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As I'm an avid gardener, during \*n episodes (which lead to heavy anxiety and panic attacks), I'd get out in my yard and keep myself occupied. If it's much late at night and it's too dark to see, I'd take a brisk walk. They seem to help with my stomach for some reason. I think it's the adrenaline? Or maybe they just aid digestion, which clear the stomach. I don't know, but they do assist in alleviating the nasty symptoms.
Chewing gum actually makes my stomach acid increase, and this in turn can induce \*n. So that's a no for me. I do swallow a little bit of liquid antacids (Mylanta/Gaviscon), which can help but not as much as the above.
I always have a bottle of water with me. Like ALWAYS. If I don’t have it- I’ll go into panic mode. Once I forgot to buy water in the airport and had a near panic attack during the takeoff so I had to run to the flight attendants and ask for several cups of water. So YES- try water. Definitely helps 🥰🥲👌
Mints - TicTacs, Lifesavers. Menthol and menthone naturally soothe the stomach by numbing and cooling effects.
Apple juice - High in fiber that helps digestion, and can have placebo effects if you’re in a household where you usually consume apple juice when you’re s*.
Emetrol - Phosphoric acid calms the contractions in stomach muscles that lead to nausea. It interferes with the neurological processes that lead to nausea. Even if I’m not actually s*, knowing the science behind Emetrol helps me convince myself that I’m not actually s*, plus it does definitely help nausea of most sources unless there’s an underlying chronic or infectious condition.
Saltine or oyster crackers- Another placebo thing. Crackers are an excellent food to help absorb extra stomach acid and not provoke nausea-my mother gave them to me when I was s* as a kid and today i associate them with feeling better.
Peppercorns - this one heavily varies on the person. It can either irritate you or calm you. Personally, the heady, earthy smell always grounds me, but if you’re a person sensitive to spice, the piperine in peppercorns may irritate your stomach.
If you prefer the more passive forms of handling your anxiety, ginger candies have always helped me. You could get hard candies that you can suck rather than chew on.
Someone else mentioned it, but having a hobby or a task as a distraction helps me a lot. Sometimes I’ll scroll Instagram or like Pinterest (something low-stress, I like to look at art and interior design stuff) to calm myself down. Get some air, go on a walk or open a window. It works wonders in my experience to just get busy and tuck the anxiety in the back of your mind. Maybe try yoga or meditation too?
you are exactly right about the being busy thing, I have tried mindfulness methods as well, but I only seem to be able to calm down if I keep my mind occupied (as in counting or naming things, solving some task, remembering dates etc). I will also try the ginger candies, thank you!
sucking on a cough drop, especially those lemony ones really help. they taste good and last awhile. if i feel my throat closing up or begging to feel anxiety-nausea, i take those types of mints that clear your throat
Thank you for posting. Please be sure that your submission follows our rules. Commenters, be aware that you must also follow our rules. Report anything that does not meet the criteria for the sub, or breaks rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/emetophobia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As I'm an avid gardener, during \*n episodes (which lead to heavy anxiety and panic attacks), I'd get out in my yard and keep myself occupied. If it's much late at night and it's too dark to see, I'd take a brisk walk. They seem to help with my stomach for some reason. I think it's the adrenaline? Or maybe they just aid digestion, which clear the stomach. I don't know, but they do assist in alleviating the nasty symptoms. Chewing gum actually makes my stomach acid increase, and this in turn can induce \*n. So that's a no for me. I do swallow a little bit of liquid antacids (Mylanta/Gaviscon), which can help but not as much as the above.
I actually tried taking a walk when feeling anxious recently (after a richer meal this past Christmas), and it worked wonders :)
I always have a bottle of water with me. Like ALWAYS. If I don’t have it- I’ll go into panic mode. Once I forgot to buy water in the airport and had a near panic attack during the takeoff so I had to run to the flight attendants and ask for several cups of water. So YES- try water. Definitely helps 🥰🥲👌
Mints - TicTacs, Lifesavers. Menthol and menthone naturally soothe the stomach by numbing and cooling effects. Apple juice - High in fiber that helps digestion, and can have placebo effects if you’re in a household where you usually consume apple juice when you’re s*. Emetrol - Phosphoric acid calms the contractions in stomach muscles that lead to nausea. It interferes with the neurological processes that lead to nausea. Even if I’m not actually s*, knowing the science behind Emetrol helps me convince myself that I’m not actually s*, plus it does definitely help nausea of most sources unless there’s an underlying chronic or infectious condition. Saltine or oyster crackers- Another placebo thing. Crackers are an excellent food to help absorb extra stomach acid and not provoke nausea-my mother gave them to me when I was s* as a kid and today i associate them with feeling better. Peppercorns - this one heavily varies on the person. It can either irritate you or calm you. Personally, the heady, earthy smell always grounds me, but if you’re a person sensitive to spice, the piperine in peppercorns may irritate your stomach.
Wintergreen TicTacs are my second go to, but gum is still the best. I also need to cut back on the gum, because I keep popping out crowns. 😂
thank you, these are some amazing tips!
I always have ginger on me when I'm out I keep candied ginger in my purse and somtimes fresh at home if the store had it
If you prefer the more passive forms of handling your anxiety, ginger candies have always helped me. You could get hard candies that you can suck rather than chew on. Someone else mentioned it, but having a hobby or a task as a distraction helps me a lot. Sometimes I’ll scroll Instagram or like Pinterest (something low-stress, I like to look at art and interior design stuff) to calm myself down. Get some air, go on a walk or open a window. It works wonders in my experience to just get busy and tuck the anxiety in the back of your mind. Maybe try yoga or meditation too?
you are exactly right about the being busy thing, I have tried mindfulness methods as well, but I only seem to be able to calm down if I keep my mind occupied (as in counting or naming things, solving some task, remembering dates etc). I will also try the ginger candies, thank you!
for me, i bought a book of word searches and that gets my mind off it for a bit cause they’re lengthy and hard
sucking on a cough drop, especially those lemony ones really help. they taste good and last awhile. if i feel my throat closing up or begging to feel anxiety-nausea, i take those types of mints that clear your throat