im sick of being afraid of my own body

[booga]

i keep getting health problems and one of my biggest fears ever is getting cancer. as far as im aware, i do not have cancer, but i cant help but worry every time i feel a slight difference in my body.

im sick of being afraid all the time about it. i think its ridiculous that you have to be hypervigilant about your own body because it can just randomly decide to turn against you. i wish i could be alive but without a physical body to worry about.

[Picture]

Hi Booga - sorry to hear you are having these worries. To control what you can it is good to ensure you have all your recommended screenings for your age/sex. Also, it is good to know the symptoms of cancer so it can be found early. There are reputable websites that set this out. If your worries are becoming too much, it could be good to speak to your GP or a psychologist.

[Ggrand]

Hello Dear booga,

I am so sorry that you struggle with health anxiety, that would be so stressful…my heart goes out to you…Health Anxiety is real and can be mentally debilitating if not treated by professionals…An honest talk to your gp/Dr..to explain your fears is a good start for reaching out for treatment and understanding of this mental health illness….please dear booga, I want to gently urge you to reach out to your Dr.

Worrying about something that more then likely won’t happen..is taking away your day to do the things you enjoy doing…When you start being hyper vigilant with your body, try to distract your mind onto something you like doing or listening to….as complexed as our brain is..it’s nearly impossible to be thinking two things at once, so by taking your thoughts away from scanning your body and onto something you like, might help to give your unhealthy thoughts (hyper vigilant) a little rest…

My kindest thoughts Dear booga with my care..

Grandy..

[sbella02]

Booga,

Thank you so much for posting here, welcome to the forums.

If I'm reading your post correctly, it sounds like you've had health problems throughout your life, and that you're concerned about these progressing into something terminal and life-threatening like cancer. I'm sorry to hear that this is causing you so much distress, what an awful feeling to carry around.

Health anxiety sucks. I am also hypervigilant about my own body, and sometimes my concerns are valid and sometimes they're heightened. My general rule now is that any pain that persists beyond a day or two, I will investigate further. Of course, if you struggle with chronic pain, this rule could change instead to apply only to new pains. 

It might help to have a chat to a GP or mental health professional, like a therapist or psychologist, about the health anxiety you're experiencing, as they might be able to help you identify some great coping strategies or way to ease some of that anxiety.

I hope this helps, feel free to keep chatting with us more if you'd like, we're here to listen.

Take care, SB