Health Anxiety issues :/

[ETamar]

Hi, 🙂

im new to the website and have been feeling like making a post would be helpful to try find some advice or something like that? hopefully it’s not too much to ramble a bit, I’m a bit anxious to share this because I feel it sounds very crazy but

ive been dealing with health anxiety ever since I left school last year, and it’s been getting worse and worse. I’ve been having anxiety and panic attacks over getting diseases that would lead to me dying, and it’s gotten to a point where I keep thinking if I see anything related to any of the diseases, that it’s a “sign”, or I refuse to do anything incase “karma” comes in and makes me get this disease or something like that. I don’t even want to mention the diseases by name incase I jinx myself.

i’ve only been recommended relaxation techniques and haven’t had any medications yet and I’m beginning to feel like antidepressants might be the only way to calm myself down.

Do any of you guys have health anxiety like this or any advice? Anything would be really helpful, thank you so much for your time ❤️

[Alexh94]

Hey there.

Sorry to hear that you're going through this, I've dealt with a pretty similar thing since i was 15 and I'm nearing 24.

About 5 years ago i ended up in hospital from getting so worked up that i had heart problems that i convinced myself i was having a heart attack.. that was one of the biggest turning points for me, definitely a blessing in disguise.

You need to keep yourself active, keep busy, don't give yourself time to sit down and consider all the things that could be or could go wrong. Everyone is going to die one day but what life are you living if you constantly worry about it?

I was lucky enough to have an awesome GP that told me these things when i was struggling the most, and believe me it really helped. I still suffer from anxiety but i don't wonder if I'm going to die from a certain disease. Live every day as it comes trust me worrying about your health constantly is not at all doing you any good, if your in good health you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I hope this helps in some ways, best of luck with it all!

[Peppermintbach]

Hi ETamar,

Here is a second gentle welcome to you to the forums 🙂 I’m so glad you decided to reach out despite how nerve racking it must have been.

I don’t feel you’re rambling at all, and even if you do ramble (which you weren’t doing), there’s nothing wrong with that...you can vent, ask questions, chat, etc here. Just whatever you feel like...

Excellent post by Alexh and welcome to you too 🙂 I think it’s wonderful that you decided to extend your empathy to ETamar as your very first post. What a beautiful gesture. I hope we see you around the forums...

ETamer, you do sound as though you’re feeling very much on edge and nervous. Your anxiety sounds very stressful and debilitating...

I don’t have health anxiety personally but I know many forum members who have it. I know there’s a thread called Self help tips for managing anxiety that you might find helpful. You can find it either by typing “self help tips for managing anxiety” in the BeyondBlue search engine or by visiting the Anxiety forum as it is pinned at the top.

Otherwise if you’re thinking about meds, maybe you might like to make an appointment with your GP to see what s/he says...how does fang sound to you?

Once again, a warm welcome to you here. I hope you’re finding your way around the forums okay. There’s no pressure but if you feel like it, you can write as often and whenever you like.

Kind and caring thoughts,

Pepper

[Peppermintbach]

My apologies...

*I meant to write “how does that sound to you?” and not “how does fang sound to you?”

Sorry again...

Pepper

[Luckie19]

Hi ETamar,

I have suffered from health anxiety for so many years and have just signed up to the forums as I am going through a pretty tricky time with it at the moment. I identify with all of your thought patterns, looking for "signs" and searching for symptoms - it is so exhausting!!

Some strategies that I use that I find really helpful are;

- I use one of those productivity apps e.g. appblock and have programmed it so I can't access the search engine on my phone between 8pm and 7am - this stops me googling exotic illnesses at all hours of the night which tends to get me stressed out!

- Physical activity (I love yoga and running) aside from all the regular benefits of exercise for mental health it makes me think of my body as being strong and healthy, which challenges the thoughts caused by health anxiety

- Sticking to my schedule; trying to avoid days off work as when I do take days off this builds the narrative that I am "sick/ unwell"

- Distraction - When the anxiety is really bad I have a kit of things I really enjoy that I can immerse myself in, this usually involves a crossword puzzle and a light hearted tv program (home renovation shows or sitcoms). I find that multi-sensory activities i.e. activities that use my hands, brain, sight and hearing are the most effective way to block out the intrusive thoughts, which is why I pair the crossword with tv.

Hopefully some of these strategies will be useful for you and I would love to hear what techniques other people use!