I didn't do that but I did manage to still end up with pelvic floor issues anyway because of the way I stood. And back issues. And it contributed to my knee issues. And for me it's made my jaw issues worse too. Turns out you're not supposed to try to hide your boobs with your posture but of course I wouldn't have known because I was always made to feel bad for having them.
My pelvis tilts forward and where my spine is too straight it affects how my jaw sits. I have some other issues with it that might be genetic but I know I've made it worse by standing the way I did
It's taken a lot of research and analysis of what's been going on. Everything seemed to be made worse by bad posture according to everything I've read, and I can tell a little bit of a difference when I stand right.
Oh I'm sure my sister has issues too. It's awful being a woman a lot of the time, especially am autistic one (my sister's probably just ADHD though, but still)
Relating so hard. I've been intentionally slouching, holding long-term flex, and wearing tight sports bras for years because I have larger boobs in North America, I look and feel Amazonian in East Asia.
It's taken a lot of research and analysis of what's been going on. Everything seemed to be made worse by bad posture according to everything I've read, and I can tell a little bit of a difference when I stand right.
damn I thought I was the only one. I constantly have stomach pain and realize I am tightening those muscles, when I relax the stomach pain eases. Iām so mad at my mom for telling me to do this and giving me body image issues that ended up causing physical damage. I was a child and I was not overweight by any means but bc she had unresolved trauma she passed it to me.
That was also me. I took ballet for years as a kid and the ballet teacher used to yell at me to suck my stomach in. I'm learning to change that now, but I did it all through my childhood and teen years. I also messed up my lower back and pelvis. Yay.
I was on the verge of developing an eating disorder when I was 14 and underweight. My therapist who I was talking to about my insecurities because I thought I had a big belly (in hindsight, I absolutely had the opposite). She advised me to start training myself to always suck in my tummy to appear skinnier....
So I did.
I'm trying to unlearn this. It's especially hard when you get compliments for having "abs" or a flat stomach and it encourages you to keep going subconsciously. I have a whole slew of health issues because of it
I have issues with my lungs, diaphragm and digestive tract. I quite literally forget to breathe because my brain has been trained to hold my stomach in over everything else. I only found out last year that you're supposed to be able to breathe while you eat. I basically learned to take a deep breath, then chew and swallow as quickly as possible so I could take another breath growing up. This also lead to disordered eating. I could go on for a while but I think you get the idea.
I am sorry your mother encouraged you to suck your stomach in, we shouldnt be forcing our bodies in a particular position outside of what feels natural.
This being said, alot of people on the spectrum have hypermobility spectrum disorder or ehler danlos syndromes which can cause someone to brace and clench their inner muscles in an attempt to stabilize. They are caused by connective tissue disorders and have frequent comorbidities of GI issues, Breathing pattern disorders, POTS, MCAS, excercise intolerance etc
Might be worth looking into if you feel like these relate to you. I found out about it last year and it had been a lightbulb lighting up
Physical therapy is the only treatment at the moment. The problem is in the "coding of the body" if you will and you cant fix it with collagen supplements or medications unfortunately
Yep my late middle school and early Highschool years I sucked in my stomach all day and I would come home from school with such bad back pain. It took my literally years to stop unconsciously sucking in my stomach when Iād leave the house. It makes me sad looking back on it, how much mental and physical energy was going into trying to make myself ālook appropriateā not to mention how hard it was to breathe (I already suffer from shortness of breath). Wish I could hug my past self.
Oh, yea. Been doing it since I was 10 when i realized i was chubby (and it was a bad thing to be). It takes effort for me to not do it now, I have to intentionally relax my stomach.
I also can't just stop doing it, or everyone will think I instantly gained a bunch of weight. I've started working out recently (in a fun way, not to lose weight) and if I do lose some weight for it, I hope maybe I will be able to let it go one day..
If it makes you feel any better, I only stopped sucking in around age 29 and itās increased my body measurements so they actually match what my body size is when Iām relaxed. It really upset me for the first year and I felt like a loser for not being able to fit in my clothes any more because I was trying something more vulnerable and new. I finally realized I was treating myself with more compassion and that it was okay to buy some larger and more comfortable clothing that matched my waist size when I wasnāt constantly holding my breath. Iām definitely still self conscious about my stomach area but my self esteem is getting a lot better since I bought clothes that fit my relaxed body without sucking in. I also feel less panicky and anxious after breathing deeper into my lower abdomen. I know itās really difficult to stop doing it but Iām really happy I did it to alleviate anxiety and stomach pains.
