Social Anxiety Constipation: Can’t Poo? Here’s What To Do…

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If you suffer from Social Anxiety Constipation, here’s what can help you poo if you’re feeling constipated. In other words, here’s how to lighten up (aka release your bowels) when you’re sitting on the can.  Speaking of which, I’ve been pretty serious on my blog and newsletter for awhile and am feeling the call to lighten up.  After all, that’s what awesome health is all about. It’s about being in the flow of joy.

Social Anxiety Constipation (BTW, it’s not a real medical term, I made it up) is a temporary condition which occurs when you need to poo, but can’t due to one of the following reasons:

  • Someone might hear you
  • You’re in a rush and you have a limited amount of time to poo
  • The toilet situation is not ideal
  • All of the above

Lest you think this article is purely in jest, let me reassure you that you will learn some Chinese Reflexology points and strategies to help you have a bowel movement when you’re experiencing conditions that are making it hard to poo.

But in light (pun intended) of being more lighthearted, I wanted to share some of the common scenarios where Social Anxiety Constipation might strike.  Of course, we’ll all deny this happens to us, but we can certainly imagine the following to cause a pause in pooing.

6 Scenarios Where Social Anxiety Constipation Might Strike

  1. You’re using the restroom at work and there’s someone in the stall beside you. It’s really quiet. If you try to poo, you may involuntarily grunt or horror of horrors, fart.  Your co-worker will hear you.
  2. You’re on an airplane and there’s a huge line of people waiting for you to finish using the toilet.  The pressure is on to finish fast.  Plus, the turbulence just kicked up a notch and the seat belt light blinked on.
  3. You’re about to embark on a 3-hour car trip where the only restroom you’ll see is at a gas station.  You have to poo now or forever hold your poo.
  4. You’re about to embark on an epic bike ride/marathon/[insert your favourite sport here].  If you can’t poo now, it will affect your performance.
  5. You have to poo before your yoga class, but you can’t seem to go and class is about to start.  Beware the Downward Dog.
  6. It was a fun idea to go to the beach, but now that you have to poo, the porta-potty is not so fun.  As your nose is assaulted by the combined stench of pee and chemical disinfectant, your eyes are overwhelmed by the mountain of soggy toilet paper (and personal sanitary products) heaped in the loo.  Poo here?  Ich don’t think so.

So, what are you to do when you find yourself in one of the above situations and Social Anxiety Constipation strikes?

First, An Important Message/Disclaimer

The information in this article is for educational (and entertainment) purposes and is not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases.  The educational information only applies for situations where one is experiencing TEMPORARY constipation due to awkward social situations or timing.  If you have chronic constipation, have been constipated for 3 days or more, or you see blood in your stool, GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR! For more details on when to see a doctor when you’re constipated, here’s an article on the Mayo Clinic website.

Chinese Reflexology Points to Help Things Flow to Help You Go

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, all diseases can be traced to a disharmony in the flow of Qi (life force energy) in your body.  If the energy is flowing as it should, then the physical body follows.  However, if Qi becomes blocked or stagnant, over time this can lead to manifestations in the physical body.  On the flip side, if the physical body is “blocked”, Qi becomes stuck too.  The two interplay with each other like Yin and Yang.  If you move one, the other moves too.

In the case of Social Anxiety Constipation, self-consciousness or anxiety causes tightness and constriction in the body.  This stops the flow of Qi and the flow of poo.  Get the Qi moving again in combination with some relaxation, and you’re going to get the poo moving.

You wouldn’t be sitting on the toilet unless you felt the urge to have a bowel movement.  Thus, it’s likely that you really do need to poo, but something has stopped the flow.  You’re about to learn how to get it flowing again.

Usually I teach Chinese Reflexology points on the feet.  However, in the case of pooing, it’s simply not practical to reach down and rub your feet (and it’s a little gross to do that on the toilet).  Hence, I’ll show you some reflexology points on your hands.  In fact, all of the Chinese Reflexology points on your feet can be mapped to your hands.  While the foot points are the power centers, the points on your hands can also be very effective.

Chinese Hand Reflexology Points for Large Intestine

Since we’re talking about poo here, the focus will be on the lower half of your large intestine.  To help the Qi flow through your large intestine, you can massage the transverse, descending and sigmoid colon points on your left hand. These are different segments of your large intestine.

The transverse colon reflexology point is a horizontal line located around the halfway point dividing your palm in half.  The descending colon reflexology point is a vertical line located along the edge of your palm below your baby finger. It begins at the end of the transverse colon point and descends downwards to about one thumb-width above your wrist crease.

