Hi everyone
I thought I'd make a list of the things I do which I find helpful, in managing my health anxiety. Maybe you guys can add to them or elaborate and we can make a thread with some suggestions for people to try…
1. Exercise. I find exercise helps in so many ways. It burns off the adrenaline and cortisol which anxiety produces. It leaves you feeling (more) relaxed afterwards. It realises endorphins so you feel better. It causes you to use your body and not to 'baby' parts of yourself you think are experiencing pain. (And you'd be surprised how they don't hurt when you're exercising, and then you'll conclude that perhaps the pain is in your head at other times!). People with chest pains will realise that the pain doesn't get worse when exercising and their heart manages just fine. And it helps integrate your mind and your body. (With health anxiety, I think our minds drift away from our real physical selves and start creating all kinds of fantasies about what is going on with our bodies. If you exercise, you are re-integrating your mind and your body and putting the 2 back into contact again - so your body can disconfirm your mind's fears.) As for types of exercise, I find running to be great (even if you just run for a min, walk for a min and so on), and things like yoga or tai chi, or pilates - gentle stretching classes.
2. Mindfulness or meditation. I find this really helpful. You can buy books on it, or meditation tapes, but the best thing is to find a group or a course near you which teaches meditation. It is helpful to have others around as it helps to feel connected to them. And meditation can also be a good one to do at night, to help you get a good night's sleep.
3. Talk about it. Try to find one or two close friends or family members and share how you're feeling. When you isolate yourself with your fear, it grows and grows and becomes a monster and you lose touch with objective reality. 'A problem shared is a problem halved', they say and it's true. You will feel so much better after talking things through. Let some people know you're having a hard time at the moment, so they check in on you to see how you are more often. If you have a partner, tell them when you are feeling anxious and ask for a hug. Don't keep it to yourself. It will help you to feel safer and less anxious, to know others have you in mind. Sometimes it can be hard to find someone who will listen, who isn't too frustrated listening to you. If that's the case try: Speaking aloud - imagine someone is listening to you, and tell them how you're feeling. (If you think this sounds crazy, there is some research which found that praying is as effective as psychotherapy in terms of mental health. If you're not religious, the explanation is that it's about putting your experience into words.) You can also write a diary, and many find that useful for the same reason.
4. Therapy. This is a more specialised form of putting things into words. CBT is the form of therapy which we hear most about, but there are other forms of therapy which are equally as effective but haven't got as much marketing behind them to promote them as much. If you're a deep thinker and you want to know why you are the way you are, what has led to this, then you might want to try psychoanalytic psychotherapy or psychodynamic counselling. Psychoanalytic therapy can be several times a week, if you want something more intensive - but can also be once a week. Although there is some therapy available on the NHS, there will probably be a very long waiting list and not many people get ongoing intensive therapy - most get a short course of CBT. The cost of a private therapy session ranges from £30-£60, but in many areas there is also low-cost therapy available with trainees which can be as low as £10 a session. (Google the psychotherapy training organisations and see if they offer a low cost clinic.) Research shows that the single most important thing which determines if therapy is successful is the relationship you have with the therapist: People who rate their relationship with their therapist as positive also have better outcomes. So meet with several therapists for one session, before deciding who to continue with.
5. Don't isolate yourself. It is tempting to cut yourself off from family and friends because it is hard to be with them when you are dwelling on your fears all the time, and focussed on your survival. But isolation will only increase your fear more and once you've isolated yourself, it's hard to get back in there again. Humans are social beings and they need others around to feel safe. You need to feel 'plugged in' to a support network.
6. Cut out caffeine from your diet. It is a stimulant and can cause your heart to race by itself - not a good idea if you're already anxious. If anxiety affects your digestion, eat in the way an invalid would eat who's recovering - chicken soup or stew, for eg. Don't eat much processed white sugar, chocolate or sweets because again that will cause a sugar high… Try to eat lots of carbs, if you can manage it, and lots of vegetables and fibre. Also oily fish - mackerel or sardines.
7. Finally, negotiate how to approach the subject of going to the doctor. There is no rule for this one as it's a hard call. On the one hand, going to the doctor can help reassure you that something is not to be worried about. But too much going to the doctor, not believing what doctors tell you if they say you're ok, requesting more and more invasive tests… is not going to help. This one is about 'how much do you treat yourself for health anxiety, and how much do you continue to treat yourself for suspected physical symptoms'. When to switch between these two often isn't clear or the same for each person.
Anyway, those are my suggestions. Maybe some of you guys have some more!
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Bekzie 