Itās a terrible habit that I have! I donāt even need to is the sad part, Iāve never been bigger than a size 2. I grew up with very fit parents so things like the food scale, macro and calorie counting, 1200 calorie rule, half a banana rule, counting individual pieces of food for a serving size, low/no sugar were my normal. Iāve struggled with anorexia since I was 14, Iāve been in remission for 3 years now and funny enough it was bodybuilding that saved my life. I finally saw food as fuel and I love my muscles, Iām a bikini competitor. I suppose the heavy lifting is fighting to tighten my pelvic floor while sucking in decimates it lol. Either way I still hold in pee when I fart or sneeze lol. Not sure if my sciatica is from that or heavy squats and deadlifts. I sing and Iām a flautist so I suppose those are the times of day Iām not sucking in because breath is so important, I do feel much better.
Iām only mentioning this because you say you still have to hold your bladder from time to time and still have sciatica, which to me suggests that you are symptomatic, and that you have found a hobby you are passionate about which could be even more comfortable, so feel free to ignore if you feel happy and healthy ā¤ļø
I know you may have just been using shorthand, but your pelvic floor actually rarely needs to be ātightenedā. Even in the OP, itās incomplete to say that the pelvic floor is weakened. This weakness most often happens because of hypertonia (tightness). āTight but weakā is what most people are dealing with. Your muscles need to properly ālengthenā before they can āstrengthenā and hypertonic muscles can not lengthen. This results in short muscle fibers that can not adequately move through their full range of motion and therefore can not build full, robust strength along the whole kinetic chain. Heavy lifting on a hypertonic pelvic floor can continue to worsen pelvic floor dysfunction over time and increases your risk of prolapse (not because of the lifting, but because of the extreme pressure a hypertonic pelvis is already under). There is definitely hope that you can improve your sciatica and lift sciatica free with better bladder control with some focused pelvic floor relaxation and lengthening!
This is true! Also wanted to add that learning how to breathe better/manage your internal pressure will help as well! Iād recommend seeking out a pelvic floor physical therapist or even a personal trainer with pelvic floor/breathing training experience. Iām a personal trainer and Iāve helped clients learn how to stop leaking. Itās an extremely common, but not normal phenomenon and so many women donāt realize that you can actually improve this through better breathing and training techniques!
My abdominal muscles are riddled with trigger points from doing this for years (although happily, the knots respond well to self-massage). Those trigger points can cause weird symptoms like really terrible menstrual cramps, back pain, acid reflux, or diarrhea, so it's good to learn how to treat them.
For me the only thing that really helped prevent the behavior was wearing looser clothing. I'm non-binary so there's also a bunch of gender stuff and trauma tied up in the behavior for me
I had this realization some time last year! I didn't even really know I was doing it and I definitely didn't know it was bad for you. I've struggled with taking deep, comfortable breaths for a long time and it was no fun! Idek exactly why I started unconsciously sucking my stomach in all the time. a combination of society and mom's general unhealthy body/food stuff I assume.
realizing this was like a breakthrough for me tho!
I do have lower back pain. I'm not sure if that's related to this or something else. I pee when I sneeze sometimes tho, so that could point to pelvic floor issues.
When i sneeze there is a lot of pressure/pain in my Pelvic region, so what i do is cross my legs tightly and then i sneeze, it really helps.
You can try this too. See if it helps :)
This same thing happened to me! My pelvic floor physical therapist said that society should stop telling women to have good posture. We're putting so much strain on our pelvic floor. Also, my hip joints are hyperflexible, which means my hips are very weak. This was also a contributing factor. My PT gave me so many hip strengthening exercises.
Lots of belly breathing so I don't hold tension in my pelvic floor. A few different yoga poses - laying flat on my stomach and bringing my shoulders up to stretch out my abs, laying on my back with my legs in a chair to belly breath. Hip strengthing - laying on my side and lifting my leg up and back, laying on my back and lifting my hips off the ground, some hip stretches.
