So scared! Advise would be appreciated

[Lhogg]

I am new to this forum and just want some advise. I've been suffering with health anxiety for years now but in the past few months it seems to have escalated to the extreme. The thing is I am terrified that I have a heart condition or am going to have a heart attack, I am 17 years old and although I am over weight I am pretty healthy. I eat pretty healthy and walk to and from places including school often. Recently I have been getting chest pains, pains between shoulder blades, headaches and jaw and neck problems. I am terrified as I know these could all be symptoms of a heart attack or heart problems. Right now I am terrified to go to sleep as I am afraid I will have a heart attack and die. Advise from people who think similar thoughts would be greatly appreciated as my anxiety is going into overdrive and I make myself 100 times worse by googling literally everything although I try not to. Thank you.

[Sar89]

Ok read ur post I'm going to reply as ur 17 and I feel very bad for u even though I'm in a terrible state over a seperate issue so if my spellings gone to pot please forgive me I'm not usually illiterate ! Right these symptoms are very common in anxiety sufferers ! Even when you don't feel anxious they can just hit you like bang. Anxiety attacks and such things are terrible because they mimic they very things that we the hypochondriacs fear. Ask yourself how many times you have felt bad then nothing has come from it. If you feel that bad I think you speak to a parent xx

[lfc65]

Ok I'm going to pretty much say as I did to another 17 year old earlier. You are highly unlikely at your age to have any major illness, problem with heart etc. The chest pains, stiff neck etc all all symptoms of health anxiety which all of us on here have suffered with. You MUST stay away from google, it will only make it worse. Anyone can post any rubbish on there and it will only make your mind go into overdrive. You must speak to your mum, dad, an elder sibling or friend about your fears. They love you and they will listen and help, even if they don't fully understand. Keep eating healthily, don't smoke (I hope you haven't started!), lots of exercise and fresh air, do things you enjoy, write things down - I always find this helps - and try to sleep. Lack of sleep always makes things worse than they are as your brain can't cope. I do feel for you, teenagers have so many pressures these days, much more so than 30 years ago when I was your age but you must seek some help to nip this in the bud x