Stress

Thank you so much for sending us a message. It is very important that you seek support if something is bothering you. You indicate that you have serious intestinal problems when you drive to work. I'm sorry to hear that!

You also mention that you think these issues are “all in your head”. I think the first thing you should do is ask yourself why you think that. Does anything mentally change for you when you drive to work, which could cause this? Does your work cause stress or anxiety? Or is it something else?

Stress and Anxiety

A common side effect of stress and anxiety is bowel problems. When you're anxious or stressed, some hormones and chemicals from your body make their way into your digestive tract, where they interfere with digestion. This gives you problems with your intestines. If you think your gut symptoms are a side effect of stress and anxiety, it's a good place to start trying to reduce your anxiety or stress. Below you will find a number of articles that can help you work on reducing your anxiety or work stress:

• https://niceday.app/library/i-want-more-balance-op-work-of-healthy-learning-working/
• https://niceday.app/library/i-make-me-worries-feel-me-angstig-en-wil-hiermee-om-leren-gaan/

This relaxation exercise can also be effective for managing feelings of stress or anxiety:

• https://niceday.app/lib-category/relaxation/

Nutrition and diet

In addition to mental causes, there can of course also be physical or nutritional problems that cause you to have problems with your intestines. Your diet is something you should also take into account, these articles can tell you more about that:

• https://niceday.app/oh-my-gut-what-if-you-suffer-of-bowel-problems/
• https://niceday.app/library/nutrition-2/

If you think that your intestinal complaints are caused by physical or nutritional problems, I advise you to go to your doctor or dietician. They can help you investigate this further.

Help

Suffering from anxiety and stress can be very tough. Would you like help from a professional in dealing with (work-related) stress or anxiety? See your doctor for a referral to a psychologist. You can also follow a treatment via NiceDay at various GGZ institutions. More information about this can be found here: https://nicedaynederland.nl/clienten/