I've been suffering from health anxiety for over a year (because I watched a video on YouTube about Boerhaave Syndrome which started this all) now which has worsened this summer. I have lots of crying spells and mood swings due to the fear of a fatal or neurodegenartive illnesses. Distractions don't help much anymore, I cannot visit the doctor often so it makes my anxiety worser. It's sometimes hard to sleep due to the fear of something happening at night or I wake up in the middle of the night for no reason at all. It causes confusion-like state aka Brain Fog often which is even worser because it sometimes reinforces the fears that something is wrong with my brain even tho I'm perfectly healthy. I either binge-eat or don't eat at all depending on what my HA has latched on to. I am looking forward into therapy honestly.

Hypochondria doesn't have any benefits in my opinion. Yes I have a lot of medical knowledge but it's only out of the fear and compulsively researching on the internet and sometimes it's hard to distinguish from a real illness or anxiety. Seeking obsessive reassurance is also very annoying because at the end, it's only going to annoy the people around you and fuel the anxiety even without noticing.

Always checking and monitoring my own body is also driving me insane a little because I just want to be in peace and not constantly worry about normal sensations or minor symptoms. It's also putting a strain on Friendships/Relationships due to isolation and constant worry.

I never had any life-threatening illnesses in my life ever, I have a strong immune system and have visited the doctor last year and everything was perfectly fine. For people with Hypochondria which doesn't seem to be imporving at all, it's better to seek therapy because it will seriously be life-changing as I'm trying to do. I wouldn't wish Hypochondria even on one of my worst enemies.

Sorry for lots of typos.

Does anyone here have a good system for organizing old health reports? I'm always concerned when I visit the doctor that they'll ask me for basic things like my Vit D levels or hormone results - it takes me a while to fish the pictures out (and sometimes it's totally lost). I’ve been thinking about setting up something to make health docs easily searchable, but not sure if others struggle with this too or have any ideas what I can do?

I’ve noticed lately that whenever I plan a trip or something to do down the line (say in a couple of months), that in my head I can’t really get excited about it because I just assume that something will kill me by then and it’s really frustrating. It’s annoying to know that in worrying about dying you forgetting just to live, and that you’re alive right now and you have been alive for a long time. The feeling sort of forces you to live in the moment and makes it difficult to plan ahead for the future. But just remember that the time will pass anyway, so whether you like it or not, you’ll reach those months down the line and you’ll realise it’s for the best that you plan ahead. And remember that being out and about, enjoying your plans is the best way to not get trapped in a mental prison of procrastination, so make plans and get out of the damn house!

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share my experience because maybe it can help someone out there.

After months of dealing with health anxiety, I can finally say I’ve cured it! Looking back, it was really bad for me. I realized how bad it was when I was just sitting and resting, but my heart rate was at 125 bpm. I used to constantly think I had the worst disease imaginable. I would Google symptoms nonstop, plan trips to the doctor, schedule general check-ups, and even get lab tests done—all because I thought something was wrong.

But now, I feel free. I don’t dwell on negative thoughts anymore. Here’s what really helped me:

1. Sports + friends Playing sports (volleyball for me) was huge. Having too much free time gave me space to overthink, but filling that time with sports changed everything. Not only does being physically active distract you, but being with friends gives you so much positive energy. Also, when your body is physically tired, you stop noticing those little normal pains you used to obsess over.

2. Keeping busy with hobbies Aside from sports, I explored photography and other hobbies. Keeping yourself engaged gives your mind less room to spiral.

3. Mindset shift I read a post here once that stuck with me: “Even if you really do have a health issue, if it’s your time, then it’s your time.” It sounds simple, but it gave me peace and helped me stop obsessing.

Conclusion: Health anxiety felt overwhelming, but it’s not forever. Finding ways to stay busy, connect with people, and shift your mindset can really change things. If you’re struggling right now, just know it can get better.

Haven't you guys noticed that health anxiety has become more common in recent years, maybe post COVID 19 pandemic?

I have seen a lot of people are easily s cared by weird symptoms that earlier people didn't even think about, especially when it involves heart.

Whatever may be the reason, this evil needs to be eradicated, it takes away the joy of normal moments from lives. I wonder how does it feel to be finally out of this and not always looking of symptoms.

It goes like “describe a situation that triggers your anxiety”, and then “list the worst, best, and most likely outcomes”. Then the next part has you consider if the worst possible outcome happened, would it still matter in 1 week, 1 month or 1 year’s time. Hunny in the worst outcome I’d be six feet under 😭😭

My mind would not stop talking I would lie there and repeatedly think the same thing: Did I look foolish at work yesterday ? Why did I say that ? What if people don't think as highly of me ? The same thing would happen during the day: I would appear to be working while seated at my desk but on the inside I was caught in a never ending cycle.Sincerely I believed that if I repeatedly reenacted the scenario I would eventually determine the correct response or how to resolve it. However it never succeeded. I felt worse the more I thought. My sleep was terrible my chest was constricted and I felt exhausted all the time. I eventually discovered that there is a term for this: rumination. It's not merely overthinking in the informal sense rather it's like your mind keeps repeating the same unfavorable ideas. I discovered how widespread this is and why even tiny changes can have a big impact after reading this really helpful explanation on Harvard Health.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/break-the-cycle?

