Health Anxiety Help

[Slickrock]

I need some help. I have struggled with Anxiety most of my life Now that I am in middle life health anxiety seems to be an issue. Health anxiety is the worst because not only are you working with anxiety and fearing of fear but the fear and anxiety also revolve around your existence and a “active” brain can come up with almost any scenario and blow up any symptom to be the worst possible case and doesn’t really take a lot of time to start spinning down those rabbit holes. Anxiety itself I can manage but health anxiety is a whole other beast. I don’t want to spend the rest of my years freaked out about every sign or symptom, imagined or not. Love to hear what other people do to manage health anxiety. I gave up Dr Google a while ago but remnants still linger.

[LifeIsThePitts]

Dennis Simsek the anxiety guy on YouTube is my FAVORITE anxiety teacher for ALL types of anxiety tools and information. Dennis was a member of this forum on HU before launching his globally recognized anxiety programs.

Check him out. His channel on YouTube is FULL of hundreds of podcasts! Give it a try. YouTube is my favorite place to educate and entertain myself.

[Blue_81]

I have health anxiety as well. I started reaching that point where the screws are falling off. At the moment I have problems walking. Im worried that it might be something more serious. Walking made a world of difference to me. That helped me through each day.

[SayNOtoPanic]

Oh Slickrock you are not alone. I repeat. Health anxiety is a BEAST of a beast! Try the late Dr Weekes work hope and help for your nerves . You can get the paperback or audible and listen to it. Really spoke to me for this. A lot of deep breathing exercises to re direct when you start thinking. A positive mantra like this shall pass or nope not going there and then start doing mindfulness (identifying things around you with no judgment. Example: the chair is brown, the wall is white, the dog has white fur, etc.) hang in there. Lifting you in prayer. Hugs.

[Pitalife]

U sure r not Alone here,great group of struggling folks here,I too have bad health anxiety w bipolar depression,and chronic pain that's not addressed in my early 60,s w share of health woes and caring for very ill mother,stay w the group n share,YouTube great for soothing music and rain sounds,nature sounds etc,it's helpful, try to eat well n stretch, eating well rough and proper sleep is very tough,can't stay asleep w worry and pains..I hope you find some solice here...

[designguy]

My anxiety would morph into health anxiety occasionally and what I learned is that it's really a distorted way of trying to be in control of our mind and body but the truth is that we have no real control over anything in life except our next breath. You may also have some OCD which can exacerbate the health anxiety/control issue.

I suggest you check out the youtube of Paige Pradko, she is a therapist that had health anxiety and OCD, healed herself and now helps others. Another is Mathew Codde at Restored Minds, he has a good youtube channel and is also a therapist that healed himself of it and now helps others.

The other thing that is helpful believe it or not, is getting comfortable with dying and getting over the fear of it. The truth is that we are all going to die at some point and there is really no reason to fear it, it's part of the life process. Being afraid of it just keeps us out of enjoying the present moment and being engaged in life. I even started reading obituaries and studing more about spirituality to help me get over it.

[Beevee]

Hi. Health anxiety is no different to any other form of anxiety, whether it be GAD, agoraphobia, OCD, relationship anxiety etc etc. It's all the same because fear is always the root cause, or fear of the feelings of fear. This means that the cure is the same too and that is to learn to accept the symptoms instead of fearing them, fighting or suppressing them. There is a myriad of material online but you cannot go far wrong if you read and practice the teachings of Dr Claire Weekes or anyone else who advocates acceptance if the symptoms which you are struggling with. Give up that struggle and let your mind run riot and do nothing to stop it.

[Harleyman]

Hey Dude, I know exactly what you are feeling and the intensity of it. Severe lung disease in my life...don't know when death will occur, but not all that long now!

Fearing death, or rather, not existing anymore, is real suffering, as is most, if not all anxiety! The fear is based upon the fact that one believes oneself to be the body-mind configuration; therefore, there is no reprieve from suffering, i.e., from the negative effects of the world of MIND. If we were really our mind, then how do you account for the crazy mental thoughts and emotions that are produced and identified with for almost all of us all the time? If I was my mind, I wouldn't be thinking thoughts that would allow me to suffer. So if these thoughts are not my thoughts....then where do they come from? Perhaps from our collective unconscious, or perhaps our mental patterns through life have become so repetitive and conditioned within us, that we automatically go into a mode that usually causes us to suffer.

Even when we know who we really are, these crazy thoughts can still arise from the mind, but in knowing that there simply like responses from a robot or a piece of programmed computer software, these thoughts lose their "sting" as they disappear in our awareness because I'm not latching on to them, i.e., and believing their real and true, as much as before. So friend, what can you do right now to get some relief from the hold of your conditioned mind that has you feeling that death may be quite near? JUST STOP!! DON'T DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN SIT AS STILL AS YOU CAN, AND SIMPLY WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS AS THEY ARISE, BUT DON'T INDULGE OR LATCH ON TO THEM. I'll wager that you've been listening to your mind your whole life feeling and believing it's nonsense! Oh, now the mind is great for reading a cookbook for making lasagna, but when it comes to your emotional health, the mental conditioning from the past often creeps in upon you in the present. YOUR MIND IS NOT YOUR FRIEND IN THESE SITUATIONS. YOU'RE IN THIS PREDICAMENT BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT CONSCIOUS ENOUGH OF THIS PHENOMENON. START BEING MORE CONSCIOUS, OK? Love & Blessings, Harleyman

[Slickrock in reply to Harleyman]

Hi Harlyman. Yes its the intrusive morbid thoughts that shake my ship many times. Yes you are right, there are times that I do engage my thoughts and feelings. The mind is not good at all for thinking ourselves out of mental conditions. Sure, its great for making dinner and reading a novel but severely lacks the ability to help us ease mental suffering. I think it actually can just make it worse when we get into analysis paralysis and the never ending loop of perseveration and rumination. I know about mindfulness and meditation and have practiced it a while ago but I am thinking its time to get back to it. Thanks for your response!

[Harleyman in reply to Slickrock]

You're welcome....

[Slickrock]

Thanks everyone for your great suggestions! Sorry for delay in writing back but I was traveling all the month of Oct which added to my anxiety problems. I very much subscribe to the idea of acceptance and allowing the thoughts to arise and fall. You just cannot fight anxiety. Its a battle that cannot be won. What I have found is that the worst of the worst for health anxiety is anything neurological because in those cases the anxiety is attacking the thing that is creating the anxiety, the brain/mind. For about a month, since having my CoVID booster I have been suffer increasing brain fog to the point that I am now convinced I have early onset dementia/Alzheimers. Has anyone ever gotten bitten by that BEAR? Its an ever perpetuating wheel. You see a memory glitch and then immediately fight or flight kicks in, which makes it worse and then another memory hiccup/glitch happens and more instant fight or flight and the cycle just continues over and over. Thanks for all the suggestions. I like claire weeks. I do believe that acceptance is the only thing we can do with anxiety and it does pass eventually. Love the feedback!