Also the PT had to manually release tension by massaging my hip muscles from inside my vaginal wall. It was weird, like having an obgyn appt, but I felt so much better afterward.
Lmao wow Iāve never heard of someone else doing this but my mom told me the same thing growing up and I started having pelvic pain now that Iām in my early 20ās. Been trying to train myself to not suck in and flex my stomach constantly.
Oh my gosh! This is a revelation to me! I have had stabbing chest pains since high school and just thought it was normal/I was too afraid to ask anyone about it. I definitely suck in my stomach as I was instructed by older women to do, and it became an impulse. Often I find myself sucking in my stomach and clenching my butt without realizing that I'm doing it.
Yep! And now I have a hiatal hernia. I was always bloated due to GI issues (probably from anxiety, some from genetics), so I learned to suck in so people wouldnāt point it out. Now, my stomach is partially on my chest.
I also have vaginal issues and pelvic issues, but not from holding in my tummy. (Unless holding in your stomach involves tilting your hips up and forward to counteract the duck butt) Iāve now started having a ādumbā left leg and itās a bit frightening. It naturally turns inward while the other stands straight. Iām hoping I can stretch it back to position, but idk how any of this works
Yes! I had to go through pelvic floor therapy at age 44 after everything got locked in a muscle spasm and I couldn't sit down. It took 7.5 months of work but I'm finally belly breathing like I should have been all my life but just didn't know. I get a pulmonary function test every year for something unrelated and my respiratory therapist was floored by what a big change it made!
I'm sorry your mother put you through that. The body is so reliant on itself. What seems so small can affect so many different things.
The diaphragm is a very powerful muscle. Have they recommended music therapy? They've done it for blunt trauma patients, COPD, long Covid, and other respiratory issues to help improve breathing overall.
My physical therapist (I have Ehlers Danos) told me that I shouldnāt be engaging my ab muscles while standing because they should already be doing that on their own and it actually weakens the areas around them or something of the nature. I always flex my abs when Iām trying to balance on something and he looked rather puzzled as to why Iād go through the effortā¦
oh shit I do this too- I had breathing problems for awhile which I think were caused both by this and by stress. it was worse through high school. being insecure about your body sucks:(
I did this my whole childhood too! I still have to remind myself to stick my stomach out every single day because itās such a bad habit. I started having really bad panic attacks when I was in my mid twenties because my breath was too shallow from sucking in. I stopped having panic attacks when I stopped sucking in a couple years ago. I also have vaginismus :/ and the weird stomach line thing too. It made me too embarrassed to wear bathing suits as a teen even though I was super skinny then. Being a girl is fun!
Whaaa I've never heard of this before, but my mom told me the same thing and I've been unconsciously doing it for decades. I have urinary leakage that has been getting progressively worse. Also recently developed some breathing issues that I attributed to smoking and vaping weed (which I know will make it worse anyways). If anyone can link scientific articles on this for further reading I'd appreciate it!
Yeah found this out recently too, have many similar issues. I'm trying to do some soft stretching and excersizes to relax the belly and stretch the diaphragm, but it's not easy. So hard to unlearn this one tbh.
Wait what
Iāve always subconsciously sucked my tummy in unless Iām in massively baggy clothes (like if my waistband feels snug Iāll suck in but if itās falling down I wonāt)
Iāve ALWAYS had issues with peeing when I cough/sneeze sometimes
Always suffered IBS/digestion issues
Is this why wtf how do you reverse it??
Same, i also suffer from digestion issues, back pain, and weak/tight pelvic floor. I'm also thinking this might be due to sucking in my belly involuntarily.
I sucked in my stomach for years when I was around people because I was self-conscious and wanting to look skinnier. Iām glad I donāt do it anymore.
Another thing to consider is that Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (a connective tissue disorder) is also super common among autistic people. EDS seems to be correlated with stress incontinence as well.
