Posts in category: Dating Tips, Guide and Advice

Most people have dealt with nausea in one way or another. Whether it’s from catching a stomach bug or eating something that didn’t agree with you, nausea is not a fun feeling. Generally, that queasy feeling goes away on its own and you know you’ll feel better soon. But for some people, the feeling lingers.

“In simple terms, chronic nausea is that awful feeling in your stomach that makes you think you’re about to throw up, except it’s not just a passing thing,” Partha Nandi, MD, FACP, a gastroenterologist and clinical associate professor of medicine at Michigan State University. “It sticks around for days, weeks, or even months. And it’s not just the nausea that’s frustrating—it’s how much it can impact your life. Whether it’s keeping you from enjoying a good meal, disrupting your sleep, or making you afraid to step…uh… too far from a bathroom, chronic nausea can have a real impact.”

When you feel nauseous all the time, you start wondering what’s causing it—and if you need to be concerned. Below, we examine several causes of nausea and discuss how you can cope with it to start feeling better.

What’s Causing Your Chronic Nausea?

It’s hard to know how your body will react to certain foods, medications, or even stress. Your body might be fine with broccoli and then abruptly, years later, you feel nauseous any time your tastebuds touch the greeny vegetable. Being intuned with your body is the first step in determining the root cause of your nausea. It may even help with decisions in the future regarding what you and what medication you take.

Chronic nausea can come from any of the following sources:

•  What you eat. Food allergies and intolerances can cause your stomach to react. Spicy or fried foods can cause problems too, especially if you eat them regularly. Eating too much food or not eating enough can also cause nausea. “If you’re skipping meals or loading up too much at once, your digestive system may be screaming for a break,” Dr. Nandi notes.
•  Lifestyle habits. “Your gut needs sleep just as much as your brain does. Without enough rest, your digestive system can get all out of whack, leading to nausea,” says Dr. Nandi.
• Medical conditions. Most people would expect gastrointestinal issues to lead to nausea. But neurological conditions, such as migraines, can also make you nauseous. So can endocrine issues. “Conditions like diabetes or thyroid problems can lead to imbalances in your body, often manifesting as nausea,” Dr. Nandi states. Also, be mindful that some medications you take to help with one concern can lead to another including nausea.
• Hormonal changes. Pregnant women can have delicate stomachs. Some foods work and some just don’t. The same can be true when women are menstruating. The fluctuating hormone levels can cause a variety of physical symptoms including nausea.
•  Psychological factors. Have you ever felt *so* sick to your stomach when you’re nervous or upset? Stress brings the relationship between your gut and your mental health to the forefront. “The gut-brain axis highlights the bidirectional communication between the gastrointestinal system and the brain,” says Ozan Toy, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer at PsychTMS. “Understanding this connection is crucial for addressing chronic nausea, as psychological factors can exacerbate or trigger gastrointestinal symptoms.”
• Environmental factors. “Exposure to certain toxins or chemicals can irritate your stomach and lead to nausea,” states Dr. Nandi.

Any of these sources can cause an upset stomach. When those feelings continue, it may be time to seek help.

Getting Help

You know your body better than anyone else. If you’ve been feeling queasy or sick for longer than normal, be mindful of other symptoms that can mean it’s time to seek help. “If nausea persists for more than a few days, is accompanied by severe abdominal pain, vomiting, weight loss, or signs of dehydration, it’s essential to seek medical attention,” Dr. Toy notes.

In addition to listening to your symptoms, a doctor can run blood tests or schedule you for an endoscopy procedure, which examines your digestive system for things like inflammation or ulcers. A doctor can also recommend other tests like a CT scan or MRI of your abdominal area.

Once you have a better idea of exactly what you’re dealing with and why, you can figure out how to cope with your nausea.

Small Steps You Can Take to Cure Your Nausea

Adjusting your diet can be a huge source of relief. Avoiding foods you don’t tolerate well and eating smaller portions are just some small steps you can take to clear up your nausea. “If you have gastritis or GERD, try to avoid alcohol, caffeine, or chocolate as these will aggravate your nausea,” states Dr. Toy. Drinking ginger tea or taking a ginger supplement can also improve nausea symptoms. Ginger ale is also a commonly recommended remedy for nausea, and I’ve personally seen it work wonders.

Along those lines, consider adding a prebiotic or a probiotic to your regimen to improve your gut health. Certain medications like Zofran or Phenergan can alleviate nausea symptoms.

Managing your stress can also address chronic nausea issues. “Techniques like meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing, and prayer for those inclined, can work wonders for stress-related nausea in some individuals,” Dr. Nandi advises.

Keep in Mind

Settling on a coping strategy—or several strategies—will depend on the cause of your chronic nausea. The important thing is to get to the source of the problem, be patient with yourself, and take steps to get the relief that you need.

“Chronic nausea is no fun but understanding what’s causing it and taking proactive steps can bring relief,” Dr. Nandi says. “Whether it’s making simple dietary adjustments or seeking medical advice, you have options. And remember, your gut and brain are on the same team—when one is out of sync, the other usually is too. So, focus on your whole body’s health, and your stomach will thank you!”

