The Life and Times of an IBS Girlie

Things that make having an anxious stomach a bit easier

I begin writing this at 11:27 PM on a Wednesday night on the eve of August, and I felt the urge to talk about my stomach problems. How silly.

If you know me IRL or follow me on social media, you’ll know that I am no stranger to discussing my stomach problems. BUT THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT THAT!

There are a million and one reels, tiktoks, instagram post, yada yada about “hot girls with IBS” and magical probiotics that will apparently cure you, but I’m here to tell you what ACTUALLY works, at least for me.

So without further ado, let’s begin:

1. Tums/Pepcid

   1. This is a fan favorite, me thinks, and nothing you have not already heard of. However, I must report, it does in fact work for me. As I have gotten older, my acid reflux has changed, and when I am having a particularly anxious day, I seem to notice it’s fluctuations quite acutely. Tums and Pepcid give me a peace of mind, I could not tell you how much is the placebo effect and how much is the calcium carbonate doing it’s job, but whatever it is. I keep that thang on meeeee.

2. GasX

   1. I truly did not know what this was until the age of maybe 23 when a co-worker went out to buy some after lunch. It came to me at seemingly the perfect time. As my anxiety built from a job that was far to stressful for no reason, so did my gastrointestinal issues. (maybe I’ll do a post on anxiety and IBS flares, probably long overdue) However, GasX worked marvelously when my bloat was quite extreme. In full transparency, I do not use this product nearly as much as I used to, but I have also become significantly more knowledgeable about food in the last 5 years, and now know my triggers (see post on FODMAP here.)

3. Safe foods, always.

   1. This is something that will be individual to you, but something I always encourage anxious stomach holders to identify. This is a food or group of foods that no matter what, makes you feel safe. Makes your stomach calm. Simply put it a warm blanket to your tummy. For me, this is plain white rice, rice cakes, rice noodles, and Gluten-Free bread. The idea of allowing myself to actually eat these foods without fear of eating too many carbs was a HUGE roadblock I had to get over when I first began having stomach problems. I remember telling my dietitian how bad I felt every time I just ate toast for breakfast because I was too anxious to eat anything else. To which she replied, “Who told you bread was bad?” A special thank you to her because that one comment led me down a rabbit hole so deep that I’m now getting a Ph.D. in it. Needless to say, find and identify your safe foods, keep them in stock, have them at the ready, let yourself accept safety.

4. Electrolytes on standby

   1. It’s giving SMARTWATER, it’s giving Pedialyte, it’s giving Liquid IV. We love an extra hydration moment, and sometimes drinking regular water does not hit enough. Particularly if you have had any type of IBS-D flare, you want to make sure you are keeping your fluid intake up, and doing that with electrolytes makes it a slightly easier lift.

5. Stay strapped with BRAT (not Charli XCX, but the foods)

   See linked post above on BRAT, but this falls into line with safe foods for me, but it a good starting ground for individuals looking to figure out what a safe food looks like for them. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast are all simple, usually affordable and accessible anywhere, and still have nutrients your body needs. Think about it, eating something, is always going to be better than eating nothing, which can lead to more stomach upset!

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