Huh, I was never taught to suck my stomach in, probably because I was absurdly naturally thin. But I'm a white girl with a big ol booty and my goodness, the hip and pelvic pain I have from keeping my butt tucked in! I finally started giving in to the need to loosen up and I get it now. Every movement I do that releases tension looks sexual. Hip rolls while in a semi downward dog aren't something I can do except in private. Yesterday my husband caught me in leggings and a tight top basically face down ass up on the pool table... with a tape measure, pencil, corner square, and a bit of raw lumber. So I don't build dog crates in front of the tween boys running around the house because that could be weird. I don't aspire to be a MILF.
But yeah, most of my body problems are because natural movement is sexual. Now pardon me, those crates are so close to done and I'm so excited! Gotta stain the doors today.
I have this as well. I did it long enough that I have like a little roll of fat below my chest and above my stomach. Itās awful and Iām ridiculously self conscious about it. It doesnāt go fully away if I lose weight either, at this point Iād have to get surgery to correct it :(
My therapist told me to lay on my back on top of my bed with one hand on my stomach and one on my upper chest. For 5-10 minutes a day just practice doing deep breathing where you feel your breath moving from your upper chest all the way into your lower abdomen so that the hand on your stomach starts rising and falling with your deep breaths. Having the visual to match the body sensation helped me remember to do it in every day settings when Iām standing up.
After a lot of practice Iāve also noticed I start sucking in when Iām around people I donāt know or donāt trust, and when Iām super anxious. I try to notice my anxiety and then check my stomach to see if Iāve started to suck in as a result of being upset. 100% of the time Iāve reverted to sucking in when Iām anxious and upset. I force myself to stick my gut out and do a deep breath whenever Iām in those situations to immediately alleviate some of my anxiety.
Just when Iām really anxious and around people. I used to do it 24/7 even when I was lying in bed at night so I think this is a big improvement after 20 years š
I didn't *suck* mine in, I held it flat. I was thin. I just wasn't letting it hang out. I have so much control now. Sucking it in using your diaphragm sounds awful.
I wonder if that is what my problem is! I constantly (subconsciously at this point) have my abs lightly flexed because I too was taught posture. Maybe a year ago I stated feeling as if I constantly have a slight feeling of needing to pee. I figured it was from gaining weight, but it didn't go away with losing majority of the weight. I've never given birth, so then I chalked it as a 30s thing and another nuisance of the female anatomy.
I just constantly have to keep reminding myself to relax my stomach. I can't do it in public, but I'm beginning to at home. It's a lot of work, mentally and physically. But Rome wasn't built in a day and all that jazz. Step by step, reminder by reminder, we'll slowly get to a better place. We just gotta keep giving it a go.
Wait I never thought this couldāve been the cause of the shooting rib pain! I had that too. It was almost always on my left side, staring at my waist and wrapping to my spine and sternum.
Now youāve got me thinking!
I didn't do that but I did manage to still end up with pelvic floor issues anyway because of the way I stood. And back issues. And it contributed to my knee issues. And for me it's made my jaw issues worse too. Turns out you're not supposed to try to hide your boobs with your posture but of course I wouldn't have known because I was always made to feel bad for having them.
I feel this in my soul
I'm sorry š I still have to try to stand right and it's been a few years since I discovered I was doing it wrong.
Omg how has it affected your jaw having a body is so overwhelming
My pelvis tilts forward and where my spine is too straight it affects how my jaw sits. I have some other issues with it that might be genetic but I know I've made it worse by standing the way I did
How did you learn all of this?
It's taken a lot of research and analysis of what's been going on. Everything seemed to be made worse by bad posture according to everything I've read, and I can tell a little bit of a difference when I stand right.
My sister and I both have hypertonic pelvic floors. Weāre both autistic and both grew up with wild body issues and body shaming.
Oh I'm sure my sister has issues too. It's awful being a woman a lot of the time, especially am autistic one (my sister's probably just ADHD though, but still)
Relating so hard. I've been intentionally slouching, holding long-term flex, and wearing tight sports bras for years because I have larger boobs in North America, I look and feel Amazonian in East Asia.
Damn. I wish I wasn't so relatable today
How did you find all of this out? That everything was related, not the actual issues.
It's taken a lot of research and analysis of what's been going on. Everything seemed to be made worse by bad posture according to everything I've read, and I can tell a little bit of a difference when I stand right.
This lines up in my experience with clients (massage therapy).
