 4

What a shame to have that worry all the time! I don't have a solution to the worry, but I do have an idea that might help you feel more secure. Why not just wear a pad (like a Kotex)? Even though you know you are not going to need it, it will be there just in case. And that might relieve you of some of the worry until you get the thoughts under control. Also, if you don't like your therapist maybe you could switch? I hope this helps and I hope you are soon feeling better. And remember - even if you did lose control (which you won't), it's not the worst thing in the world that could happen. If you are wearing a pad, no one would even know.