Posted , 14 users are following.
hi, i am wondering if anyone has any tips on how to overcome health anxiety and how to stop thoughts ans fear? i cant keep feeling like this! i am 23 with a 3 year old daughter this isnt fair on her seeing me laid in bed all the time to scared to move! i am stuck in my own head with fear of any illness. i am sick of feeling scared of my own body and these anxiety symptoms! i use to fear my heart but now i fear my head... i lay in my bed day in day out crying because i cant explain how i feel, i have been told i dont need CBT which is just stupid as all the doctors have told me i do! i am now waiting to see a physcologist but i need something to help me now. i take fluoxtine 20mg daily which has stopped my panic attacks but nothing else... i dont want to be on medication all my life. i am so young and i shouldnt be afraid of living my life... i fear of leaving my home. i fear of everything! i feel disconnected from everyone and everything
sorry for the long post and thank you for taking your time to read this x
2 likes, 15 replies
jan34534 sarah47101
Edited
i’m sorry you’re feeling this way. I had the exact same thing and it started in my 20s. I had every symptom you can think of related to anxiety. All my testing was normal so I know it was from long-term stress and anxiety. One thing I learned over the years is not to let fear control you. Otherwise your life will be miserable. It’s too bad that I learned it so many years later because I wasted all of those years living in fear for nothing. So I decided to take control. I did not want to live fearful, curled up in a corner, allowing my negative and fearful emotions symptoms to ruin my life as well as my children’s.
I had to get angry! And determined! I wanted to be an example for my kids. I said out loud enough is enough! After that I got up and went about my life with or without symptoms. I knew there was nothing else wrong with me so if I had any symptoms i allow them to happen and ignore them. I did get counseling which helped.
remember that whatever you focus on whether it’s positive or negative, IT WILL EXPAND! so when you focus on how poorly you feel in the symptoms you’re having and get fearful, they will become even greater.
as Bad as I felt, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and got to work on me.
besides counseling, I got myself some great reading material. One book is called mindfulness which is excellent. Another thing I did was listen to some great motivational talks on YouTube on how to get tough with myself. I learned that there were people in way worse situations than mine and they pull themselves through. I started exercising with or without symptoms, building up core strength is important. A strong body equals a strong mind.
ONE thing that is concerning is that your daughter is watching you day after day crying, curled up, etc. whether she seems like it or not, she is worried about you. That alone can make her anxious. She could develop anxiety and I’m sure you don’t want that to happen to her.
that’s why it’s of the upmost importance that you get support with this. I hope you get in the counselor soon! Spend some time with your daughter doing fun things with her even if you don’t feel up to it. She needs that and it helps you to! smile and laugh with her even if you have to Force it for a while. That will also retrain your brain.
THIS is something that has to be worked on a daily basis. You might have a good days and not so good days but the point is keep fighting! One thing I do is when I have a negative thought, right away I turn it into a positive one. That’s how you retrain your brain. One step at a time. start somewhere. Stay away from useless technology and the news. They do absolutely nothing to help. in fact they can lead to really feeling down and depression.
So take those first baby steps and do one little thing that is positive and build on that. One thing I know for sure that I’ve learned over many years is that worry and fear are completely useless emotions because they are not based on fact. They are only based on fear which is useless in itself.
Dont waste precious time with your little girl. She will grow up so fast you won’t believe it! Take care ❤
shabana38962 jan34534
Posted
since this lockdown i been having stomach issue and ive been worried i have not been normal .do you think me going back to work will distract me ?
MILAO sarah47101
Edited
Hi Sarah,
Honestly I can't emphasise enough how similiar you sound to me. I am 24 & have always had some form of Health Anxiety however since last year when I ended up being treated for a suspected stroke (It was NOT this btw) I had a complete break down and became OBSESSED with my health and whole heartedly believed I was going to die any moment. This made me VERY sick and at one point I was nearly sectioned because I could not carry on feeling that way and quite honestly wanted to die. Eventually I went onto anti anxiety meds and it did help massively. I was not eating, sleeping, leaving the house, showering I was literally not functioning as a person and would have up to 8 panic attacks daily convinced I was having a stroke or heart attack and ended up in A&E more times than I care to admit. It was an extremely dark time in my life & I did get better. In February I came off my meds and was fine for a few months, however my health anxiety has consumed my life all over again & I am now fixated I have a heart problem, this was all triggered by a friend of a friend of my boyfriend having a heart attack. Like you I end up not functioning and believing I am going to die. Today I got to a point where I just said to myself ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I was in the middle of a panic attack when I just said right I am DONE! I am done with feeling this way and am committed to getting better! First thing first - STAY OFF GOOGLE! Honestly, even when you tell yourself you are going on there to "rule an illness out" IT DOES NOT HELP! You will go down the rabit hole and only make it worse and your mind will start creating new symptoms!
