WHY DO WE GET SUDDEN URGES FOR THE BATHROOM WHEN WE'RE ANXIOUS

Urination urges or defication urges (having a bowel movement) can be triggered by anxiety and create major roadblocks in people’s lives. They are after too embarrassed to even ask for help. This is a major problem and can develop into full blown agoraphobia is not treated.
If this affects you and you can relate to avoiding situations and activities because you may have to use a restroom and feel embarrassed or even worry about having an accident, you are not alone. I made this video to help you. This is a very common condition, yet shame and embarrassment keep people from talking about it or seeking help. In this video, I am going to share treatment suggestions. You will especially want to hear about what helped Jin and Max the most.
Even though this is a common experience, I recommend having a medical work up with your medical provider to rule out any possible medical cause before assuming these body responses and symptoms are caused by an anxiety response.
First of all, why does this sudden urge to urinate or deficate happen?
If you suffer from an Anxiety disorders, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety and other phobic conditions and you are exposed to a triggering event or situation, you may activate your fear response, your fight or flight or freeze response including the activation of your sympathetic nervous system. This is a natural physiological response, a survival mechanism, designed to help you run away from danger or prepare to fight. Your body is designed to release your bladder and bowel to run faster because digestion is not a priority for your body when you running for your life. So, it is a natural, automatic, bodily process that happens when you are anxious.
Even though you cannot change your body’s natural fear response, you can change what you fear.
Your body is not misbehaving. You brain is getting it wrong and is misinterpreting something as dangerous that is not dangerous. Your job then becomes one of training your brain that you are safe and can handle the situation.
Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy ERP is the treatment I recommend for frequent urges to urinate or deficate.

[@Annemarie-jw7ud]

thank you so much for these videos.

[@sebastiancarlile1270]

I have ocd and this all makes sense, it makes me go for a wee what feels like every hour

[@Friendlyadhd10]

Right now, I'm not a hot mess. I'm a big wreck.😢

[@sebastiancarlile1270]

@user-cw8br2mn3v sorry to hear that but things do get better and you can recover