How do you Stop "What If" Thoughts?

[Dracom]

I think I can speak for a lot of health anxiety suffers when I say that a lack of information is scary. That is why we turn to Google to get information on our symptoms that ironically only make things worse most of the time.

Statistically, it is exceedingly unlikely that giddiness is a brain tumor and hoarseness is a sign of throat cancer. However, for many of us, we just can't shake the "What If" thought out of our minds. Especially with the idea of "early diagnosis = better treatment success"

I want to ask how those of you who got over it or don't suffer from health anxiety are able to keep the fears suppressed and drive those nagging "What If" thoughts out of your minds.

Also, when do you know when to seek medical attention? Appointments are time consuming and tests are expensive. Are there any guidelines when to see the doctor?

[sial72]

Great post Dracom!!!
I think "what if" so often that I was thinking of having it tattooed on my forehead ;-)
I am getting slightly better in that I am so fed up that sometimes I think, well if it's such and such an ilness and I have to die then so be it!
See if someone can help us on this one xx

[Hypo84]

I don't think it is possible to stop "what if" thoughts, and for that reason I believe you should not waste your energy on that. When you get into that "what if" mind game you are never going to win since nothing in this life is 100% certain, and that component of uncertainty is what's feeding your "what ifs".
So, they will always be there, you just have to find a way to live with them. Notice them, realize that they are there and always be there and continue doing what you were doing before and they should eventually lose their power over you.

As for, when you will know when to speak to doctor...you just will. When your symptoms get progressively worse over time you will go to doctor. Point is that now, we are petrified over any tingling, twitching, lump, bump, burping, sweating...anything that happens we are immediately making it to be some deadly serious disease. If we could just not pay attention to it, symptoms would eventually go away, or they just wouldn't get worse, which is also fine. But let's say you get rash, any in a next few days you rash is getting bigger and bigger...of course you are going to see a doctor. Or you get headache which most ppl do all the time, but you headache not only persist which could be due to anxiety, but keeps getting worse and worse to the point that you can't function...of course you will see a doctor then.

Hope this helps.

[Davit]

Every one assumes there are only negative "what ifs" (ten questions in panic forums)
Presumption is negative ( deadly negative sins, same place)
Words, core beliefs etc. (same place)

You can use what ifs to cure what ifs, the trigger is just a trigger, it is how you look at it that matters.

[Davit]

I was going to just add this to all the other posts I found interesting but left to others to answer. And perhaps I should have except I know for a fact what ifs can be cured but it takes work. The other site I'm on goes into this and I believe they have work sheets just don't ask for help. There isn't much.