What’s the secret to a long-lasting friendship? There are lots of things you can point to—common interests, similar personalities, shared experiences. But there’s one thing that no long-term friendship can ever be without: boundaries.

Just like a relationship with a romantic partner or a family member, boundaries in friendship generate mutual respect and empathy. Read on to learn more about how boundaries keep a friendship healthy and lasting.

What Are Boundaries?

When you set a boundary in a relationship, you are expressing to the other person what you need from them and how you need to be treated.

Setting a boundary might involve telling the person if a certain action of theirs makes you uncomfortable, or if a specific topic of conversation is off-limits. You might also need to explain how you’d like to be treated under certain circumstances, like if work is really busy or you’re not feeling well.

“For example, ‘Please do not call me after 9 p.m.’ is not technically a boundary but a request. ‘If you call after 9 p.m. I will not answer, and you will get a response when I am available’ is a boundary. You choose how you will respond if the boundary is not kept, and know that if you do not respect people’s boundaries they might not allow ongoing access to them,” adds Dr. Marschall.

It’s also important to be aware and respectful of the other person’s boundaries yourself. If someone is taking the trouble to outline what they need from you in terms of your behavior towards them or the way you speak to them, listen.

“Boundaries are so important!” says Dr. Marschall. “They are how we let people know what we need in order to be in a relationship with them. You are allowed to set boundaries around what you need in your relationship, and if you care for and respect someone, you will honor the boundaries they set for you. If you do not honor someone’s boundaries,” Dr. Marschall advises, “they might not allow you to remain in their life.”

Boundaries in Action

I was having lunch with a friend a few months ago and we were talking about a mutual acquaintance we had both (separately) spent time with recently. I told my friend I had repeated something she’d said about this acquaintance to him because I thought what she said was funny and knew he would appreciate the joke. My friend laughed when I told her this, and we moved on.

However, after lunch, I received a text from my friend. She told me that it had actually made her really uncomfortable to know that I had repeated something she’d said to this other person without her permission. She asked me very plainly to not do this in the future, and to always ask her first before telling others about anything she has said.

I was horrified. I immediately understood my mistake and assured her this would never happen again. I also apologized and told her that she deserved to have a friend she could trust and that I recognized that I had violated her trust. 

If this exchange had not occurred, this most certainly would have affected our friendship. My friend would have continued to feel as though I had hurt her, and I would have had no idea what I had done wrong, and therefore would not have been able to adjust my behavior in the future. Speaking up and reinforcing those boundaries was the best thing she could have done in this situation.   

All this to say, setting boundaries will do wonders for your friendships. And eventually, this will become old hat—you learn where your friends’ boundaries are and they learn yours, and your relationship can continue with respect and empathy.

What It Looks Like When Boundaries Are Not Respected

My friend, who had a surgery scheduled, asked me a few weeks in advance if I would pick her up from the hospital afterward, and I agreed. However, a few days before the surgery, I had to make a difficult decision regarding my own health, which meant telling my friend that I might not be able to pick her up after all—I didn’t want to commit to helping her when I wasn’t absolutely sure that I would be up to it on the day, therefore leaving her in the lurch. 

I felt terrible for letting her down, but I had hoped that my friend, who had similar health issues, would understand that I needed to take care of myself during this time; but she didn’t.

She said I was selfish, told me I was a horrible person, and said that she would never forgive me, even though I apologized and tried to explain how hard this decision was for me. She called me multiple times to scream at me, to the point where I stopped taking her calls; after that came a barrage of vitriolic text messages until I eventually had to block her. 

I would have understood if she had told me she was disappointed in me, and that I had made things more difficult for her because both of those things were true. But the fact that there was no consideration for my situation and the way I was feeling made it very clear that this friendship was not going to continue much further—and it didn’t. 

I asked her to understand my position and what I needed at the time, even though it inconvenienced her, and she couldn’t. Knowing that someone cannot respect your boundaries, especially when health is on the line, makes it difficult to continue being friends with that person.

How to Respect Your Friends’ Boundaries and Have Them Respect Yours

If you want your friendships to last, get used to setting boundaries and respecting the boundaries of others.

The easiest way to figure out your friend’s boundaries is by asking questions. You can start with the basics, like:

If they have already brought up a certain specific need or request, you can ask questions to make sure you understand what they would like you to do. You can say:

When talking to your friends about your own boundaries, “I statements” are useful. You could say:

What’s the best way to establish and maintain boundaries? “Communicate them!” says Dr. Marschall. “If you feel comfortable, you might decide to give a reason for the boundary. In the previous example, that might look like, ‘I go to bed early and that is why I am not available for calls in the evening.’ That can help the recipient understand and remember the importance of the boundary, but you also have the right to keep that information private.” 

Lasting friendships are built on mutual respect and trust, and building that respect and trust comes down to setting and observing boundaries.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to lasting friendships, boundaries are key. Knowing that your friend respects you and your needs, and that you respect them and theirs, lays the foundation for a relationship that can last.

Always be open to ways you can improve your friendship, and if something happens where you feel your boundaries are being ignored, speak up—a true friend will understand and want to help.