Health anxiety mental illness

[girl20]

Hello everyone: This is my first post, so I really hope you can help me. I am a bit desperate. I am 21 years old and I'm currently studying at the university (so yeah the pressure and stress is a lot).
For the past month, I've been struggling a lot with anxiety and with a terrifying fear of developing a mental illness. I know my fears are very irrational considering no one in my family has ever developed this kind of sickness , only my mom had depression last year but she is doing much much better and completely recovered by now (but it was still the hardest thing i ever had to go through, I never expected to see my mother so sick and it all hurt me really much). Regarding that, I first feared having depression as well, but now my fears revolve around having a much worse mental illness (schiz or something), even though I've been reassured by my therapist that it's not gonna happen.

I am a very sociable girl, I have lots of friends, a good boyfriend and a loving family, so I feel very bad that this fear is taking the best of my life.

I hope you can give me some tips on how to deal with it because I can't deal with this anymore.
Thanks in advance
Regards

[chantelle]

Huni....don't let these fears steal your life!!! Try to keep positive....get up in the morning and look in the mirror and speak positive words aloud, such as "Hello gorgeous, it's great to be alive and in such good form. I am never going to suffer from mental illness"...every time you feel anxious, repeat this.
If you speak positive words it sends positive messages to your brain and hopefully this anxiety won't remain as scary.
Take care, Chantelle xxx
:yesyes:

[BlueScarlett]

Hello! This is my first post also so I hope I can help :) Listen to what Chantelle said and maybe distract yourself and take a few breaks. Then you could relax. What's helped me with anxiety is to think about all the things that you perhaps want to do in your life, like for instance go and see the grand canyon. It can be really inspiriational and you can dream - i'm sure it could distract you also! Think positively and look into the future :) Everytime that you feel anxious just think that it's in your head and that you are 100% fine. Don't think of anxiety as a sickness as everyone gets anxious, it's just some people worry more than others.

[girl20]

Thank you very much for your words of encouragement. I am feeling much much better now! I think I just needed some reassurance. What made me feel really bad was the fact that I managed to stay fine and think positively again for this whole past week. I felt like I was back to being the old, positive and happy me, but it's always during the weekend that all my fears return.

I just I was afraid of something less..scary (:P) like bugs or something like that instead of diseases. I think it would be easier to get overcome it.

Thank you very very much again!

[BlueScarlett]

We all have weak moments and you wouldn't be human if you didn't worry :) Maybe find something to concentrate on when your fears come back that you can resort to like a game on your mobile or an interesting book with pictures. I have a book that's basically about all sorts of things you can do and see around the world and it's very interesting. It takes my mind off of things and it's great. When you are scared of having bugs, just think that you are healthy and you know that you are because it's true. As I said it's all in your head :)

[girl20]

Thank you, BlueScarlett. You have been the sweetest! These anxiety problems are very new to me so I'm just learning how to deal with them. I know it's a slow recovery process, but I will never lose my hope that things will as they used to be (and even better) soon! :)
I wish you the best!