Anxiety, Stomach Noises and Quiet Rooms

eliza_d

New member
Hi everyone,

Several years ago I was in a meeting at work - nothing unusual there - but I was hungry, and my stomach started rumbling. It rumbled a lot, and I left the meeting feeling very embarassed. Since then I have had problems sitting in meetings - I get anxious and worry about my stomach rumbling, and this anxiety seems to trigger more rumbling. I started to avoid meetings where possible, or stuff my face before going into one. Gradually though, this problem has gotten worse, and I now find it difficult to sit in any quiet room without my stomach rumbling. Today I walked out of an exam before finishing the paper because of the stress :-( Sounds really silly doesn't it? I don't know what to do about it as I really feel it's starting to take over my life. Has anyone experienced this and can offer some practical solutions? I was thinking of trying St Johns Wort or hypnotherapy.....

I'm feeling very down about it at the moment, and am seriously considering handing my notice in at work.

Eliza D
 

Chilling__Echo

Well-known member
i cannot believe you posted this!! this is what plagued me in middle school and my early high school and i've never heard of anyone else being afraid of this!!! it's like a little sign being shot over our heads "look at me!" thanks to our stomachs. and the more i worried the worse it got... thanks grublina that helps! but i used to carry around candy everywhere and gum just in case. i was obsessed... truely


but eventually i just tried to relax, focus on what's around you and try and forget about it. i know it's not easy, it took me about 4 years to conquer it and you can too. the key is to RELAX :D good luck and it was so good to see your post, you made my night, unfortunately you have to suffer with this thought :cry: but like i say, try chewing alot of gum! good luck
 

Angie_05

Well-known member
I have the same problem during schooltime. Sometimes it is genuine hunger, but other times I get a random grumbling for no reason at all. It was the worst when I was extremely anxious over a certain situation, but I won't mention that here as it is extremely personal. When my stomach grumbles in class, I try to just giggle about it and I find that others do the same. I've also heard other classmates' stomachs and that helped me to relax as well. Good luck with the situation!
 

ricky

Well-known member
i suffer from the same thing! and doing my A levels at the minute and every exam im always worring about my stomach rumbling. Its always ok after the exam tho. eating alot b4 exam helps alot but my main anxiety is being worring of being sick in front of people, coz when im in big groups i feel sick all the time. so eating alot makes me feel alot worse so its kinda hrd to find a happy medium of eatin jus enough so i dont worry bout my stomach rumbling! LIfe is soo complicated!
 
I get the stomach rumble alot,especially when im anxious, so it must be some sort of anxiety symptom. It can get embarassing at times
 
Omg, I really really thought I was alone in this one! My tummy always rumbles when I feel nervous or when it's quiet, even when I'm not even a little bit hungry! I hate it, makes me feel soo self conscious.

I hate it when it happens while I'm cuddling up to my boyfriend, although it happens less now cos it doesn't bother him at all, his tummy rumbles quite a bit too :p He just teases me and says stuff like 'heard that, u hungry or something' and then tickles me :p

It's horrible when I'm in the library at college trying to chat to mates quietly and I can feel my tummy wanting to rumble.

Naomi x
 

everythingsfanta

New member
Stomach rumbling rules my life!

And here I was thinking I was alone!

It all started a few years ago when I was in class and my stomach rumbled really loudly, causing laughter not only from my classmates, but my teacher too. Very traumatic. From that day forward I've had a phobia of my stomach rumbling and have to stuff my face before I go anywhere that might be quiet or worse, silent.

I'm at university now and it's worse than ever. Lectures, tutorials...all have to be scheduled with a gap in between so I can go and get something to eat, and I have to work out how long whatever I eat will last me. I go through bulk boxes of cereal bars like nothing else and I now have to sit at the end of a row so that, if my stomach should rumble, I can escape.

It's awful. People laugh but it rules my world. I have to have food with me at all times and I freak out when I'm scheduled for a class for 2 hours because I don't know if I can eat enough beforehand to last.

I know that it's all about relaxing, but there's always a niggling fear that it's going to happen, especially around exam time. I don't think I ever eat as much as I do before exams, which just leaves me feeling sick and bloated.

Aaaah!
 

char206

New member
I CANNOT believe i am not alone in having this bizarre phobia!i randomly decided to type it into google and up this came!
I have had this phobia for about 10 years ever since my stomach rumbled loudly in class and wouldn`t stop and it was so embarrassing,i was mortified!It has held me back in life ever since.
Whenever i have to go somewhere that might be quiet i have to eat beforehand or i know i will be panicking.Waiting rooms and meetings are the worst for me and i haven`t been to the cinema for over 4 years since my stomach rumbled really loudly and my boyfriend at the time laughed at me.I am excused from all meetings at work and have any training i need on a 1 to 1 basis but i`m afraid to move on to a new job as i may lose these luxuries or have to explain myself (although they think its a claustrophobia thing not a stomach rumbling thing,that would be too embarrassing!).Once apon a time i even worried about my stomach rumbling loudly at night if i had my boyfriend round to stay!!!
I haven`t managed to find a way of coping with this (except stuffing myself to the point of being un-comfortable) and i`m now having sessions with a psycologist because it`s got to a point where it`s affecting me very badly and making me feel depressed overall.
please feel free to email me on this subject as i`d be very happy to hear from others affected like me! :)
 

Sheils

Member
This also affected me for a good few years!

