how to stop constantly thinking of symptoms

[toria]

Hi just wounded if anyone had advice about how I stop the constant thinking about a symptom I am having stomach/ pelvic pains right side and I am thinking about it all the time which is making it worse has anyone found anything that help I find whatever I am doing my mind is still on this waiting for it to come its exhausting, thanks x

[cpe1978]

Personally I think the only way to genuinely stop thinking about symptoms is to accept them as benign and non life threatening. Only then can your brain move out of fight or flight scanning mode and let go. Distraction is a useful sticking plaster but I guess we are all working towards acceptance.

[Fishmanpa]

Personally I think the only way to genuinely stop thinking about symptoms is to accept them as benign and non life threatening. Only then can your brain move out of fight or flight scanning mode and let go. Distraction is a useful sticking plaster but I guess we are all working towards acceptance.

This is not only true of battling anxiety but a useful life lesson as well. Many of you fear deadly diseases. When I found out I had cancer, I was scared too. But when I accepted it, I stopped fearing it. Acceptance was realizing I had no control of the fact I had it but did have control on how I was going to handle it. By doing so, it enabled and empowered me to battle the beast. If I allowed fear to control me, I would not have been so effective in my fight.

The same goes for anxiety. Accepting you have it, accepting that there are real physical symptoms that go along with it and they're not serious or life threatening enable and empower you to fight the dragon and take control of your life again. Those doing this will tell you it's not easy but sure is worth the effort ;)

Positive thoughts

[Fly away Katie]

I also struggle with this! You stop worrying about one thing, and then another comes along! Its a nightmare!! :mad: xxxx

[cpe1978]

Have any of you looked into mindfulness? It is a set of strategies designed to help you discard the worries you can do nothing about. Of course I am fearful of having a deadly disease, but when push comes to shove I am fairly confident I would handle it by fighting in the way Fishmanpa suggests. I am also not terribly keen on dying but if I were told tomorrow I had a year left, would I make the most of my days or would I sit wallowing? I hope the former.

The question is how do you live with uncertainty as no amount of reassurance will make uncertainty any more certain.

[Jojomarymoo]

I could have written this post myself tonight, I've also got pelvic pains on one side and down my leg, really strange symptoms, I just hope they're related to my medication sertraline as I've heard it gives muscle spasms, but I've had so many physical symptoms it's prob not the best med for anxiety! I had an awful moment tonight, convinced that I've got lumps in my stomach or intestines. This disorder is ruining my life at the moment, I've never had such health anxiety, which started after a kidney infection, together with serious illness and death in the family. I know that you cannot control what will happen in life, but when you fear for your children's future and well being it is a very real condition x

[cpe1978]

Not for a minute suggesting it isn't a real condition I absolutely know that it is. However there are also very real treatments and solutions. The problem is that most if not all people with health anxiety chase something that doesn't exist - cast iron assurance that what we fear will not happen. The only real wins are to be got by dealing with the things we can control in order to bring our reaction to negative thoughts back to something that is close to normal.

After all the thing that makes people with HA different to people without it, isn't the fact that we have anxieties about health, because everyone does. It is the disproportionate reaction and response that these anxieties create. That is what health anxiety is which is why reassurance seeking regarding symptoms is largely pointless.

[toria]

Thanks for your replies all of you, I no its about acceptance but its so hard at the minute to accept or I think I can do it I say right that's it no more but 5 mins later I get a pain and bam acceptance gone and worry back , I have just started cbt which I hope helps, I no that I haven't truly accepted this is just anxiety and I have to, thanks xx