Secondly start being PRESENT in the moment, i know it is hard but try to forget about your body and mind for a change! When you feel a symptom say to yourself "oh that old Devil anxiety again, p**s off!" and sit back and just observe the thoughts rather than fight them or worry about them. It is SO HARD believe me I fully get it, my relationship has suffered because I am always in my phone googling illnesses rather than just being in the moment. But once you let go of the fear and just think to yourself you know what I can die, get sick, slip on a bannana ANYTIME i might as well just live my life as much as I can and eventually the fear begins to lose control of you! You will get better believe me!
sarah47101 MILAO
Posted
thank you so much for sharing that with me! im so glad you are thinking/feeling positive about things! i hope i can do the same, i was like you! constant panic attack more than 3 a day it was awful! i now take fluoxetine and i havent had a panic attack in 8 weeks (touch wood) i fear my heart but all the tests say im fine, i now fear my head because im dizzy and have a weird sinking feeling in my body,i have an MRI this friday so hopefully things turn out ok, i am glued to my phone it rules my life, its effecting my relation with my boyfriend, i always look for reassurance which i cant find! i had a good few days last week but now im back to sqaure one... its so frustrating isnt it? i have tried breathing exercises, meditation, and some other things but they havent worked!
thank you for your comment i will remember this when i shout at myself! at the moment i feel weak and stuck! i feel like theres no way to getting better x
sarah14014 sarah47101
Edited
Hello sarah , ive been through the same when i turned 20 , sudden severe anxiety i literally couldnt live my day to day life , even going to the bathroom was hard , not a minute passes without thinking about death , i thought there was no way out , i lived in hell for 9 months until i realized it was a mental health issue , i booked an appointment with a good psychiatrist that diagnosed me right which is the most important thing, this is my third year with medication and i feel great ! meditation and CBT help temporarily but mainly you should solve the chemical imbalance ! if u dont feel comfortable with your current medication ask for a change , feel free to message me whenever xx ,
best of luck
MILAO sarah14014
Posted
As much as it is not nice hearing others also go through this pain it is nice to know I am not alone in all this. Your story sounds very similar to mine too, always thinking about death. It is so hard, i agree that it can be a chemical imbalance. Which meds are you taking that works for you? I have a call with my doctor tomorrow about going back on some! Thanks xx
sarah47101 MILAO
Posted
it is nice to know we aren't alone isn't it? i take 20mg of fluoxetine daily but i take mine on a night as i was to drowsy during the day, it works so well for panic attacks! im thinking of asking the doctor to up my dose to see if that helps with the physical symptoms xx
MILAO sarah47101
Posted
Gosh it is so awful, the phone thing causes so many argument in my relationship, it is like an addiction! Let me know how your MRI goes, I am sure it will be fine! I had 2 on my brain last year as like I said just could not accept that I was not unwell physically just mentally.
Just take one day at a time and try not to look to far ahead, I used to beat myself up so much about being this way but it is truly not our fault. No one chooses to be this way, we just got dealt an unlucky card. One piece of advice that I still give myself now is that even when you are in your worst, most awful state just remember that it doesn't last forever. You could wake up the next day, week, month and feel much better than you did in that moment. This might be a phase in your life but it will not last forever and you will come out the other side stronger! Be kind to yourself! xx
sarah47101 sarah14014
Posted
i feel just like that, i get scared about the littlest ache in my body!
i have been told my a CBT worker i dont need it and now im waiting for a physologist to get intouch with me, what meds do you take? the fluoxetine has helped with panic attacks but not with the physical symptoms which i am really struggling with at the moment! i have been diagnosed last year with GAD,depression and PTSD but now doctors say i have health anxiety, i feel zoned out all the time, im scared to live in my own body...
thank you! the same goes to you. my inbox is always open xx
sarah14014 sarah47101
Posted
i was diagnosed with GAD , health anxiety , severe panic disorder,
yes same i used to freak out from my pulse literally.
i took Pristiq 100 mg for 3 years now almost.
