Photo Credit: KatarzynaBialasiewicz / istockphoto.com
8. Break the Box
The stress from OAB not only affects your body and your mind, but it influences your behaviors as well. Many people with OAB begin to refuse invitations to events or opportunities to socialize because they fear a symptom flare.
As they spend more time in the home, their comfort zone shrinks until they only feel comfortable inside of a tiny box. This increased tendency to isolate only worsens the stress because there are fewer opportunities to engage in pleasurable activities.
Breaking the box means you continually push past your comfort zone by going places you enjoy with people you enjoy, while finding the motivation to go new places and try new things. This will lead to short-term stress but long-term benefit. Having fun will add new levels of optimism for the future.
You have to care for both the physical and emotional impacts of OAB because when one is left untreated, it negatively affects the other.
