Double trouble: symptoms and stress.
While stress is not a root cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), it can worsen symptoms when they’re active. And that’s when the other shoe drops: worsening symptoms can stress you out. To help break the symptom-stress-symptom cycle, take a deep breath in, and read on.
Not only can a chronic condition be difficult, but there may be other things in life that cause stress. Working with your doctor or a mental health professional to tackle stress from symptoms is certainly helpful, but you should also identify additional sources of stress and tactics to help address them. You may experience other stressors that could take a toll on your emotional well-being. Here’s how you can face them head on.
Stressor:
Being outside your comfort zone
Not being in the comfort of your own home can create worry about Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis (UC) symptoms, especially when you don’t have a flexible schedule, or you don’t have easy access to a bathroom.
Solution:
Identify your options
When you’re outside the home, you may find ways to work around your symptoms, like knowing where the bathrooms are or bringing extra toilet paper. Remember, you can use the Restroom Access Card to request access to restricted bathrooms when others aren’t available.
