General advice for everyone struggling with health anxiety

[colinmckee2]

About 2 months ago I took some drugs and had a panic attack. It scared the hell out of me and put me off them for life. For the last 2 months I have developed terrible health anxiety, I've had over 14 ecgs and all sorts of blood test and x rays of chest etc. I'm 20 years old and I'm fit. I got the tests done and were all fine. Why is this I keep feeling so shit? Cause of my head thinking about irrational fears. A great quote I saw "once the doctor tells you you're fine you just have to believe them, anxiety will however make that impossible" - this might be true but we can beat this anxiety. The first way to beat it is
To take a "**** it" approach, whatever will
Be will be and so long as a professional health care specialist gives you the all clear, go out and live your life as fruitful as you can, you only have one. Why fill it with worry? One day we may actually contract an illness and well have spent all these years of our lives in misery. Do the breathing exercises, and the best convincing you can do to yourself is to eat well, excercise regularly and stick a big finger up to anxiety whenever you can. Don't let it get you down, I've wasted the last 2 months of my life and I don't want to anymore.

[wnsos]

This is absolutely brilliant advice. You really do have to take a que sera sera approach or else you're stuck in a cycle. One of the things NMP (in particular a group of core members for me) taught me at my worst is "feel the fear and do it anyway." I too had enough and I just couldn't let myself lose another x months to my own head. Glad to hear you're conquering your dragon. Hope others read this! Xx

[Cusper]

I love your post! thanks for it! I have come to the conclusion that this site too feeds my anxiety. I am now only allowed to read posts like the one you just posted. It's so true. My grandmother, who is still alive (she's 93) used to worry about all sorts of diseases when I was growing up. And she said the only thing she regrets was all of the worry she'd had about things that never actually ended up happening. For the most part I am trying the whole "**** it" approach. Have to keep faking it until I make it I guess. Thanks again!

[jackieann3]

Very good post and very true we do waste a lot of time worrying about illnesses and have we got or going to get something but when you young and fit it may be easyer to go to the doctors than if you were my age 56 , when I was young I never worried about my health or going to see a doctor but now doctors and hospitals or having any kind of tests is my biggest fear and don't go unless absolutely nessersary don't know if anyone is the same x

[colinmckee2]

This site also feeds my anxiety and I guess the fact I still
Come on the site is due to some anxiety still being In me. But
I'm going out now I'm doing things I want to
Do in life. We really need to just accept our health is fine and go do hinges that make us happy. I've been a very miserable 20
Year old. The only way to beat health anxiety is to beat your irrational fears and stop thinking that you're gonna be that 1 In 1000000000 guy Everytime you read a prescription box or read an article on chest pains. Come on guys!