r/HealthAnxiety • u/Bird-With-Teeths • 5d ago
Offering Advice for Others Your body doesn’t need you micromanaging it constantly
Your body is really really good at what it does. It doesn’t need your constant vigilance.
This is a just a little reassurance for myself and anyone. I struggle with health anxiety on and off, but right now I’m out of the worst of it and I have realized some things.
I know your body feels like the enemy sometimes. Like you have to constantly be vigilant or else something is going to go wrong. But the truth is your body doesn’t need you to do that. It’s already really good at what it does. It’s an incredibly advanced system and it knows what it’s doing and doesn’t need you to constantly backseat. Like any complex machine, it will have glitches and little problems, but your body knows how to deal with them. There are systems in place to repair so, so many things. I think we don’t really fully grasp just how much our bodies can deal with and come back from even with no medical intervention. your body is completely filled with systems of redundancies that kick in when threatened and can fix a wide variety of problems all on their own.
Doctors and medicines are only supplemental and even in emergencies they’re often just there to support your own body to do what it already knows how to do.
You are not alone. Your body is your best friend and your protector. It knows how to do this. You can rest.
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u/Jumpy_Exit_8138 5d ago
If this is true, why does my heart accelerate to 160 bpm while I’m lying in bed?
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u/Bird-With-Teeths 5d ago
I mean I’m no expert on your specific case, but if it’s anxiety it’s your body trying to protect you because it’s receiving false danger signals and responding with adrenaline. It’s a really really good system that your body uses to bring more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles to give you the best performance in an actual dangerous situation. It’s designed to do this and It knows not to make your heart beat faster than you can handle. Your heart is very strong and even though anxiety is hard, it’s still something your body is capable of dealing with and it serves a vital function in a fight or flight situation. You’re going to be okay <3
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u/Jumpy_Exit_8138 5d ago
Thank you so much for this lovely response!!!! It’s definitely anxiety, but I haven’t been able to convince myself that it isn’t damaging my body. You have helped me to start to see it in a different way ❤️
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u/NY-RN62 5d ago
And your heart will eventually slow down if given time. You should know that there are people who can have this heart rate for several days without problems. They are usually critically ill in the ICU.
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u/Bird-With-Teeths 5d ago
I have the same thing sometimes and I even went to the er for it (and they did a bunch of tests before determining it was fine) and I also struggle with believing that it’s not hurting my heart. I keep feeling physical palpitations when I’m stressed and it scares me a lot, but when I talked to the doctor she reassured me that it’s totally within normal. If you think it would help, It might be worth asking your doctor if you can do a heart monitor test. You just wear a sticker on your chest for a week and you press the button and record every time you feel your heart race or your chest get tight or anything unusual. The monitor records everything and at the end all the data is sent to your doctor and they can determine whether anything your heart does is actually dangerous for you or not. Mine came back all clear even though it recorded several heart palpitations and periods of anxiety and chest pain
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u/notthegodofants 5d ago
I love this! I remind myself often that I am more than capable of getting help when I need it, but there’s no reason to sit and wait for an emergency that will likely never come. It’s alright to recognize when I’m upset and deal with it as it comes instead of sitting and waiting for a potential. I can trust my ability to react and respond as is appropriate.
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u/Fair_Paramedic_4282 5d ago
Do you think this is still true of a body with Lupus? Like a body that chronically doesn’t heal itself or run its systems correctly…forever? I feel like I can never stop being vigilant. :/
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u/Bird-With-Teeths 5d ago
I can’t really speak to how lupus specifically affects you cuz I don’t know a ton about it but I know the body is still very very resilient. Even if your immune system isn’t working properly, the rest of your body is still working to keep you safe. Everyone needs to do things to support their body (eating nutrients, drinking water, taking whatever medications you need etc) and you probably have to do more than most people but the concept is still the same.
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5d ago
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u/HealthAnxiety-ModTeam 5d ago
If you need to vent, or are fixating on something and want some reassurance, see our Megathreads. Don't list symptoms unless they're brief or relevant to an overall non-reassurance/venting/support sense.
Better yet, don't seek reassurance. It's bad for you. It makes your Health Anxiety worse.
Additional examples of things that break these rules:
"Does anyone else experience these symptoms?"
"Just wondering if anyone else has gone through these symptoms?"
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u/Individual_Depth_852 5d ago
the end “you can rest” had me in tears. Thank you for this!!