i never thought ill get back on track ever again but i did ,
please never give up , the right medication for you is out there keep trying
Anxeysquesh8176 MILAO
Posted
your story had me tear up a tiny bit , its so relatable and i could definitely feel and undertsand the pain and suffering you went through, i honestly am still going through the same thing , my health anxiety symptoms went away for a few months before just now recently resurfacing with every scary symptom we could think of , i cant even handle hearing those medicine commercials talking about the side affects after i swear its horrible, and i just turned 18 i dont want this to go on forever ,i wanna start at least excercising maybe itll help idk....
albert81684 sarah47101
Posted
hi Sarah , anxiety is normal to a human reaction.when faced with danger designed to help our survival anxiety alarms were triggered in our minds.in the early days of humanity facing a predator or enemy the reason we have anxiety is because it is our bodies way of telling us to leaved the situation we are in.bear in mind that it is important being our self as long as you can still do your daily Life routine,what ever is that in your mind. that's normal.negative thoughts is not real focus to your family.and let your symptoms flows in your body it will pass.
kyle99 sarah47101
Posted
Hi Sarah!
I have been on this forum on and off since 2017 when I had my first breakdown from starting University (I dropped out because the course wasn't for me) I have had so many times since I was 16 in bitter worry about everything in my life, any thought could enter my mind and there was always a way it would be twisted into being intrusive or panic provoking. I have suffered with Health Anxiety of my aunt dying as she has recently turned 70. I have pretty much lived with her since I was 2 weeks old alongside my mam since my dad is out the picture.
I can get myself worked up into tears over the thought of having a phone call, planning a funeral, moving my stuff out and having to find my first house or move back in with my mam. I honestly was making real plans to try and move out (but remain local) but 2 nights ago my friend gave me a recreational drug and in my unwillingness to say no combined with peer pressure I took it and it was the worst choice I have made this year.
I had an awful experience on it and wish I had the confidence to say NO! My anxiety came on immediately after and it is pretty much focused on the same as it was in 2017 with my initial breakdown.
I do think it is a blip that I brought on through my own very very stupid choices, and I have another friend who had a similar experience and they eventually got better from a bad trip.
What I am trying to say is, with Health Anxiety (at least for me) you are projecting emotions from the absolute worst parts of being told something is wrong with you and putting them onto yourself. You mes to realise that the emotion you feel now will be constant because the immediate step after the anxiety isn't there, which is learning to cope with any health issue you may get. So you are stuck in this limbo of feeling awful and anxious over getting an illness and the immediate anxiety just lingers because there is nothing you can do, unlike if you have something wrong you get told how to get better.
Sorry for the waffle, I am awful at collecting thoughts sometimes. I wish you the very best in health and happiness.
All the best, Kyle
albert81684 sarah47101
Posted
hello! how's you're day?
arianna64669 sarah47101
Posted
I also developed this when my son was 3 years old. I just posted this on a different thread...
I just wanted to say that I understand what you are going through. Health anxiety is awful and robs you of your life. About 4 years ago, I developed an serious anxiety revolving around my health. I was 36 years old and I was convinced I was dying of breast cancer. I had never had health anxiety before. In fact, I was the complete opposite. I think that's why I was so sure I had it, because why else would I feel that way. I won't go into all the details but I promised myself I would come back on here a share what I learned. I tried everything natural that I could find to help because I hate taking medicine. The only time I took medication was when I was on ADHD meds, which I took for 16 years. I stopped around age 32. Anyway, I'm a "researcher" and I looked up everything I could. All of the things I did took the edge off, but I wanted to be my old self again. Never once in my research did I come across a connection between ADHD and health anxiety. It was one person on one of these forums that mentioned something about it. I thought, what do I have to lose. I called my brother and asked him for some of his medication because it was the same one I used for 16 years and I felt comfortable taking it. I'm not exaggerating, within 20 mins, I felt normal. I got a psychiatrist and I've been on my meds this whole time. It did come back a few times in the beginning, but only for a short time. I don't want to jinx it but I haven't really had any issues. I do think it gave my a little PTSD. There are more details but this is already long enough. I never post on anything but I felt obligated because they never really mention the connection. In fact, they say stay away from stimulants because they make it worse and I'm sure they do for most, but not everyone. I'm not a doctor but I would take an online ADHD test and if you score high for it , I would talk to a doctor about it. I hope this helps someone. I'll post it in some different places.
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