Survival Skills for People with Paruresis
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:36 pm
Anyone who has suffered with paruresis for any length of time has developed ‘survival skills’ to help them cope in life. This might mean simple things like leaving a party with an excuse to go home to get something you forgot (and of course have a pee while at home).
Some of the ones I found helpful during my working career :-
• I’d always look out for a quieter toilet, rather than use the busier ones in my building.
• Or, if necessary, use a quiet toilet in another building nearby.
• Pretend to have an urgent mobile phone call/text to attend to while at a conference type of meeting. ie. slip out while the toilets were quiet with everyone still in the conference.
• Slip out to use the toilets at shows/theatre before the interval rush/ or wait until the rush was over.
• For 44 years I would always have to use a stall with the door locked. I’d sit down and use a form of self hypnosis, by focusing my eyes on one spot on the floor, and deep breathing relaxation until I would finally pee. (I developed & taught myself this technique while helping my wife through our four children’s childbirth delivery. She delivered them by being trained in the “Lamaze” method of childbirth, and needed no anesthetics or pain killers, just training in breathing exercises, and pain management techniques.)
Now I am well and truly into recovery I have found that I no longer need to use these methods. But if I occasionally get myself into a too difficult situation, I can always fall back into the old recovery mode if necessary.
Can you add to this list? What sort of survival skills have others found helpful during their lives with paruresis?
Some of the ones I found helpful during my working career :-
• I’d always look out for a quieter toilet, rather than use the busier ones in my building.
• Or, if necessary, use a quiet toilet in another building nearby.
• Pretend to have an urgent mobile phone call/text to attend to while at a conference type of meeting. ie. slip out while the toilets were quiet with everyone still in the conference.
• Slip out to use the toilets at shows/theatre before the interval rush/ or wait until the rush was over.
• For 44 years I would always have to use a stall with the door locked. I’d sit down and use a form of self hypnosis, by focusing my eyes on one spot on the floor, and deep breathing relaxation until I would finally pee. (I developed & taught myself this technique while helping my wife through our four children’s childbirth delivery. She delivered them by being trained in the “Lamaze” method of childbirth, and needed no anesthetics or pain killers, just training in breathing exercises, and pain management techniques.)
Now I am well and truly into recovery I have found that I no longer need to use these methods. But if I occasionally get myself into a too difficult situation, I can always fall back into the old recovery mode if necessary.
Can you add to this list? What sort of survival skills have others found helpful during their lives with paruresis?