r/HealthAnxiety • u/theamythestbed • 3d ago
Discussion About Health Anxiety & Maintaining Health Health anxiety has taken over my life
I am a 17 year old male and since december 2024 my life has been changed. i had a panic attack before christmas and instantly my life has spiraled and spiraled between all different worries, mainly of medical events happening to me, and it scares me so so much. i’ve recieved a lot of advice over the time and im aware that im young and healthy but the anxiety just doesn’t stop, i still have the constant fear or something happening to me. i cant accept that i am safe for some reason. is there anything anyone could say to help my situation? i have lost my job and my relationship has suffered because of my anxiety, my life is completely different now
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u/sdziscool 3d ago
I myself dislike medication, as it does not address the core problem, it does allow you to get into a better position to deal with the problem.
For me, getting in control has helped way more than coping. All you have to do is to worry about things slightly more than your peers, and by knowing health problems for people 14-40 are minimal, by doing something more about it than your peers, you're near guaranteed to be fine.
Think of: regular exercise, eating healthy foods (and I don't mean just more greens, do actual research), do the most basic of health checkups, don't smoke, don't drink, don't do drugs. Don't overdo it on any of these either. If you keep to that, you'll be in the 1% of healthy people in the population and almost guaranteed to make it to 50 years old. We don't worry about after 50 because you shouldn't bet on being alive and happy then anyways, have your fun while you're in your best health and young.
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u/girly_er 3d ago
SSRIS actually has worked wonders. It is like you are yourself again but without anxiety.
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u/Lanky_Department_766 3d ago
Atleast tell him the sexual side effects or ssri he is young and have all life ahead of him
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u/Aggravating_Race_305 3d ago
I had my first panic attack 8 years ago. After that I spiraled really bad like you did. I really thought that I was going insane. Today I still suffer from HA, but its manageable. Even though it recently got worse again, its not nearly as bad as in the beginning.
Have you talked to your doctor about your anxiety? You should try to get into therapie and your doctor can help with you with that, maybe even subscribe you some antidepressants
Is your HA specific to a part of your body or a certain illness you‘re afraid of? Do you know what triggered the panic attack?
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u/theamythestbed 3d ago
i’m afraid of everything, the anxiety started with my heart. i had an ECG and got the all clear, but i kept worrying. and now i fear every sort of medical event in all parts of my body
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u/Any_Pickle_9425 3d ago
What you have is extremely common and you're not alone. It feels out of control right now but it won't always feel that way and you can learn to manage it. Do you have access to any mental health treatment? This is an anxiety disorder and there are proven therapeutic techniques that work to help refocus your brain. You just need to learn the techniques. A therapist will help you learn the tools you need to get off the carousel of anxiety and back into the reality.
Yes, an SSRI will help you but I understand not wanting to jump to that as a dude because of the possible sexual side effects. (However, know that not all anxiety meds have sexual side effects and you can work with a psychiatrist to find a med that works for you and doesn't affect you in that way.)
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u/theamythestbed 3d ago
i’m starting CBT soon but i live in the uk so it may take a while. i already know a lot of techniques and stuff but alot of it doesnt work in the moment. and im also quite worried about taking any medication as the side effects and its just scary in general taking a pill that will change me so much
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u/Any_Pickle_9425 3d ago
I get it about not wanting to take the pill. You might not have to take a pill. Sometimes the therapy techniques work enough that you don't have to.
With the techniques, they take practice. Your brain is wanting certainty that you're 100% fine and healthy with no possibility that anything is wrong with you. That's not possible to achieve. You do the checking behavior (in your case an example is the ECG) to try to convince yourself you're 100% okay. It works for a little while but then the doubt creeps back in and you're back on the merry-go-round. No amount of checking or tests will satisfy your brain because even if you get the 100% all clear from this specific concern, another concern eventually pops up.
So, a lot of the therapy techniques is learning how to cope with uncertainty because that's the state of your brain. You're learning to live and function despite the uncertainty. You're literally rewiring your brain connections to accept uncertainty so that takes time. Give yourself some grace. It will get easier as you practice and your brain learns "Oh, even though I'm not certain I'm 100% okay, I can still enjoy my life.
In the meantime while you wait for a therapist, you might try some mindfulness workbooks. Have a bag of tricks you can pull out when you start to panic and spiral. Do the breathing, the mindfulness, etc. Ride the wave of the panic by breathing through it and then sit with the coming down of the anxiety. It gets easier with practice!
edit: I want to say also that I've been dealing with this since my teen years as well and am in my 40s now. It's easy for me to say all of the above but I still struggle in practice. For me, this is a chronic condition that I have to manage like someone else has to manage diabetes or high blood pressure. Hopefully it won't be like that for you!
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u/norseman20188 3d ago
I was in the exact same boat as you, it feels crippling and I still remember times where I’m a grown ass man crying at the table wondering if it will ever get better, it does! I found talking to the doctor and getting on some medication was really helpful even in the first couple days. Other things I find help are:
Get away from devices and walk around and be amongst tree and wildlife and fresh air.
Obviously see a doctor and see about medication to increase the happy chemicals in your brain.
Create goals, find something you can achieve everyday, and also have something to work towards in the future, a big goal, and work on that, it’s a great distraction.
Instill a “fck it” attitude, just acknowledge that you’re having an anxiety moment and then just say “fck it, bring it on!”
You will look back over time and realise nothing bad happened and you’re in fact absolutely fine ☺️
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u/girly_er 3d ago
I have also found schema therapy with a psychologist has helped me. It teaches you to spot the thoughts that make you spiral, calm yourself in the moment, and build more balanced ways of thinking about your body. It’s been a game-changer for me too.
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u/InkOverNethers 3d ago
We’re in the exact same boat friend, same age, same timeframe, fears and everything. I will admit like most of the other comments I ended up having to get medication, but I got hydroxyzine which has a lot less side effects than SSRIs so my mom thought it was safer.
I just want you to know that we can get through this. You can try using distractions which I’m sure you’ve heard before, or pick up a new hobby maybe. I know those sound very simple but they worked for me. Light exercises help too if you just want to be reminded that your body is okay and it’s functioning the way it’s supposed to. The human body is very resilient and if something was wrong, it already begins to heal itself in many ways.
It won’t be this way forever. We still have life ahead of us to live and the best thing we can do is keep going. I’m not the best at comforting people through text, but I hope this helps you know you’re not alone 🫂