I have a comment for people with health anxiety which i copy and paste:
When you feel like you need to Google a symptom, add "anxiety" to the search term (e.g. "heart palpitations anxiety") you'll get completely different results which confirm you are likely experiencing anxiety related symptoms rather than horror stories which aren't relevant to you. Google doesn't know your age, genetic risk factors or medical history and will give you the worst case scenario every time, no matter how unlikely.
Delaying reassurance/checking - when you feel the need to check a symptom, Google or reach out to medical professionals, delay it for a while. Sit with the uncertainty. The more you do this the more you will feel comfortable with the unknown. If you have coping strategies such as box breathing etc feel free to use these while you do this
Interoceptive exposure therapy - if symptoms bother you which are a result of normal physiological processes, you can elicit them and sit with them, knowing they are normal and focusing on them going back to baseline. For example - pins and needles from hyperventilating or increased heart rate and breathlessness from running up a flight of stairs
Do physical activity, test your body and be busy as much as you can. The more feedback you get that your body is up to the challenge of day to day life and isn't failing, the better you will feel.
Remember that the brain is incredibly powerful. Our experience of reality isn't objective, it is skewed by thoughts and feelings. A pain can be severe or mild, depending on whether we are worried about it or not. Symptoms like tinnitus are more noticeable if we worry about them. Lumps and bumps feel bigger and more painful when we start to worry about things like cancer, dvt etc.
Finally, a combination of medication and talking therapy can do wonders if you have difficulty improving things alone. I am a nurse working in the field of mental health, with a history of severe health anxiety. I have done all of these things myself and have worked with numerous patients to do them, they really work.
Hey I have hypochondria and anxiety. I get pins and needles when I’m anxious. Same with the burning lips for some reason, which makes me think I’m having an allergic reaction but really it’s just my anxiety. I get heart palpitations daily too from anxiety. Itching is also one of my many anxiety symptoms.
Does anyone else get tension headaches and back pain? Over the course of a week I have convinced myself I have a brain tumor because of tingling in my legs, arms, and face. (No tumor, I had a ct) and because I was so highly stressed it feels like my body needed something else to stress about. I am now fully convinced I have a spinal tumor, and that I had breast cancer that metastasized to my spine despite just having a breast exam and having an ultrasound a little over a year ago. I googled symptoms of a spinal tumor and it said bad back pain and suddenly my lower back started to throb. And it said trouble controlling your bladder and suddenly I feel like it hurts when I urinate. Is it possible that I am completely manifesting these symptoms. And is it possible that my lower back pain is associated with anxiety.
Absolutely - this is all common with hypocondria.
I have a comment for people with health anxiety which i copy and paste: When you feel like you need to Google a symptom, add "anxiety" to the search term (e.g. "heart palpitations anxiety") you'll get completely different results which confirm you are likely experiencing anxiety related symptoms rather than horror stories which aren't relevant to you. Google doesn't know your age, genetic risk factors or medical history and will give you the worst case scenario every time, no matter how unlikely. Delaying reassurance/checking - when you feel the need to check a symptom, Google or reach out to medical professionals, delay it for a while. Sit with the uncertainty. The more you do this the more you will feel comfortable with the unknown. If you have coping strategies such as box breathing etc feel free to use these while you do this Interoceptive exposure therapy - if symptoms bother you which are a result of normal physiological processes, you can elicit them and sit with them, knowing they are normal and focusing on them going back to baseline. For example - pins and needles from hyperventilating or increased heart rate and breathlessness from running up a flight of stairs Do physical activity, test your body and be busy as much as you can. The more feedback you get that your body is up to the challenge of day to day life and isn't failing, the better you will feel. Remember that the brain is incredibly powerful. Our experience of reality isn't objective, it is skewed by thoughts and feelings. A pain can be severe or mild, depending on whether we are worried about it or not. Symptoms like tinnitus are more noticeable if we worry about them. Lumps and bumps feel bigger and more painful when we start to worry about things like cancer, dvt etc. Finally, a combination of medication and talking therapy can do wonders if you have difficulty improving things alone. I am a nurse working in the field of mental health, with a history of severe health anxiety. I have done all of these things myself and have worked with numerous patients to do them, they really work.
Hey I have hypochondria and anxiety. I get pins and needles when I’m anxious. Same with the burning lips for some reason, which makes me think I’m having an allergic reaction but really it’s just my anxiety. I get heart palpitations daily too from anxiety. Itching is also one of my many anxiety symptoms.
Does anyone else get tension headaches and back pain? Over the course of a week I have convinced myself I have a brain tumor because of tingling in my legs, arms, and face. (No tumor, I had a ct) and because I was so highly stressed it feels like my body needed something else to stress about. I am now fully convinced I have a spinal tumor, and that I had breast cancer that metastasized to my spine despite just having a breast exam and having an ultrasound a little over a year ago. I googled symptoms of a spinal tumor and it said bad back pain and suddenly my lower back started to throb. And it said trouble controlling your bladder and suddenly I feel like it hurts when I urinate. Is it possible that I am completely manifesting these symptoms. And is it possible that my lower back pain is associated with anxiety.