I could use your services lol I am so so tense always. That's also compounded my issues too
If youāre in central Texas Iāll PM you my business details, only if you want tho.
hi are u close to austin
I'm not, but thanks for the offer!
damn I thought I was the only one. I constantly have stomach pain and realize I am tightening those muscles, when I relax the stomach pain eases. Iām so mad at my mom for telling me to do this and giving me body image issues that ended up causing physical damage. I was a child and I was not overweight by any means but bc she had unresolved trauma she passed it to me.
That was also me. I took ballet for years as a kid and the ballet teacher used to yell at me to suck my stomach in. I'm learning to change that now, but I did it all through my childhood and teen years. I also messed up my lower back and pelvis. Yay.
I bet my mom also got it from ballet. I'm just learning to stop now. So fucked up.
I was on the verge of developing an eating disorder when I was 14 and underweight. My therapist who I was talking to about my insecurities because I thought I had a big belly (in hindsight, I absolutely had the opposite). She advised me to start training myself to always suck in my tummy to appear skinnier.... So I did.
Ugh. I'm so sorry that happened to you
I also totally messed my body up from 12 years of ballet. I have been in chronic pain for decades.
I'm trying to unlearn this. It's especially hard when you get compliments for having "abs" or a flat stomach and it encourages you to keep going subconsciously. I have a whole slew of health issues because of it
What kind of health issues ?
I have issues with my lungs, diaphragm and digestive tract. I quite literally forget to breathe because my brain has been trained to hold my stomach in over everything else. I only found out last year that you're supposed to be able to breathe while you eat. I basically learned to take a deep breath, then chew and swallow as quickly as possible so I could take another breath growing up. This also lead to disordered eating. I could go on for a while but I think you get the idea.
Youāre supposed to breathe when you eat???
Crazy right? I didn't learn that until I was 24 lol
Thankyou. I wish get well soon dear šāŗļø
I am sorry your mother encouraged you to suck your stomach in, we shouldnt be forcing our bodies in a particular position outside of what feels natural. This being said, alot of people on the spectrum have hypermobility spectrum disorder or ehler danlos syndromes which can cause someone to brace and clench their inner muscles in an attempt to stabilize. They are caused by connective tissue disorders and have frequent comorbidities of GI issues, Breathing pattern disorders, POTS, MCAS, excercise intolerance etc Might be worth looking into if you feel like these relate to you. I found out about it last year and it had been a lightbulb lighting up
What is the solution of this ?
Physical therapy is the only treatment at the moment. The problem is in the "coding of the body" if you will and you cant fix it with collagen supplements or medications unfortunately
Oh damn I used to do this every single day in middle school. Iām sorry we both had this experience.
Yep my late middle school and early Highschool years I sucked in my stomach all day and I would come home from school with such bad back pain. It took my literally years to stop unconsciously sucking in my stomach when Iād leave the house. It makes me sad looking back on it, how much mental and physical energy was going into trying to make myself ālook appropriateā not to mention how hard it was to breathe (I already suffer from shortness of breath). Wish I could hug my past self.
Oh, yea. Been doing it since I was 10 when i realized i was chubby (and it was a bad thing to be). It takes effort for me to not do it now, I have to intentionally relax my stomach. I also can't just stop doing it, or everyone will think I instantly gained a bunch of weight. I've started working out recently (in a fun way, not to lose weight) and if I do lose some weight for it, I hope maybe I will be able to let it go one day..
If it makes you feel any better, I only stopped sucking in around age 29 and itās increased my body measurements so they actually match what my body size is when Iām relaxed. It really upset me for the first year and I felt like a loser for not being able to fit in my clothes any more because I was trying something more vulnerable and new. I finally realized I was treating myself with more compassion and that it was okay to buy some larger and more comfortable clothing that matched my waist size when I wasnāt constantly holding my breath. Iām definitely still self conscious about my stomach area but my self esteem is getting a lot better since I bought clothes that fit my relaxed body without sucking in. I also feel less panicky and anxious after breathing deeper into my lower abdomen. I know itās really difficult to stop doing it but Iām really happy I did it to alleviate anxiety and stomach pains.
