Fear of Using a Public Toilet? Here’s how You Overcome your Anxiety

Paruresis is the fear of using a portable toilet hire facility- when you don’t have any medical cause. It’s a condition that is also commonly referred to as being shy kidney or bashful bladder. It’s experienced by both men and women of every age and it can also lead to medical complications if you do not get it treated as soon as possible. If you want to find out more about the fear of using a luxury toilet hire cubicle then take a look below.

What is Paruresis?

Paruresis is known as being a social phobia. If you have extreme fear, then it may limit your life. If this is the case then you may have SAD, or social anxiety disorder. If you live with a condition that makes it difficult for you to urinate, then this would not be diagnosed as being paruresis, as it’s a mental condition with no physical cause.

Paruresis is a Form of Social Anxiety

For most people, tending to their bodily functions happens without any thought or concern. For millions of people in the UK though, urination causes either a high level of inconvenience or worry. If you feel as though this describes you then you may have a condition known as paruresis. The word originates from Latin and roughly translates to abnormal urination. Paruresis is a form of social anxiety which greatly affects both men and women. You may feel as though you cannot urinate in front of women or men because you are going to be judged for it. The fear is often centred on what others would think if you were not able to initiate the flow of urine. Some common thoughts from someone who suffers from paruresis include:

  •       Something is wrong with me
  •       I’ll be less of a man if I’m unable to urinate in front of other men
  •       My pee stream is far too weak when it hits the urinal and people will notice

As if these thoughts were not enough, the anticipation of not knowing if you are going to actually be able to initiate urination can cause you to feel even more anxiety, which can trigger feelings of self-consciousness when using a portable toilet hire bathroom. Of course, the main cause of paruresis is not actually known. So many people believe that their paruresis began during adolescence or during their childhood. They are often able to put the disorder down to an event when they felt pressure to pee in a portable toilet hire facility when others were nearby. This leads to pressure about performing. If they did not urinate at that time, then they may feel pressure from others or even ridicule. When you combine this trauma with the fear of having to do it in front of lots of people, or in a portable toilet hire cubicle, you will soon see why it is such a serious and debilitating condition. Some examples of situations that might cause paruresis to develop include:

  •       Being unable to pee in a test tube during your employer’s routine drug test
  •       Not being able to pee because of a kidney stone, and having people wait for you
  •       Getting out of the car to pee during a road trip and not feeling comfortable enough to go

So the above scenarios are all plausible reasons why paruresis or a fear of using luxury toilet hire would develop. Even though a kidney stone is a physical condition, when this is cured, the condition of not being able to pee should not continue. If it does then it is a mental condition, and therefore is diagnosed as paruresis. At the end of the day, everyone is different and everyone will have their own reasons for not being able to pee in public restrooms. That being said, it is possible for you to work through your fears, if you understand your condition first.

Mental Health and Paruresis

The severity of your paruresis or phobia of using a luxury toilet hire facility may depend based on your history and experiences. Some paruresis sufferers are inconvenienced by the inability to urinate in very specific settings. This can include outdoor sports luxury toilet hire restrooms, where there are often long lines of impatient fans who are waiting to use the portable toilet hire urinal. Others may experience paruresis when in what would be perceived as being a normal situation where there is a portable toilet hire facility. It may even get to the point where the person is housebound because they fear needing to go without having that safe place to go. If you undergo urine testing for employment purposes then this can also pose as an issue, or you may avoid very long airline flights because you fear the pain of not being able to pee. If you want to move past your phobia then you need to understand what is causing your portable toilet hire phobia.

What Causes Paruresis?

With any social anxiety disorder, it’s very unlikely that there is just one event which is triggering your paruresis. That being said, you may be able to remember one specific moment which fuelled your paruresis greatly. You may have been bullied during your childhood or you may have parents who were very critical of you. You may have also experienced a very traumatic episode as a young child regarding urination. At the end of the day, there are so many unanswered questions when it comes to shy bladder syndrome. It can affect someone in their teenage years or an adult. It can also affect toddlers. Some of the most common causes of paruresis in teenagers include:

  •       Being sexually abused
  •       Being embarrassed by a parent
  •       Being teased by a sibling or a class
  •       Being harassed in a public bathroom

Though so many people go through some form of embarrassment throughout their lives, it’s a known fact that not everyone gets shy bladder syndrome. Research has shown in the field of neurology that there may be an emotional or mental part to the problem as well as a psychological one. There may be proof also that shy bladder syndrome is passed down from a parent to a child.

Common Triggers of Paruresis

If you live with paruresis then there are most likely some triggers that will make it very difficult for you to use a public bathroom. Some of them include:

  •       The restroom that you are trying to use being busy
  •       The toilet stall does not have the right privacy partitions
  •       You are feeling pressed for time when trying to use the bathroom
  •       You know that there is someone waiting for you as you try and do your business
  •       You have the perception that other people are listening to you as you try and pee

The Effects that Paruresis Can Have on your Life

Paruresis can cause a great deal of difficulty with your professional commitments and your social obligations too. If you are always concerned about having to use some form of public toilet then this can leave you feeling very out of control. You may even find that you need to uncover your own strategies so that you can cope.

