Does holiday shopping make your bladder problems worse?
Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Christmas shopping…the crowds are insane, the lines are long, you’re thriving on caffeine and adrenaline, and you’ve noticed that your urinary urgency and maybe even leakage are getting worse. What’s up with that?
There is an actual physiological reason for it. Anxiety, stress, and sometimes even excitement can trigger your sympathetic nervous system. You may have heard of this side of your nervous system. It’s your “fight or flight” response: the part of your nervous system that helps you run from a bear if it’s chasing you in the woods. The other part of your nervous system is the “rest and digest” side. This part of your parasympathetic nervous system helps you chill out, eat food, and breathe deeply.
The anxiety, stress, and nervous energy of the holidays can signal the bladder muscles to contract more frequently (through the sympathetic nervous system), which signals the urge to pee. It also contributes to generalized muscle tension throughout your body, particularly your pelvic floor muscles, which leads to increased feelings of pressure and heaviness. Think about your upper traps, jaw, and neck. If there’s tension in these areas, I can pretty much guarantee there’s tension in your pelvic floor. Anxiety and excitement also intensify your awareness of what’s happening in your body, making you more sensitive to sensations such as your bladder filling.
So what can you do about it?
Well, you have to calm your brain and your body. Know that your bladder doesn’t go from fine to full just because you reached the middle of the check out line.
Here are some tips for controlling the urge to go when you find yourself in the middle of that long TJ Maxx line:
Take 5 deep breaths. Close your eyes for a minute if you have to. Relax. Breathe into your belly and the sides of your ribs.
Do 5 quick contractions with your pelvic floor, like you would if you had to stop the flow of urine.
Distract your brain. If all you focus on is the need to pee, that urge will only get stronger. Start strategically planning your next stop, adding up the savings you’re getting in your head, or messaging a novel to your bestie about how thankful you are for y’all’s relationship. The distraction part of this three-step process should be something that requires some mental energy so that it truly distracts your brain from the urge.
And then, after the holidays, go see a pelvic floor therapist! Happy shopping!
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