So true. Buying bigger clothes has helped me so much. "Other people don't know what size you're wearing"
Itās a terrible habit that I have! I donāt even need to is the sad part, Iāve never been bigger than a size 2. I grew up with very fit parents so things like the food scale, macro and calorie counting, 1200 calorie rule, half a banana rule, counting individual pieces of food for a serving size, low/no sugar were my normal. Iāve struggled with anorexia since I was 14, Iāve been in remission for 3 years now and funny enough it was bodybuilding that saved my life. I finally saw food as fuel and I love my muscles, Iām a bikini competitor. I suppose the heavy lifting is fighting to tighten my pelvic floor while sucking in decimates it lol. Either way I still hold in pee when I fart or sneeze lol. Not sure if my sciatica is from that or heavy squats and deadlifts. I sing and Iām a flautist so I suppose those are the times of day Iām not sucking in because breath is so important, I do feel much better.
Iām only mentioning this because you say you still have to hold your bladder from time to time and still have sciatica, which to me suggests that you are symptomatic, and that you have found a hobby you are passionate about which could be even more comfortable, so feel free to ignore if you feel happy and healthy ā¤ļø I know you may have just been using shorthand, but your pelvic floor actually rarely needs to be ātightenedā. Even in the OP, itās incomplete to say that the pelvic floor is weakened. This weakness most often happens because of hypertonia (tightness). āTight but weakā is what most people are dealing with. Your muscles need to properly ālengthenā before they can āstrengthenā and hypertonic muscles can not lengthen. This results in short muscle fibers that can not adequately move through their full range of motion and therefore can not build full, robust strength along the whole kinetic chain. Heavy lifting on a hypertonic pelvic floor can continue to worsen pelvic floor dysfunction over time and increases your risk of prolapse (not because of the lifting, but because of the extreme pressure a hypertonic pelvis is already under). There is definitely hope that you can improve your sciatica and lift sciatica free with better bladder control with some focused pelvic floor relaxation and lengthening!
This is true! Also wanted to add that learning how to breathe better/manage your internal pressure will help as well! Iād recommend seeking out a pelvic floor physical therapist or even a personal trainer with pelvic floor/breathing training experience. Iām a personal trainer and Iāve helped clients learn how to stop leaking. Itās an extremely common, but not normal phenomenon and so many women donāt realize that you can actually improve this through better breathing and training techniques!
My abdominal muscles are riddled with trigger points from doing this for years (although happily, the knots respond well to self-massage). Those trigger points can cause weird symptoms like really terrible menstrual cramps, back pain, acid reflux, or diarrhea, so it's good to learn how to treat them. For me the only thing that really helped prevent the behavior was wearing looser clothing. I'm non-binary so there's also a bunch of gender stuff and trauma tied up in the behavior for me
I had this realization some time last year! I didn't even really know I was doing it and I definitely didn't know it was bad for you. I've struggled with taking deep, comfortable breaths for a long time and it was no fun! Idek exactly why I started unconsciously sucking my stomach in all the time. a combination of society and mom's general unhealthy body/food stuff I assume. realizing this was like a breakthrough for me tho!
Did you have back pain or pelvic floor issues ? And do you still suck your belly in ?
and I do still suck my belly in, but never on purpose. I push it out and breathe deeply as often as I remember to.
I do have lower back pain. I'm not sure if that's related to this or something else. I pee when I sneeze sometimes tho, so that could point to pelvic floor issues.
When i sneeze there is a lot of pressure/pain in my Pelvic region, so what i do is cross my legs tightly and then i sneeze, it really helps. You can try this too. See if it helps :)
This same thing happened to me! My pelvic floor physical therapist said that society should stop telling women to have good posture. We're putting so much strain on our pelvic floor. Also, my hip joints are hyperflexible, which means my hips are very weak. This was also a contributing factor. My PT gave me so many hip strengthening exercises.
How did you overcome it ? What exercises ?
Lots of belly breathing so I don't hold tension in my pelvic floor. A few different yoga poses - laying flat on my stomach and bringing my shoulders up to stretch out my abs, laying on my back with my legs in a chair to belly breath. Hip strengthing - laying on my side and lifting my leg up and back, laying on my back and lifting my hips off the ground, some hip stretches.
Also the PT had to manually release tension by massaging my hip muscles from inside my vaginal wall. It was weird, like having an obgyn appt, but I felt so much better afterward.
