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TW: Health anxiety
Hi, so I'm 14, and I don't know if anyone else can relate to this, but I have severe health anxiety, even though I have had no previous serious illnesses. For me I normally project onto my health anxiety. For example, I had a speech I had to do and that morning I had a panic attack about my jaw. It doesn't even matter how many tests I have done or how good the results are, I'm always stressing about the fact that they might have missed something. Like I recently had an ECG done for my eating disorder and I am still worried about my heart health, even though the results were perfectly fine. And even though I see two therapists and both of them are absolutely amazing, I can never fully manage to open up about this, because it's a part of my mental illness that not many other people talk about, so I am always really, really insecure about it. I'm hoping that someone can relate just a little bit.
Comments
Hi this is probably really late but just wanted to say I feel like that sometimes. I mainly wonder a lot if I'm at risk of heart issues and if I'm eating healthy enough. And hospitals just creep me out so much, so many germs in the one building 😬😬
This is definitely a part of anxiety that isn't talked about enough, but know you aren't alone 🙂
Hi @AcidMonster55 , thank you for sharing your own experience with health anxiety. I'm sorry to hear about the worries you have to deal with.
Concerns about health, especially heart issues, can be incredibly anxiety-inducing. And the fear of hospitals is something many people can relate to. It's completely natural to have these worries, and it can be reassuring to know that you're not alone in this.
It can be really helpful to hear about what works for others, so i'm curious, have you found any coping strategies that help ease your health anxiety?
Also, have you ever reached out for support with these concerns? Sometimes talking to someone who understands can make a huge difference!
Hi sorry for the late response, I don't think I've got a lot but sometimes exercise and reminding myself that maybe what I'm worried is part of heart disease (eg tight chest) could very well be anxiety related. Also deep breathing as well.
I've also been trying to reduce doomscrolling (bit of a work in progress at the moment)
Hey @kav, welcome to ReachOut!
I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. Anxiety is tough enough to deal with even when it doesn't concern your health, so I'm glad you feel comfortable talking about it here.
I totally hear you when you talk about worrying something feeling wrong when things seem perfectly fine on paper. It's difficult to stop thinking about the "what ifs?" and it can definitely have a big impact on your life when things like a speech pop up. Do you notice the same thoughts and feelings when you're stressed about other things? Do you find that anything helps you to manage in these situations?
We have a few articles that you might like, you could check out this one on panic attacks here, and theres a bunch of useful info on anxiety here.
It's so great to hear about your therapists! It's important to remember that you're not alone, and while you may not be able to fully open up to them now, it sounds like you've taken some big steps towards expressing how you're feeling. Speaking about it can be stressful in itself, maybe you could write a note before the session or email them if it feels easier.
Hi @kav !
It's been a while, how are things going for you?😊
I relate to health anxiety all too well. Even when I'm told things are fine with my health, I occasionally think they missed something and didn't do their job properly and project my bad medical experiences onto new ones. I always find myself googling my symptoms and then falling into a deep hole of worry. I am working on this as it can be quite debilitating. Here are some of the ways I'm trying to help myself:
- Resist the urge to google symptoms and diagnose myself. If I am worried about something, I will go to the doctor explain my concerns and ask for any relevant testing to be done.
- Distract me with activities that are soothing and I enjoy doing such as knitting, video games, etc.
- Although I don't do it as much as I should, I find that being in nature like going to the beach is a mind-clearer and grounds me back to reality.