IBS and Anxiety! Help!

Hoping someone can help me get through this. It's Thanksgiving day and I am experiencing horrible IBS and anxiety. My kids/grands are here and I have had such fear that I won't feel well while they are here and have brought this on myself. But I can't calm down. I know I brought this on myself. They make no demands, but I do of myself. I got almost no sleep last night. Up drinking camomille and marshmallow root tea. Not helping. I'm nauseaus and when I stand and walk I get a huge energy drain and lightheaded. Lots of sinus/nasal mucus. I am miserable! If anyone is up and has anything to offer, I would certainly appreciate it.

 

I feel your pain, TrustIt, as a fellow IBS/anxiety sufferer. It's a horrible place to be where you are. First aid suggestions that I've found helpful in the past:

Breathe!
Know that you are not alone
Listen to a favourite TMS or other podcast. Or indeed a favourite radio programme.
Music
If you have a To Do list for the day ahead, start on one of the easy items. Just doing simple physical tasks can be soothing
Remember that anticipation of the "thing" is nearly always so much worse than the actual thing. Practice staying in the present moment
Above all remember that our perfectionism is the enemy of recovery from IBS symptoms (I so need to remember this one!)

I'm British and we don't have Thanksgiving but I've been projecting onto an engagement I have coming up on Saturday! My symptoms have been flaring a bit recently and I've been worried about how I 'm going to be then. It's so easy for our TMS minds to leap ahead and just make everything worse. In a sense I'm talking to myself when I write this reply.

Just know that it will be OK, whatever happens.

 

Thank you for responding so quickly, Westb. I am having a panic attack. I haven't had one in years. Miserable. I have 3 more days to get through. I so want my solitude!