To ask how to stop tensing my stomach muscles due to stress/ anxiety?

[Athenaena]

For the past couple of weeks I’ve noticed I’ve been almost constantly tensing my stomach muscles. By the evening they’re so sore.

The last couple of days I’ve been trying to do deep breathing and concentrating on consciously relaxing them and it has helped lessen it a bit but I AM still doing it.

I’ve just ordered some magnesium spray in the hope that might help and I’ll continue with the breathing exercises but I’m worried this is going to become an ingrained habit.

I know how mad this all sounds, but I’ve done a bit of searching on the web and it seems it is a ‘thing’ with some people when they get really anxious or stressed.

The reason I’m worried is, we’re TTC atm and I wonder if we would’ve been successful this month if i hadn’t have been constantly tending my bloody stomach muscles during the implantation window. I was honestly getting so stressed about it which then just made the situation even worse.

If you’ve ever done this and managed to stop, how did you manage it?

Sorry OP, I have no answers. I have done this my whole life, plus hunching my shoulders and neck. If anyone's got any tips other than 'relax' (which is oft trotted out and singularly unhelpful) I'm all ears.
I can force myself to stop when I realise I'm doing it, but my body just goes back to it.

I’m not sure how you can stop, but I’m sure it won’t have any effect on TTC, so please don’t add that to your stresses.

Hi OP, if it’s stress related how about finding good ways to relieve the stress so that you’re not storing it in your body? Walking is a good stress reliever.. can you do a bit more of that? Get your pace going with some good music? Getting your worries written down somewhere that you either keep or bin afterwards-use BIG SHOUTY WRITING if it helps! Sing-loudly to some songs that destress you, mine is Kelis but whatever works for you!
Breathing techniques are also good, try tensing your tummy by only 10% as you breathe in, then letting it all go 100% as you breathe out, do this a few times as you might feel you can let go a bit more each time.