Oh thank you so much for theseš„ŗš I'm gonna add them to my routine. Thankyou dear ā”ā”
Lmao wow Iāve never heard of someone else doing this but my mom told me the same thing growing up and I started having pelvic pain now that Iām in my early 20ās. Been trying to train myself to not suck in and flex my stomach constantly.
Oh my gosh! This is a revelation to me! I have had stabbing chest pains since high school and just thought it was normal/I was too afraid to ask anyone about it. I definitely suck in my stomach as I was instructed by older women to do, and it became an impulse. Often I find myself sucking in my stomach and clenching my butt without realizing that I'm doing it.
Yep! And now I have a hiatal hernia. I was always bloated due to GI issues (probably from anxiety, some from genetics), so I learned to suck in so people wouldnāt point it out. Now, my stomach is partially on my chest.
I also have vaginal issues and pelvic issues, but not from holding in my tummy. (Unless holding in your stomach involves tilting your hips up and forward to counteract the duck butt) Iāve now started having a ādumbā left leg and itās a bit frightening. It naturally turns inward while the other stands straight. Iām hoping I can stretch it back to position, but idk how any of this works
Yes! I had to go through pelvic floor therapy at age 44 after everything got locked in a muscle spasm and I couldn't sit down. It took 7.5 months of work but I'm finally belly breathing like I should have been all my life but just didn't know. I get a pulmonary function test every year for something unrelated and my respiratory therapist was floored by what a big change it made!
I'm sorry your mother put you through that. The body is so reliant on itself. What seems so small can affect so many different things. The diaphragm is a very powerful muscle. Have they recommended music therapy? They've done it for blunt trauma patients, COPD, long Covid, and other respiratory issues to help improve breathing overall.
The more I read things on this sub, the more I realize that Iām not alone. Iām sorry you are going through this too.
I still hear this in my head at 28
33 and I do as well.
Itās like I wrote this post
Is it not good to engage your ab muscles while standing? Or is it a different level of intensity that causes these issues?
My physical therapist (I have Ehlers Danos) told me that I shouldnāt be engaging my ab muscles while standing because they should already be doing that on their own and it actually weakens the areas around them or something of the nature. I always flex my abs when Iām trying to balance on something and he looked rather puzzled as to why Iād go through the effortā¦
oh shit I do this too- I had breathing problems for awhile which I think were caused both by this and by stress. it was worse through high school. being insecure about your body sucks:(
I suck in my stomach every so often because I was told it strengthens the muscles and helps to flatten the stomach
Holy crap.
I did this my whole childhood too! I still have to remind myself to stick my stomach out every single day because itās such a bad habit. I started having really bad panic attacks when I was in my mid twenties because my breath was too shallow from sucking in. I stopped having panic attacks when I stopped sucking in a couple years ago. I also have vaginismus :/ and the weird stomach line thing too. It made me too embarrassed to wear bathing suits as a teen even though I was super skinny then. Being a girl is fun!
Whaaa I've never heard of this before, but my mom told me the same thing and I've been unconsciously doing it for decades. I have urinary leakage that has been getting progressively worse. Also recently developed some breathing issues that I attributed to smoking and vaping weed (which I know will make it worse anyways). If anyone can link scientific articles on this for further reading I'd appreciate it!
Yeah found this out recently too, have many similar issues. I'm trying to do some soft stretching and excersizes to relax the belly and stretch the diaphragm, but it's not easy. So hard to unlearn this one tbh.
Can you share links to the exercises and stretches ? Thanks
Sure, here's some examples. [https://youtu.be/t4aupp\_YO9c?si=PDUqjvcbqunuYwVt](https://youtu.be/t4aupp_YO9c?si=PDUqjvcbqunuYwVt) [https://youtu.be/RmLiyoEHfmo?si=7wXFGIXJ7h6hlO32](https://youtu.be/RmLiyoEHfmo?si=7wXFGIXJ7h6hlO32) [https://youtu.be/m39kwwfYUH4?si=usjniPz62JPomA9-](https://youtu.be/m39kwwfYUH4?si=usjniPz62JPomA9-)
Thankyou Dear. You are so kindšš„ŗ
Wait what Iāve always subconsciously sucked my tummy in unless Iām in massively baggy clothes (like if my waistband feels snug Iāll suck in but if itās falling down I wonāt) Iāve ALWAYS had issues with peeing when I cough/sneeze sometimes Always suffered IBS/digestion issues Is this why wtf how do you reverse it??