Little things began to help me: saying Okay this is just a thought not reality as I catch myself in the middle of the spiral. engaging in physical activity such as stretching getting a glass of water or taking a quick stroll. Additionally I occasionally give my mind a mental break by simply concentrating on breathing for a few minutes.I don't feel as helpless as I did before but it's not like I've cured it entirely.

Do we all have some sort of OCD with our health?

I was doing pretty well and then one thing happened and it sets me off like all the progress I made...

Emailing Drs and trying to make MRI appointments

When it comes to my hypochondria most of it is flared by googling things which sucks cause most searches give me awful suggestions and possibly things to spiral about. its bad in itself but i somehow find it worse when i want to look up something common and it practically gives me a death sentence making me worry more. does anyone have any alternatives or other websites where it gives me more common suggestions or something? (this question was inspired by google telling me i had some terminal illness because i felt short of breath after jogging when i was curious if i was dehydrated or something -_-)

When I eat healthily and exercise properly, my health anxiety goes almost to zero. So if I keep myself busy, eat well, and exercise regularly, can I actually improve it? What do you think?

Anxious about heart and health issues, but I probably don't have any real issues....but the worrying about it and higher cortisol levels all the time can in fact lead to heart and health issues. Its like those of us that worry about these things are sending ourselves into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Sort of like stiff forearms, causing weak grip

I would like to have a discussion about this to see if I’m going crazy lol

I’m feeling totally better, but my grip strength has gone away

Been hypochondriac for years now, the amount of researches I've made, the amount of YouTube I've watched, the amount of symptoms I've googled every day every hour is just crazy😂 literally every symptom I feel then I go and google, then I use chat gpt, then I make a list of the possibly diseases, then the tests that would rule out these diseases, then I compare the tests with other tests and so on. I've memorized everything.

Example today, my pee was cristal clear, I panicked cause I know that it's bad cause it might be a sign of me losing electrolytes, so i stopped drinking water and now it became normal again. But the amount of fear and anxiety I felt was so bad to the point I started crying cause what if I died now cause of it so as usual I did a lot of research and now I know what are the "early signs of kidney failure and how to test for it and who's at risk and how can Lupus (which again I do fear lupus) can lead most of the times to kidney failure etc" so now I don't just fear kidney failure, my fear of lupus is at level 2 now so yay.

Free knowledge I guess

But yeah I'll definitely check out lupus 🙂

Hi everyone,

I’ve been dealing with health anxiety for a while, but right now I’m also going through a physical illness (diagnosed, not just anxiety). I find it really hard to separate my actual symptoms from my anxious thoughts, and it makes the whole situation feel overwhelming.

For those of you who have been in a similar situation having health anxiety and being sick at the same time how did you cope? What helped you stay grounded, calm, and not spiral into worst-case scenarios? How do you reconnect with yourself when anxiety makes you feel like a different person?

I’d really appreciate any tips or personal stories.

Thanks so much 💛✨

Hey everyone,

I recently went to the drs about a spot on eyelid, thinking it could be skin cword. He diagnosed it as a chalazion (meibomian cyst) and told me it was nothing to worry about. But, as per usual, I start thinking he’s made a mistake and it is in fact it is skin cword. Anyone have any thoughts on how to begin accepting a drs diagnosis and to stop considering a misdiagnosis?

Thanks :)

Hello,

Anyone of you people out there take the above to help with your HA?

If so what dose are you on that actually helps?

20mg for me didn’t help, so on 2nd week of 30mg and hoping for some improvement soon.

Thank you!

I didn’t know I had health anxiety for most of my life, but looking back… it was torturous. It still is, sometimes, but it doesn’t rule my life like it used to.

I reached my limit a few years ago. I wanted to go to the dermatologist for every change, convinced I was in trouble! My stress would make my chest ache, and that only caused things to snowball further… I would worry every time I used nail-polish, or a household cleaner.

Now I have an “anxiety episode” maybe three or four times a year. It isn’t fixed, but it’s progress, and I would like to share how I made this progress with you.

1. I set-up what I call the “two week rule”. Given my anxiety is primarily about issues that take a long time to develop, I tell myself I’m allowed to think about it/make an appointment if it’s still on my mind in two weeks. I let myself worry about it in that moment, but after that I put it aside and force myself to wait. The concern almost always goes away. This was extremely difficult at first.

2. Knowledge is power. If I’m concerned about an exposure to something, I take time to do research about that something. What is it made of? How does that interact with the body? How does the body handle that contaminant usually? Obviously this takes time, but I’ve slowly gained a better working knowledge of common (and uncommon!) hazardous materials that has made me feel much more secure.

