Health Anxiety

[Andrew22]

Hello, I’ve had health anxiety for some time now. About 3 weeks ago I was really convinced I had Brain cancer as I was getting really bad headaches and tingly feeling in legs had a mri and everything was fine. Now because I still have a tingly feeling and now my muscles ache a lot I’ve convinced myself I have ALS. Recently my throat has been really tight and feeling of something is in it. I just feel really depressed and not motivated right now and have convinced myself that I have this rare disease. Can anyone help me?

[maxibon77]

Hey Andrew, I’m Max. I’ve also experienced health anxiety, similarly believing I had brain cancer. I understand how difficult it is to explain the concept of health anxiety to others, so it’s really impressive that you spoke up about it.

It’s tough, because no matter who tells you (doctor, family, friend, etc.) that you don’t have a specific disease or whatever, you never feel quite satisfied with their response. You’re just positive it has to be something bad. For me, I found that rather than trying to convince myself that I didn’t have a disease, I would instead distract myself by doing other activities to take my mind off the anxious thoughts. For example, I like to play soccer, so when I began to feel anxious about my health, I would go to my local field and kick the ball around for a while. Whatever your hobbies are, use these to your benefit. I hate to admit it, but even work can help distract yourself.

At first, when you try to distract yourself, you’ll feel your mind pulling itself back to the anxious thought, which is completely normal. It’ll take a while, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be completely invested in the hobby/work you’re doing.

A bit more difficult to distract yourself when you’re trying to get to sleep, but still definitely possible. This is when you’re mind’s most free to wonder, so it’s important to distract yourself at this time. Like stated before, invest yourself fully into something in your mind that is far away from health-related thoughts. For example, I give myself maths problems to complete when falling asleep (one time I calculated the amount of hours I watched The Office for altogether). When I don’t want to do maths, I like to name every player on my favourite soccer team, their position, stats for the season, etc. Doing something like that will really help you have a nice sleep.

Finally, and most importantly, DO NOT GOOGLE YOUR SYMPTOMS. It’s really tempting to do it, but no good comes from it. Remember that anxiety doesn’t just affect the mind, but can display physical symptoms as well. When I got really anxious, my stomach would hurt. It just happens, all in different ways for each person.

Hope this helps, and remember you’re not alone in this.
Max

[Avichi]

Hi Andrew,

Thank you for putting yourself out there on this topic. Health anxiety is a very common cause of anxiety in general and Dr google is certainly not your friend. Personally I have been battling with the same emotions and fears for many years. Often to different degrees. One of the things that has got me through recently is to simply say ok. To acknowledge this passing thought smile and simply say “Is that the best you got brain?” I know it’s seems silly but if I can’t stop these thoughts at least I can make light of them..

All the best

Avichi