IBS and Body Confidence!

Irritable Bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition of the digestive system which affects 10-20% of the UK population and occurs mainly in females between the ages of 20-30. IBS can cause severe bloating, a hard distended stomach, cramps, spasms, wind, pain and often constipation or diarrhoea.

These symptoms don’t tend to follow a pattern, can be very sporadic and uncontrollable and often appear when you least expect it.

IBS isn’t an allergic reaction to certain foods because there is no pattern so some, all or just one symptom can suddenly appear at any time, not taking into consideration anything you are doing at the time. IBS doesn’t just cause medical symptoms but psychological ones as well. Many women will report feeling and looking 6 months pregnant, experience low moods, feel like they have gained 7lbs and suddenly become very self-conscious of how they look, especially if they dressed in something figure-hugging that day. There is a large correlation between IBS and having low self-esteem and body confidence, yet it is very rarely spoken about. 

There is much guidance from the National Institute of health and care excellence (nice) regarding the importance of self-help in managing their symptoms in addition to leading a healthy lifestyle and exercise promotion. However, there is little psychological guidance on how to manage your feeling of low body confidence when IBS is involved.

Body confidence is ultimately defined by how you feel in your body and how you feel about your body.  In the current social media world we live in, body image and body confidence is a large worldwide topic especially in teenage girls and young women, which is also the prime age for IBS to take its toll. It is reported that women in the UK have one of the lowest body confidence scores in the world with as little as 20%, because of the way they look compared to social media. Now add IBS into the spectrum and the % will be even lower.

So how can we help improve body confidence in those suffering with IBS? Here are a few tips and tricks to help you still feel body confident during an acute episode of IBS.

There are online support networks such as irritablebowelsyndrome.net who provide help on dealing with IBS and also the psychological symptoms it comes with – there is a great section under mental health and IBS.

Social media is not always as it seems. Take social media with a pinch of salt! Especially if you are a young girl suffering with IBS.  Surround yourself with positive images of others who may also suffer from IBS as you do and not just the slim celebrities and fitness models that do not have a medical condition and a completely different lifestyle.

Always have your little rescue remedies in your handbag with you, such as a peppermint tea, probiotic or your prescribed tablets just in case you develop an episode of severe bloating/pain. This will make you feel more confident that you have your go to help with you so hopefully your symptoms wont last all day.

Source;  

https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/mental-ibs-vicious-cycle 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs/

https://www.nice.org.uk/.../surveillance-report-2017-irritable-bowel-syndrome-2008-...

http://stephanieclairmont.com/ibs-can-affect-body-image/

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