Health anxiety may be something that sounds very familiar to some of you. We all have done it: typed a symptom in a search engine and find you have diagnosed yourself with a horrible disease in a matter of minutes. Some people do this, have feelings of stress, and are able to move on and forget. Others may struggle to convince themselves that they are healthy and spend hours online researching symptoms. Anxiety can display itself in all sorts of different ways. From person to person, there can be a totally different set of symptoms that are still due to anxiety. If you find yourself doing any of the following things on a consistent basis, you be be struggling with an anxiety disorder. Here is a list of signs you are struggling with health anxiety:
Constant and Irrational Thoughts About Undiscovered/Serious Illness
Are you googling symptoms you have day after day? Going from different online forums about all the different symptoms people have had that lead to serious illness? Are you obsessing over every irregularity in your body? If so, you may be struggling with anxiety. Those struggling with anxiety may convince themselves of the worse possible scenario. A headache becomes brain cancer, a knot in the neck becomes a tumor. Even with the reassurance from a health professional, a person with an anxiety disorder may not believe they were thorough enough.
Feeling Under The Weather
Do you feel sick but can’t put your finger on it? Sometimes when we are anxious, our brain and body starts kicking into overdrive. Think about the last time you were in danger. Maybe a car was close to hitting you or you tripped over something. The feelings and responses you have to that scary event prepare your body to respond quickly. Your stomach tightens up, your breathing accelerates, you get shaky and twitchy. When you are struggling with anxiety, your body is constantly in one of these heightened states. And this is very exhausting for the mind and body, creating feelings of general sickness.
You Have Weird Aches and Pains
When I was a kid, I broke my wrist and had to be in a full arm cast in a 90 degree angle for weeks. After the cast came off I would subconsciously hold my arm in the same position, especially when I was stressed. Over time I would get awful aches in my neck that took away a lot of my joy. When I realized how tense I would hold that arm, it made me see how the anxiety I was having about my neck was due to the way I was carrying my body.
Many people struggling with anxiety have these quirky ways of tensing up their bodies. In turn, they get all sorts of random pains that can make their anxiety worse in this horrible cycle.
Health Anxiety Help
The first step in getting help with anxiety is to see a health professional. See a doctor to make sure your symptoms are not due to an underlying condition. From here, they may suggest anxiety and will be able to give you local resources for a psychotherapist in your area. Get connected to someone who will understand your struggles and validate your feelings. Health anxiety can be really debilitating and take a toll on your life. Here are some additional strategies to use when you are find yourself stressing over health:
Make a Habit of Relaxing Your Muscles
Anxiety is exhausting, and you may very well be going through your daily life holding your body in a tense way. Progressively go through your body; try tensing up your feet, then letting go. Tense up your legs, then let go. Do this all the way up your body and pay attention to areas where you noticed you were extra stiff. Doing this everyday will help create a stronger mind/body connection. Meditation can also be helpful to some. Take deep breaths and let go of your stream of thoughts.
Tip: Trouble areas are tensing the stomach, balling your hands into a fist, clenching your jaw, and holding your shoulders too high or forward.
Stop Looking Online
This can really help a person with health anxiety, as it can be a major area of stress. Sure, the internet has tons of useful information, but the human body is a mysterious place and every person is different. You cannot trust a website for a diagnosis. For the sake of your own sanity, stop yourself every time you are going to look up a symptom. Call your doctor if you have serious concerns!
Instead of Looking at Cancer Symptoms, Look at Anxiety Symptoms
When you begin to look up a symptom, look up its relation to anxiety instead. This acts as a reassuring replacement for an anxious person looking for answers. Instead of convincing yourself you have cancer by seeing the symptoms, you will convince yourself that your symptoms are anxiety.
There is a section on anxiety symptoms on anxietycentre.com. On this site, there is a huge list of symptoms in different categories: Body, Chest, Emotions, Fears, Head, Hearing and Ear, Heart, Mind, Mouth, Stomach, Digestive, Skin, Sleep, Sight and Eyes, and Touch. Use this as your new go to for reassurance if you have been diagnosed with anxiety.
