Anxiety and the Stomach

[Ness_is_a_mess]

Can anxiety cause you to have a nervous stomach?  Like, to be upset in your stomach for several days in a row? I noticed that whenever I am aggravated or completely stressed out my stomach will act up and feel upset for several days.  I get pressure in my chest, pain in my stomach, and occasional bouts of diarrhea. Sometimes antacids work but other times they do not help at all.

[PanicQueen1313]

Try looking up ilovepanicattacks.com by Geert. still struggling, but it helps a lot!

[Ness_is_a_mess]

Hello Catherine.

The stress that I am under is basic except that I have too much at once. Normally,  I can handle several tasks or issues at once but lately,  they seem to be flying toward me. LOL.  We recently just moved into our new place so it is taking a while to settle in.  My children are having a difficult time with the change. There are a lot of repairments around the place that need to be made and we are still getting acquainted with the neighbors, etc. In addition to the move,  I am unable to find employment which is a little scary because we have bills that are piling up.  Luckily, my husband has a steady job.

To me,  this is basic life stuff and I do not feel the need for therapy.  Although I believe in the power and healings of a good therapist.  Definitely not against it.  I just do not feel that it is necssary for this. But thank you for the post.

I would like to try yoga.

[Catherineneedssomehelp]

Heya Ness :)

That is not uncommon for anxiety at all. You're not alone :)

You should seek out someone to talk to about it though. Find a way to release the anxiety, and should you need further help, get in contact with some experienced people in your area.

Common symptoms are listed on this web site.

Things like tightness in chest, shortness of breath, the runs, constipation, nausea, sweating, heart palpitations, trouble swallowing, pins and needles ( which is why many people worry about their heart and or heart attacks).

The best person to speak to about this is your GP, and then a psychologist/counsellor, and if needed, a psychiatrist.

And remember, you're not alone. You're safe :) Im not sure which country you are from, but many countries have help lines you can call 24/7 for someone just to chat to. Don't be afraid to reach out for some help to help you calm yourself down.

Take care.

Kindest Regards,

Catherine

[Ness_is_a_mess]

Is it normal to feel chest pain when the stomach is upset?

[Paxiled]

Yeah, very common.  Antacids aren't the best approach, as they force the stomach to produce more acid whenever it needs to digest protein.  Try drinking a few ounces of aloe juice and taking digestive enzymes as an alternative.

[Kinger14]

I've been having similar issues, which I'm being told are "anxiety related".  My stomach gets upset once in a while, the main problem is a tightness, it feels like all the muscles right under my rib cage, I guess where my stomach is kind of, tighten up, this makes it hard to breathe...not sure if that helps at all, or if you or anyone else has similar issues...

[M4Y0U]

Indeed anxiety can cause all imaginable symptoms like the ones you describe. The stomach problems you describe might be caused by Irritable Bowel Syndrome ( IBS ) which can also be activated by stress and anxiety. It is very common for people with high level of stress and anxiety to have stomach problems and constipation or diarrhea. You can look around this website or forums for anxiety symptoms and trust me they can manifests as everything you can imagine of.

I would suggest you engage in a talk therapy to try to cure your anxiety to the root.

Best regards,
M4