Start by going to the toilet and trying to pass urine every hour while you are awake. You do not have to get up during the night!
You must try to urinate whether you feel the need or not. You must try even if you have been incontinent (accidentally passed urine).
If you get an urge to go to the bathroom before your scheduled time:
STOP! Don’t run to the bathroom.
BE STILL. Stand still or sit down if you can.
RELAX. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
CONCENTRATE on making the urge decrease or even go away. Imagine the pressure becoming less and less.
When you feel IN CONTROL of your bladder, walk slowly to the bathroom, and then urinate.
Keep this schedule until you can go two days without an accident. Then increase the time between scheduled trips to the toilet by 15 minutes. When you can go another two days without accident, extend the time between trips again.
Keep this up until you can go four hours between trips to the toilet (which is normal), or until you are comfortable. This usually takes several weeks.
Don’t get discouraged! Bladder retraining takes time and effort, but it can be an effective way to get rid of incontinence without medication or surgery.
