has anyone here grappled with health anxiety? I’m a healthy man who’s pretty young. The last few months have been rough for me which started with bad allergies and then withdraw symptoms from the allergy meds (never again).
After that, for the first time, I started to experience real health anxiety. I’ve Always had anxiety (don’t we all), and I feel like recently it’s being focused into my health/ googling symptoms, trips to the doctor when maybe it’s not necessary for body sensations, etc. I know it sounds nuts but in the moment when I’m feeling those symptoms it feels so real. And I know better- so I’ve been trying to fight it and practice positive self talk, I exercise regularly, etc. has anyone else dealt with this before? Any tips would be appreciated <3
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Whippedcream40
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Avoid Dr. Google. I suffer from this and doing research only makes it worse. The best CBT tools I've used are 1) if a physician tells me to stop worrying, I stop worrying - I don't second guess them and 2) I see if I can insert 4 "ifs" between me and something bad, i.e. "IF it shows up in a test and IF it is a tumor and IF it's malignant and IF it's not easily treatable".
I worry about my health. I'm not old, but I'm not young either. I have symptoms that mirror people that I've known to have passed away. I tell the doctors about my symptoms and they just dismiss them as allergies. Because I look healthy and I'm not hunch over in pain, the doctors don't check for anything other that the usual stuff, which doesn't even run in my family. If you feel like there is something really wrong, advocate for yourself. Doctors are a mixed bag.
one thing I heard on a podcast is when you feel bad about your health, remember that you are healthier than a kid with cancer and a kid with cancer would love to have your health. This isn’t supposed to be a guilt trip, just a way to see your health in a positive light.
You might check out the website and youtube of Mathew Codde at Restored Minds and the youtube/website of Paige Pradko. They both are therapists who had health anxiety and OCD, which you might also have, and healed themselves and now help others.
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