Why why why..... [Archive]

Liziik

06-08-13, 20:30

Why do we latch on to thoughts? Why do we concentrate on the negatives and why do we always find something 'wrong' with ourselves!
I'm so tired of this I'm fine and then I get a 'symptom' then I'm fine again then I get a 'pain' driving myself up the wall now.
Right now I have a stinking cold blocked nose sneezing etc this is accompanied by jaw ache and neck ache which I presume are glands. BUT one thought running through my head is 'remember that time you had a tooth abscess and the dentist asked you if you had cold or flu symptoms and if you do go immediately to the dentist' well now in thinking what if? What if this isn't some sort of cold and if in fact a tooth abscess (I should mention I have had problems with teeth and one of my fears are abscess')
So now I sit here and wonder willing myself not to google....sorry for the ramble but had to say something! I can't even have a cold like a 'normal' person :(

Any spelling mistakes I apologise iPhone loves predictive texts to much!

skippy66

06-08-13, 20:59

It's standard health anxiety behaviour. I actually think HA can be an offshoot of OCD where we become obsessed with checking our bodies to the extent that we stop acting normally. Constant checking and focusing in on symptoms only makes them worse.

swajj

07-08-13, 10:34

You do the constant checking because you are trying to prepare for whatever illness is set to befall you next.

---------- Post added at 19:04 ---------- Previous post was at 18:57 ----------

I have always had a fear of going blind. I think it is a normal fear. However, when my HA is at its worst I have all different types of problems with my eyes. I told my psych about it and he just said something like "so if you are going to go blind then you need to see and appreciate as much as you can until you do." Those weren't his exact words but it went something like that. I think maybe that's the difference between those who have to deal with real illnesses or disabilities and those who deal with just the constant fear of them. It's all about perspective.