Finally, the sigmoid colon reflexology point is a horizontal line going from the descending colon point to the thenar eminence of your thumb.  That’s the big fleshy pad of your thumb that makes up part of your palm.

To massage these points, make a fist with your right hand and use the knuckles.  Start with the transverse colon and stroke horizontally across your palm from left to right.  When you finish the stroke, pick up your knuckles, place them back at the left of your palm, and repeat. Do about 10 to 15 strokes.  It’s important to ALWAYS go from left to right (from the index finger towards the pinky) as this follows the flow of food waste through your intestines.

Next, use a knuckle (I like to use the right middle finger knuckle) to stroke the descending colon point in a downwards direction only.  Start at where the transverse colon ends and stroke down towards where the sigmoid colon begins.  When you finish the stroke, pick up your knuckle, place it back at the top of the descending colon point, and repeat.  Do this for 10 to 15 strokes.

Finally, you will use your four knuckles to stroke the sigmoid colon point.  For this point, stroke horizontally from RIGHT to LEFT.  You’ll stroke from the outside edge of your palm (like where you would do a karate chop) to the inside of your palm (where your thumb is).  In medical lingo, you’ll be going in the direction from the ulna bone to the radius bone.

One easy way to visualize the correct direction is to look at your left palm and envision the strokes going in a clockwise direction.

Chinese Hand Reflexology Points for Anus (Tee Hee)

Seriously (or unseriously), it’s hard not to laugh when saying or writing the word, “anus”.  I had a French teacher once whose last name was “Annis”.  She was mercilessly ridiculed by a group of immature teenagers, but I digress here…

The Chinese Reflexology point for the anus (tee hee again) can be found on your left palm at the end of the sigmoid colon point.  It’s a small circle that is located just below the center of your thenar eminance. If you imagine a point right in the center of the big fleshy pad of your thumb (see the “x” on the diagram), the anus reflexology point would be located just below it.

To massage this point, use the knuckle of your right index finger.  Press into the point and twist back and forth as if you were drilling into the point with your knuckle. Do this for about 10 to 15 seconds.

Relax and Breathe

Prior to trying the reflexology, you’ve probably be straining to poo and/or holding a lot of tension in your abdominal region.  Now is the time, to take a breath and relax all of the muscles in your abdomen.  Try to release all tension and keep breathing easily, yet deeply.

Now, repeat the reflexology.  Then try to poo.

Repeat all of the above as necessary.  You’ll be surprised at how much easier and quicker the poo comes out.

If you enjoyed this article and you found it helpful, please share it with your friends.  Come on, it’s begging for a Facebook Share.  Give yourself the freedom to post something embarrassing and funny. It’s incredibly liberating and that’s really at the heart of what keeps the poo flowing.  Letting go and being free.

Happy Pooing!

P.S. If you’d like to learn more about Chinese Reflexology, I invite you to sign up for my free monthly newsletter, Amazing Feet.  You’ll also receive complimentary Chinese Reflexology charts and lessons on how to use them to improve your health and figure out what’s going on in your body at an energy level. It’s a super fun way to learn self-healing tips and techniques for the body, mind and spirit.

P.P.S. I’m a full-time mom to a preschooler so I promise that you won’t get tons of email from me as I’m much too busy looking after my son. I also promise to keep your email address confidential and to only send you messages that are full of useful and invaluable information.

Wishing You Amazing Health,

Holly

6 thoughts on “Social Anxiety Constipation: Can’t Poo? Here’s What To Do…”

  1. Congratulations on your book! And you are obviously a wonderful mother! Thank you so much for all of the reflexology information. Good luck with everything and enjoy being beautiful you!

  2. I heard about this a decade ago when I was in school but never believed it though it worked for me. I thought that it’s a mental state and not a physical state. But nw I got cleared with the idea of massaging the specific points. Thank u.

  3. This is a great article I’m going to share it with a friend.

    I have been reading all of your articles and have read Sole Guidance. I am a Reiki Master/Teacher and I”m fascinated with Reflexology. I just finished the Sole Fundamental Program. Interested in the Advanced Program for 695. but am over 65, living on Social Security and don’t have the funds available at this time. Do you have scholarships?

    Also looking for advice on Tinnitis. On my Rt foot at the ear points on the back of the two toes I have a hard lump on the lower section of the toe. Is this at all a symptom that would cause tinnitus?

    Thank you, looks forward to your response

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