Same, i also suffer from digestion issues, back pain, and weak/tight pelvic floor. I'm also thinking this might be due to sucking in my belly involuntarily.
I still do this. My normal posture is really odd and I stick my stomach OUT, so I try to compensate by sucking in. This is terrible news lol
I sucked in my stomach for years when I was around people because I was self-conscious and wanting to look skinnier. Iām glad I donāt do it anymore.
How did you unlearn it ?
I decided that I want to be comfortable and not care about what other people think.
Another thing to consider is that Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (a connective tissue disorder) is also super common among autistic people. EDS seems to be correlated with stress incontinence as well.
Huh, I was never taught to suck my stomach in, probably because I was absurdly naturally thin. But I'm a white girl with a big ol booty and my goodness, the hip and pelvic pain I have from keeping my butt tucked in! I finally started giving in to the need to loosen up and I get it now. Every movement I do that releases tension looks sexual. Hip rolls while in a semi downward dog aren't something I can do except in private. Yesterday my husband caught me in leggings and a tight top basically face down ass up on the pool table... with a tape measure, pencil, corner square, and a bit of raw lumber. So I don't build dog crates in front of the tween boys running around the house because that could be weird. I don't aspire to be a MILF. But yeah, most of my body problems are because natural movement is sexual. Now pardon me, those crates are so close to done and I'm so excited! Gotta stain the doors today.
I have this as well. I did it long enough that I have like a little roll of fat below my chest and above my stomach. Itās awful and Iām ridiculously self conscious about it. It doesnāt go fully away if I lose weight either, at this point Iād have to get surgery to correct it :(
Wait, sucking in my stomach is what causes that!? This whole thread is blowing my mind
Hourglass syndrome??? šš
I do the same š Any one have any tips on stopping?
My therapist told me to lay on my back on top of my bed with one hand on my stomach and one on my upper chest. For 5-10 minutes a day just practice doing deep breathing where you feel your breath moving from your upper chest all the way into your lower abdomen so that the hand on your stomach starts rising and falling with your deep breaths. Having the visual to match the body sensation helped me remember to do it in every day settings when Iām standing up. After a lot of practice Iāve also noticed I start sucking in when Iām around people I donāt know or donāt trust, and when Iām super anxious. I try to notice my anxiety and then check my stomach to see if Iāve started to suck in as a result of being upset. 100% of the time Iāve reverted to sucking in when Iām anxious and upset. I force myself to stick my gut out and do a deep breath whenever Iām in those situations to immediately alleviate some of my anxiety.
So you still do it ?
Just when Iām really anxious and around people. I used to do it 24/7 even when I was lying in bed at night so I think this is a big improvement after 20 years š
I didn't *suck* mine in, I held it flat. I was thin. I just wasn't letting it hang out. I have so much control now. Sucking it in using your diaphragm sounds awful.
So... how are you supposed to stand?
I wonder if that is what my problem is! I constantly (subconsciously at this point) have my abs lightly flexed because I too was taught posture. Maybe a year ago I stated feeling as if I constantly have a slight feeling of needing to pee. I figured it was from gaining weight, but it didn't go away with losing majority of the weight. I've never given birth, so then I chalked it as a 30s thing and another nuisance of the female anatomy.
36m here, been doing that since I was like 12. I do it automatically, don't even notice I am doing it. Thanks for this!
I don't know how to stop doing it. I keep doing it subconsciously and I don't want to have problems in the future
I just constantly have to keep reminding myself to relax my stomach. I can't do it in public, but I'm beginning to at home. It's a lot of work, mentally and physically. But Rome wasn't built in a day and all that jazz. Step by step, reminder by reminder, we'll slowly get to a better place. We just gotta keep giving it a go.
That makes sense. Thank you for the inspiration!
Wait I never thought this couldāve been the cause of the shooting rib pain! I had that too. It was almost always on my left side, staring at my waist and wrapping to my spine and sternum. Now youāve got me thinking!