BF2S Forums Why does this happen when I'm nervous?

You poop when nervous because your instincts are telling you that you need to run away from what you are afraid off, and you can run faster and longer if you dump the unnecessary weight....

Hmmm, makes sense. Though I don't tend to do massive ones! And besides, doesn't pooing use up valuable running away time?

And how do you explain the voice quaver?

One word. Adrenaline

Reason your voice tends to waver, could be because your opening up a speech and thus have to get the right "pitch" to get the message across but again insted of this being instant, your body is nervous and adjusting at a slower rate, it should decrease with time though

Ninja_Kid2002 wrote:

Varegg wrote:

Not sure by reading your post that you know what nerveous really are cause you truly show all the signs of a nerveous unconfident person !

The good news however is that all this will fade with time, it happends to all people when speaking infront of a crowd the first times

I've been training for a year now, doing presentations. And I used to do them during my degree too. I'm generally respected as being the most confident person any of my friends and family know, this is perpetuated by my arrogance and large ego, both of which I'm aware of and perfectly happy with. I'm also a very logical thinker, and tend to evaluate the worst possible outcomes of any situation and plan to compensate thus ensuring that I can be confident.
That said, my ass does seem to agree with you!

Its 2 very different things being confident in closed situations and with few people present, but standing on like say a stage in front of 20+ people is a hole other ballgame and the latter gets better with practice - some people have done this for years and still works up some adrenaline before entering the stage.

After holding instructions for recruits in the army/national guard for many years i finally have lost that feeling you describe even though i`m also normally a confident caracter

This is a job for Dr. Superfly_House.



This is indeed a medical mystery.  When you're nervous (you can't control this) the sympathetic nervous system kicks in hence the quavering voice.  However, the sympathetic nervous system has the opposite effects on your bowel movements.  The sympathetic system is responsible for the "fight or flight response" which prepares your body to be able to survive a dangerous encounter, so:

wiki wrote:

the sympathetic nervous system can accelerate heart rate; widen bronchial passages; decrease motility (movement) of the large intestine; constrict blood vessels; increase peristalsis in the esophagus; cause pupil dilation, piloerection (goose bumps) and perspiration (sweating); and raise blood pressure

So basically, when you're nervous you shouldn't be feeling the need to shit.  Shitting is the parasympathetic nervous system which is what kicks in when you are calm and relaxed:

wiki wrote:

the "rest and digest system", the parasympathetic system conserves energy as it slows the heart rate, increases intestinal and gland activity, and relaxes sphincter muscles in the gastrointestinal tract.

What this means is that you either have something like chronic bowel syndrome (not dangerous...very common) where shitting can be triggered by stress, or your body just reacts differently to jitters because the nervous system is not absolute in everybody.  Of course, since i'm playing Dr. Superfly_House I must also include the differential diagnosis of Sarcoidosis

Pea....Tear.....Griffen wrote:

Ninja_Kid2002 wrote:

Hmmm, makes sense. Though I don't tend to do massive ones! And besides, doesn't pooing use up valuable running away time?

And how do you explain the voice quaver?

Ummm, this may sound sick or weird but try rubbing one out or as borat says - "make a one man hand party" before you're about to do something that makes you nervous

But be careful not running your hand filled with the "magical" kebab-sause through the hair right before entering the stage !

Ninja_Kid2002 wrote:

Hmmm, makes sense. Though I don't tend to do massive ones! And besides, doesn't pooing use up valuable running away time?

And how do you explain the voice quaver?

TOO MUCH INFO !!!


Back in the day (when we were still apes), you would run away whist pooping


I don't know the scientific explenation for the voice thing,, i don't have a Ph.d

Last edited by ShawN_ (2007-04-13 03:01:04)

Its just adrenaline kicking in. Survival instincts telling you that you are afraid, but the upside is your senses become super sharp, a survivability mode if you like. The saying  ''scared shitless'' I think comes from what you suffer from.

Ninja_Kid2002 wrote:

Vub wrote:

OK mate, you don't need to be nervous, do you know why? When you're up there giving your presentation you're the boss, you're the head, you're the voice. Everyone is looking up at you because you're holding all of the cards. No one can knock you off your feet up there because you control the whole stage. The world is at your feet.

Just tell yourself that and act cool, people are depending on you which means that they're all slaves of your words.

Yea, I ain't gonna let any mother fucker make me shit more!

Haha, precisely.

ShawN_ wrote:

You poop when nervous because your instincts are telling you that you need to run away from what you are afraid off, and you can run faster and longer if you dump the unnecessary weight....

Karma reason for this post:

Vub wrote:

HAHAHAHAHA, that's the craziest theory I've ever heard - Vub

But it is true    our bodies get ready to fight or run..

Know what you talk about still get nervous sometimes if i´m forced to talk to a large group of people however if i feel i really don´t give any shit at all what they feel/think about me, my presentation or whatever it may be, i´m calm.