Health Anxiety
What is health anxiety?
First the formal answer. Health anxiety or hypochondriasis is a mental health condition characterized by excessive and persistent worry about one’s health.
Health anxiety is extreme worry over everything regarding your body. This includes worry that you are sick or will become sick. Many also fear taking vitamins, supplements, over-the-counter medications, and prescriptions. Every little ache, pain, spot, symptom, etc. that you notice starts with concern that builds quickly into worry and can manifest into all-out panic and fear for one’s life. Anxiety itself causes endless symptoms. Much like most other illnesses, symptoms overlap. It is easy to see why someone could worry over a symptom that very well may be caused by and exacerbated by anxiety. It is a vicious cycle. Notice something, become concerned, overthink, worry, symptoms increase spread or change, panic sets in, become concerned about new symptoms while panicking, and so on.
A real life example
You finally relax on the couch for the night after a long day. You notice your heart beating quickly. Concern. Is it beating faster than it should be? Overthink. Is my heart working too hard? Worry. Tension builds and your chest begins to feel tight. Anxiety sets in and you feel weak and breathless. Symptoms increase spread or change.
Continuing to focus on your heart beating fast, your chest feels tight and heavy. You try to catch your breath and check your pulse. Panic sets in. Am I having a heart attack? Why do my arms feel tingly? Concern and panic. Should I go to the hospital? Am I going to die? I am going to die!
These are not just passing thoughts the person really believes something is terribly wrong. Anxiety symptoms are numerous and very real. Health anxiety can be extreme and interfere with day-to-day life. The worry of being sick or getting sick becomes obsessive and can take over your life. Health anxiety makes you feel helpless and leaves you hopeless.
Can Health anxiety be cured?
Yes! There is hope! I personally have suffered from severe debilitating health anxiety. There were definitely times in the depths of it all that I thought I was going to die. Occasionally I have to work harder and use my tools more to stay strong but it no longer affects me daily. If you or someone you know is dealing with health anxiety, I promise you that it does not have to be this way forever.
More on how to cope is coming soon.
Read this for help with navigating a doctor’s appointment while dealing with health anxiety.
Leave a Reply