This could include structuring your day so that you can avoid using the public toilet. For example, you may drink very little so that you don’t need to urinate. You may also find that you need to urinate very often at home before you go so you don’t need to go when you leave the house. Some people have the tendency to run the tap or even flush the toilet when they go so they know that they cannot be heard. Sure, it might be helpful for you to have these coping strategies, but in the long-term you may feel as though they are reinforcing the idea of you not using a luxury toilet hire bathroom. It can also show you that the anxiety you are feeling is warranted.

Other Signs of Paruresis- or Fear of Using a Luxury Toilet Hire Bathroom

For some, the fear that comes with paruresis goes far beyond the fear of using toilets in public. There are people who are afraid to use the bathroom in their friend’s home. This is especially the case if they have visitors. Of course, it’s important to know that the effects of paruresis can range from mild to severe. If you know that you have a mild problem, then you may find that you are not able to urinate when in specific situations, such as in a luxury toilet hire bathroom  but you can in others. If you have a problem which is much more severe then you might just be able to use the toilet in your home but not be able to go when you know someone is visiting or in a luxury toilet hire bathroom outside. Paruresis tends to be a progressive problem. The fear increases over time and it spreads to even more locations. If you are not doing something to manage your fear of using a luxury toilet hire bathroom then it will get worse over time, and not get better. It will place even more limitations on your life too.

Do you Have Paruresis, or A Fear of Using a Public Luxury Toilet Hire Bathroom?

  •       The need to have privacy when using a portable toilet hire bathroom
  •       Being afraid of other people hearing your urine as it hits the luxury toilet hire bathroom bowl
  •       Worrying that other people can smell your urine or faeces when you do go
  •       Talking to yourself negatively by saying “I’m never going to go” or “I can’t pee here”

Some of the other signs include:

  •       Not being able to go in luxury toilet hire facilities or portable toilet hire urinals
  •       Feeling as though you can’t urinate when guests are present
  •       Worrying that you can’t go if someone is waiting outside the bathroom
  •       Limiting the amount you drink so you don’t have to pee as often when you’re out
  •       Actively trying to avoid travel or other social events so you don’t have to use the bathroom

How to Overcome your Fear of Using a Public Portable Toilet Hire Facility

Some people find it easier to look into a luxury toilet hire service when having work done on their house, as it means that construction workers can use the bathroom outside. A portable toilet hire service can also provide you with some assurance, as you have your own space with some degree of sound isolation. With a lot of anxiety stemming from the worry of being overheard when using a luxury toilet hire restroom, this can help you a great deal in certain situations.

If you want to overcome your fear of someone hearing you when using a portable toilet hire facility then you need to think about what could happen next- after they have heard you. The answer? Probably nothing. It’s very similar to a child turning on the light so they can see what is causing the noise in the closet.  It’s never usually as bad as you think.

If possible, you also need to try and go at home so you don’t need to use a luxury toilet hire facility. Never rush yourself out of the door. You will feel more comfortable using your own bathroom, so give yourself enough time to do so before you leave. If you’re feeling anxious about using a portable toilet hire bathroom, then breathe deeply. If you are stressed, then this can make your urge to go feel way worse than it is. That brain-gut connection is real, so take 5 minutes to calm down before you seek out a portable toilet hire facility.

The Fear of Not Making It

Some people fear not being able to make it to the portable toilet hire facility on time. If you find yourself worrying about going to a luxury toilet hire bathroom far more than you should then be honest about it. If you are having a hard time getting to the toilet in time then don’t be afraid to visit the doctor. They might be able to help by diagnosing you with a medical condition. It may even be that your issue is stemming from a medication that you are taking, so try and keep that in mind as well if possible. If you get the root of the problem addressed then you should be able to use a portable toilet hire facility, or luxury toilet hire urinal in no time.

The Effectiveness of CBT

Cognitive behavioural therapy can be very helpful if you want to reduce the overall impact of paruresis. Graduated exposure to a portable toilet hire facility can be very powerful as it teaches you to learn more positive associations when it comes to using a luxury toilet hire bathroom in public. Through repetition, you may be able to unlearn the negative associations that you have learnt and you may be able to construct new habits too. It is very important to know that overcoming your fear of a portable toilet hire facility is never going to be an overnight process, in fact, it might take quite a while for you to gradually overcome your phobia of a luxury toilet hire bathroom. At the end of the day, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and if you push yourself to seek help then you will soon see that you are not alone. The sooner you can realise this, the sooner you will be able to move past your condition and the better quality of life you will have. If you need to hire a toilet for an event, then go through a reputable portable toilet hire service. When you do this, they can advise you on the luxury toilet hire options they have, so you can feel at ease with the whole process. They can also help you to choose a portable toilet hire urinal as well.