Many physiological problems impose limitations on the behavioral repertoire. It is difficult for a person with a broken leg to get out of the house, for a severely allergic person it is difficult to choose the right dish in a restaurant, for a person with the flu it is better to stay in bed, a person with epilepsy always needs to take into account the likelihood of an attack. These are objective restrictions from which, unfortunately, there is no escape. But since the human brain is a great professional at worrying, objective restrictions can become overgrown with imaginary restrictions. This happens very often with irritable bowel syndrome: the unpredictability of symptoms prompts the brain to invent more and more new ways to protect itself from them. Avoidance behavior This term refers to actions (or inactions) that we take to avoid being in a situation that seems unsafe, unpleasant or even terrifying. Avoidance behavior in IBS can be logically divided into two categories: Functional. Irritable bowel syndrome is not only “problems in the head”, but also specific bodily symptoms. And if in 9 cases out of 10 after a cup of kefir you start to have diarrhea, then avoiding the consumption of kefir will be functional avoidance. This is the implementation in practice of the objective restrictions that IBS imposes. Dysfunctional. This is an avoidance associated with imaginary restrictions that have become overgrown with objective ones. For example, do not drink not only kefir, but also all dairy and fermented milk products, so that God forbid diarrhea begins. Do not carefully choose a dish in a cafe with friends, but exclude friendly gatherings in a cafe altogether. Do not limit physical activity after a heavy meal, but be wary of any physical activity in principle. Dysfunctional behavior does not seem like it to us when we form it. Our anxious brain says: “Hey, let’s give up this too, and then we can control everything and be safe!” And then from another, third, fifth or tenth - and here it is, the bars of a prison cell where life once bloomed. Protective behavior This phrase means all sorts of rituals that we resort to in order to reduce the intensity of our experiences and sensations when they have already arisen. Those. when some symptoms of IBS have already made themselves felt: pain, bloating, potential urge to defecate, flatulence, nausea, etc. Here are examples of protective behavior in IBS: Taking medications that are questionable in terms of their necessity. Visiting the toilet even in the absence of a pronounced urge to defecate. Searching for all the nearest toilets on the map. Trying to be distracted: by talking, scrolling through social networks, breathing practices, music, etc. n. Getting off public transport (and from any crowded place), even if it’s the wrong stop. Abruptly changing plans and returning home instead of what you wanted or needed to do. All these types of behavior may seem very correct and helpful to you. “If my stomach starts to turn, should I wait until I shit my pants?” The pitfall is that this behavior does not help reduce the likelihood that you will shit your pants. In this article, I talked in detail about why perceiving your experiences as a problem that needs to be solved only makes them worse. In short: with each episode of protective behavior, you strengthen your psyche’s conviction that something dangerous is happening. Because of this, stress levels do not decrease, but, on the contrary, increase, and physical symptoms may increase along with it. Each iteration is a new turn of a tapering, tightly twisted spiral. The brain identifies what is happening as more and more unsafe, and increasingly fussy and feverishly seeks salvation. Everything that was important to you before: seeing a loved one, going for a walk, buying new sneakers, working out in the gym - for this period ceases to exist, becomes unattainable due to panicky concentration on=)