was told by many id never over come health anxiety.. guess what??

[flutterbuy]

hey guys so yeah i was told by many people including some on here many many months ago (different user name now) id never over come my health anxiety without meds and therapy, guess what i did!! im now 100% health anxiety free after suffering so intensly everyday with constant symptoms for 2 years straight, i simply dont care about all of things i once so badly worried about, i couldnt even type the words brain tumor, or cancer etc now i can sit and read full articals about them and not even feel a flicker of anxiety!! and all of my symptoms have gone :) you can all acheive this!! dont let anyone tell you you cant, and if you chose not to take meds and have therapy dont let anyone tell you that you wont get better unless you do, its simply not true not for everyone, some people do needsmeds and therapy but some dont, this anxiety can be beaten im 4 months down the line now and health anxiety free!! :) never lose hope! xx

[Fishmanpa]

This is a very inspiring post! Congratulations! I keep saying anxiety can be treated and one can be healed but you have to want it and work on it.

What did you do to overcome it?

Positive thoughts

[flutterbuy]

im so glad its inspiring! i wanted to let everyone know that it can be beaten! :) one day out of the blue i was over come so suddenly with a new random worry that my health anxiety vanished, just like that! and in that time i realised that all of my symptoms vanished too, which lead me to realise all of the constant symptoms i was feeling really was just anxiety! so since that realisation the health anxiety hasnt returned i do still get the odd niggle like a chest pain but within 5 mins iv dismissed it and totally forgotten about it where as before id be worried for days even weeks about it to the point i couldnt sleep, and now iv learnt to accept the pains and aches they go pretty quickly :) its nice to have a head ache and not think omg i have a brain tumor! or oh i have chest pains, i have a PE or having a heart attack! it was truely horrendous!! i think one of the main things that keeps health anxiety going is the dis belief that anxiety can cause all of these horrible symptoms daily but it really can and now i know this for a fact :) so im hoping anyone that reads this might just be able to realise that their symptoms can really be caused by just anxiety and the more you accept those symptoms the less fear you will have and they will go! its hard work and takes time but just being ok with those symptoms being there is sending the right message to your brain that there is no danger there fore the symtoms go, as soon as you have a symptom of something and worry and google it etc your brain palces a red flag on that thought thus making it reaccur and the symptoms persist, you just need to let go of the fear let the symptom be (alot harder to do then say i know) your brain will no longer see it as a danger signal :) xx

[Fishmanpa]

So in other words.... Acceptance and realization that you suffer from anxiety helped you to rationalize your symptoms. Excellent!

Keep up the good work! Did you use any tools? CBT? Relaxation techniques etc?

Positive thoughts

[flutterbuy]

thats exactly it!! rationalisation, and acceptance thats all it takes literally it sounds so easy but its not, but the answer to over coming it is simple :) n ope no cbt, no relaxation and no meds, its all power of the mind and retraining your brains danger signals :) xx

[saab]

The trouble with anxiety is that it fools us. It takes normal bodily sensations like a fast heartbeat or a headache and turns it into a catastrophe. All our rational thinking and common sense go out of the window and we find ourselves paralysed and overwhelmed with negative thoughts.

It sounds like you have managed to accept that your thoughts are just the irrational concoctions of a tired mind, and treat them as what they are - just thoughts that are no more real and true than a thought about a monster or a unicorn are. It's great that you have done this on your own, as many people need cbt to help them to get back to rational thinking about their issue.

Everyone can get better from anxiety, you just have to keep going until you find the method that is best for you. At times you will probably slip back a little, just like any recovery from illness, but if people persevere I do think everyone can overcome their anxiety.

A great cbt type book for anxiety is Stop Thinking Start Living, by Dr Richard Carlson.