The only place it really bothered me was at work in meetings. I remember not being able to sleep the night before through worry.

Then in one meeting when it happened I decided to make a joke of it saying "Sorry but I'm hungry!!" and laughed.

I found that everyone laughed along with me until it became a bit of a standing joke when everyone would wait to see if and when it happened at each meeting we had.

It certainly eased the tension and now I don't even think about it!!!

I just concentrate on trying to deal with all my other anxieties :cry:

Have not posted on here before but I am a regular reader - this place really does help you to realise you are not alone. :)
 

Walk

Well-known member
Yeah I don't like it either. For me, the solution was kinda simple though...

I just sit straight and it minimizes the grumbling sounds. It happens when I slouch.
 

schmoopy

Active member
I'm also really self-aware when it comes to my body. Every creak or heartbeat triggers further panic.

The trick is perhaps finding something external to focus on. You can also try worrying about something else as strange as that sounds.
 

trickyslim

New member
Wow, I'm not alone. I've had this trouble for the past five years. I'm also often excused from meetings and training but my career and social life has suffered significantly because of this problem.

I take a lot of comfort knowing there are others out there like me. But it seems that we're all still without a solution. Stuffing my face before meetings is something I haven't tried; I have a fear of becoming nauseous in front of people. However, I do usually like to take mints in with me, it gives me a chance to share them out and tell people how hungry I am.

I'm currently dreading a family gathering, a christening, many are attending and it will be held in an old echoing church. Needless to say I'm more than a little anxious. The last thing I can do when I'm nervous is relax. I've tried hypnotherapy, it didn't work. Maybe I'll try some of that Valerian herbal mood enhancer to take the edge off. Hope it works.

Hang in there everyone and if anyone comes across a miracle cure please post it, you'll be a life saver.
 

chez1230

New member
I have suffered from this problem since doing my exams at schoool now 18 years ago. I too suffer in quiet situations and especially training or meetings. It has stopped me going onto further education and for dream jobs. I have been diagnosed with irritable bowel and am on medication again to try stop these rumblings. As for the anxiety i have been prescribed prozac from the docs to try calm me down when i find myself in these situations. This condition does take over your life. Feel free to email if you wish together we are not alone x
 

HKazz

New member
I am writing this because I am now 40 years old and I have had this specific phobia EXACTLY the same as you guys since I was 17 and at colllege. College seems to be a stressful time, and I was in class when I was hungry and my tummy rumbled loudly and everyone laughed and I felt soooo bad about it that I became very self conscious and started to eat lots to stop myself getting hungry before class.
It became something I HAD to do or else I would get anxious and my tummy would rumble even more! (Looking back I also thought I had a bit of a hairy belly button and a big tummy which maybe triggered me to be obsessed about it)
Over the years it got worse, so that it wasnt even if I was hungry, I was scared that my tummy would rumble at any time for any reason, it could have been anywhere like watching tv with my friends, being in a meeting at work, at the cinema! It really started taking over my life.
I have always had problems with guys and relationships because of this worry, I just want to escape the situation Im in, and also in my head its the thought of a relationship being long term that scares me because I cant 'hide' this problem forever and that scares me! So, Im STILL single and Ive decided enough is enough..its been so bad recently that Ive started to worry about it even when Im on my own in my house..I have to turn up the tv or radio so that even I dont hear my tummy!!
Tomoro Im starting a course of Hypno analysis, which is different to Hypno therapy, so Im really hoping this helps me solve this phobia. Ive been advised that this type of therapy unlocks the emotions in your brain which are governing these negative thoughts, which makes sense, so wish me luck with this and I will let you know how I get on. PS I know exactly how this problem makes you feel and its horrible, like being detached from the situation and feeling like everyone is concentrating on you..Ive found Hypnosis cds and relaxation cds really help with the anxiety, you can get them online x
 

HKazz

New member
Really? Is that the anxiety that has stopped or what...and how?

I hope you can reply because it helps me to understand others who have the same issues. Wouldnt it be funny to put us al in a quiet room together, no speaking, to see how we all were!..Im sure we would all be ok, knowing everyone feels the same!

Thanks

HKazz
 

Jannah

Banned
Yeah I have a similar problem as you guys. Except mine stomach gets more uncomfortable after I eat and makes loud embarrassing noises. I actually can bear with my stomach making noises because of hunger but not when its gassy or digesting its food that makes the noise.
 

Quiet Angel

Well-known member
That happened to me once in class. When everyone was concentrating on their important tests, my stomach rumbled the entire way through. I laugh about it now, but in the past I felt pretty humiliated. :D
 
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JCS008

Well-known member
That's happend to me before during meetings or back in the day during classes. I don't think its a big deal. Because you're just hungry and what not. People probably do get a small chuckle out of it, but I don't think its towards you as a person. Just at the situation and not nearly as embarassing as passing gas or burping.
 
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