3. In line with #3, learning about how our body protects itself has been a lifesaver. The immune system, the liver… We are absolutely amazing.

4. The game of odds. I used to go online and self diagnose myself with whatever I was most afraid of. After all, we’re much more likely to want to “prepare for the worst”, right? I changed that to “prepare for the most likely”, with an extra bonus of “the symptom you’re looking up probably has a dozen nearly-identical, much more likely, and benign dupes”.

Obviously you can’t just logic your way through everything, but there’s a lot of power in at least recognizing when your thinking has entered an unhelpful pattern. If you can do that in the moment, it starts opening up avenues to choose what you do next! For me, I “choose” my two week rule.

Sometimes this doesn’t work, and that’s okay. I keep practicing it and my life keeps getting better. I so sincerely hope those of you reading this find what works for you; health anxiety is truly a hell.

I’ve found kind of an odd way for me to reassure myself. Recently I’ve been so stressed about being sick that I’ve diagnosed myself with about seven different types of the big letter-that-must-not-be-written. The only thing that brings me some sort of relief is the fact that I know I cannot have all these types of illnesses all together. That’d make me a one in a million medical enigma. So, I must be wrong about something that I’m diagnosing myself with.

You feel all these symptoms, you diagnose yourself, and you’re a hundred percent sure you’re going to die. But if you do this to a hundred types of illnesses, then you know you must be wrong about SOMETHING and that your mind has lost its ability to think logically about these types of issues. So you’re probably wrong.

I'm sitting here in sobbing tears because of my health anxiety. This happens so often too. I just cry and cry and cry because health anxiety is so awful and consumes my entire life. Every thought is an anxious one. Every day I'm convinced of something wrong. I can't escape it. I can't soothe it. I'm just so upset all the time especially cause I can't really do anything about it. I go to the doctor so often and I hate it so much and it never helps anyway and it just doesn't stop and i always end up just breaking down crying, begging the universe to just make it stop and let me be normal and live a normal life. The misery that health anxiety brings is awful. It feels like I'm in a prison. I just can't seem to be happy because of this. My brain always finds a trigger. And the slightest thing can be a trigger, and instantly ruins my mood, my day, just evaporating any semblance of joy or peace I was feeling. It keeps me up at night. Keeps me from living a normal functioning life. Isn't it crazy how a thing like health anxiety can just completely dictate your life?

I’ve been really stressed out all day over health anxiety and i always get a feedback loop when im like this. I get very stressed/anxious to the point I start getting panic attacks, then I worry about the stress I’m causing myself. I think of my heart taking damage like a god damn video game health bar due to the constant stress chipping away at it.

I’ve noticed reading can really calm me down though. Today and yesterday when I could feel my anxiety rising to unbearable dangerous levels I instantly did breathing techniques for 6-8 minutes sitting by a heater, then lay on my spikey mat by the heater and start reading a book I’m into.

I’m usually calmed down a bit from the breathing technique which helps smoothly transition me into reading. Then as I’m reading I can feel myself start to get even more calm. I’ve managed to even reach pretty zen like states doing this which is a complete 180 from unbearable panic anxiety.

Thought I’d throw this idea out there to see if it helps anybody else.

I've had gel nails for about a year now. I love getting my nails done. Having pretty nails bring me so much joy. Lately I've been thinking about the safety of UV lights and I feel I can't get gel nails anymore. This makes me sad, but my HA is just too strong. Why does HA attack what you love? Has anyone found a solution to this HA's trick?

Anyone know of any good UK-based health anxiety therapists? I'd ideally like to hear from someone who's fully recovered via the use of a therapist, and can personally attest to their skills and helpfulness.

I've had HA and DPDR as a result for two years now, and saw a therapist about it maybe a year ago. Frankly, she didn't know what she was talking about, and gave very generic advice. I don't have the money to waste on this kind of experience again, but at the same time I'm getting pretty depressed with having HA and I want my life back, so something needs to be done.

Appreciate any comments and recommendations.

Hey guys, I've been suffering with HA since January and I'm getting a lot of progress lately. One of the things that is helping me a LOT is to try to rationalize my thoughts. Lately, I was in a spiral thinking that I may have Parkison, but one day I just simply thought like: Well, If I really have it, what I can possibly do to change it anyways? Nothing! If you are going to have a bad disease or to pass out or even die, you cant change it. You can keep your good habits and take care of your body but not for fear, for youself. We need to think more about what we can do now, the future can wait. I know this is not too much, but I really hope it can helps someone. 🫶🏻

I’ve come to the realisation that if I find something that really concerns me that I have no choice but to get it checked.

The only problem is, this is happening two or three times a week, for 4 days now I’ve been worry about my throat- it’s worrying me so much that I have to get it checked for something sinister. Everything I find could potentially be a real problem

I’m so exhausted, only a doctor can pull me out of this worry!!

You basically do a competing stimulus where you pinch your thumb with your index or anything else really and focus on that. It takes you out of your own head and snap you back to reality.

It helps with all my anxieties not just the health one.