Looking for a Listener who deals with Health Anxiety
I would love to be able to talk to someone about my Health Anxiety/hypochondria. I know there's a lot of people who are familiar with generalized anxiety but Health Anxiety is like its own beast and would appreciate talking to someone who has helped those with this issue.
Thank you.
@kindIdea8465 I have health anxiety.
Have a look at Panic Free TV with Michael Norman
Dare by Barry MCdonagh
and also I use this technique that whenever I think something like “what if I have blah blah illness? Or what if that’s a sign I am sick with blah” …. I respond by choosing to think on purpose - well what if nothings wrong? What if this sensation is normal? What if everybody occasionally feels that numbness? What if that pain is just a regular harmless ache? What if it’s just a common cold? What if I feel better later and have a really good night? What if my body is just responding to the coffee I drank? What if nothing happens? What if my body just feels excited? What if this is just the feeling of my body healing? What if I’m ok?
Choosing to think on purpose is a way you can take back some control. Note that your brain won’t stop throwing back scary what if’s - it is doing it’s job, which is to be alert to danger. But people with medical anxiety have brains that … set of the fire alarms when the toast is burning. It overreacts, and you can say - thank you for trying to protect me, but we need to consider other very likely possibilities as well, give equal time to all valid outcomes.
I hope this helps you