How do you de-sensitise?

[Loggie05]

Hi everyone. I've had health anxiety for almost 13 years now. I have diagnosed myself with every cancer under the sun. (Even made up some new ones). Anyways I came off all medication in August 2015 to have fertility treatment. I had a baby girl in April 2016 and spent 6 m9nths off medication to breast feed. I went back on medication because of the anxiety and I couldn't control my fears. Fast forward to today and my medication is still not working as it should and I am focusing on symptoms so much so that I'm starting to drive myself crazy. I have a thing about smells just now. I could smell smoke a few nights ago but only in my hallway. Over the years I have armoured myself with so much medical jargon that I immediately started to panic thinking I had a brain tumour. Over the past few days I've been getting small whiffs of smoke and then panic sets in. I've realise the smell is most likely coming from my vape that needs a new tank but my anxiety head is telling me these are small seizures.

So to get to the point what does everyone do to stop these obsessive thoughts and calm down your senses?. I've actually made my nose sore from sniffing so much. I meditate at night and use Angel cards and healing crystals. Is there anything else I am missing out on doing? Xx

[joe23_martin]

Well natural release from stress I use maca powder in a drink. It has properties that relax you, I typically put some maca and cacao powder into coconut milk as a shake. Additionally it also has so many other health benefits as a bonus to.

Chaga capsuels from Oriveda. Chaga itself is a brilliant supplement, literally a miracle worker. It can help prevent illness, balances immune system, reduces stress and improves sleep. Plus alot more, you'll find out if you look into it.

Lavender is an oil I have used and helps. Raki massage helps also.

I had a severe bout of HA from Feb 17 - Nov 17 while my dad was diagnosed and ultimatley passed away due to cancer.

All the above helped me, maybe it can help you.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[lior]

Hey. It's such a good question - how to de-sensitise.

As I understand, health anxiety is just a type of manifestation of anxiety. At times of anxiety, I develop temporary phobias of cats and escalators.

It's not the health anxiety itself that is the problem. It's whatever is causing your anxiety that is the problem.

Are you in therapy?
Do you know what your triggers are for feeling anxious?

The stuff that you're doing is good, especially if you can see a difference when you don't do it.
Have you tried exercise? (Haven't quite got a handle on that one myself, but it's meant to help relax you!)

There's a long-term problem and there's short-term problems.
Short term is when you are having a particularly intense moment of anxiety.
Long term is that you are experiencing this much anxiety in your life.

Therapy can help with the long term - also, your daily practice of meditation probably helps with the long term. Changing your beliefs and your life circumstances can help with the long-term.

What do you do in the short term, when anxiety strikes and you start sniffing? What do you tell yourself in your head? Do you have a developed way of dealing with things to calm yourself down?


At the height of my depression, I couldn't read a newspaper without crying. I wasn't de-sensitised to all the things normal people are de-sensitised to. But then there's this quote: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/jiddu_krishnamurti_107856 lol.
I still can get teary sometimes but it's much less bad than it used to be... just because time has gone by and therapy's working and I'm figuring stuff out.
Things can change for the better :)

Well done you for having your baby and coping with the time off the meds. You are your little girl's hero.

[Loggie05]

Thanks Joe I will look into those things. Does the shake you make taste good? I'm terrible with strange tastes lol I actually gag. I never actually thought about herbal remedies so I will defo look into those. X

---------- Post added at 08:29 ---------- Previous post was at 08:20 ----------

Hi Lior. I have been in therapy and I am currently on the list for more. I did 14 weeks off cbt. My problem was trying to calm down long enough to use the techniques. My triggers are anything that can be attributed to a cancer. So a simple stomach ache can send me into a panic. It all started with a miss diagnosis. I had horrendous pain in my chest and back for 4 years. Every time I visited the Dr she gave me reflux and indigestion tablets. I drove myself to a & e one night and found out that the pain was actually being caused by a large gallstone. I have always been a natural worrier and I'm beginning to think my fear is of death and not illness if that makes sense?. I only fear illnesses that could kill you like cancer.

I have been trying to turn to spirituality in the hope I can quash some of my fears. I am worried people will think I've went nuts though. I'm currently using Angel cards and trying to tap into my spiritual guide but I am positive my mind is blocking anything from coming through.

Thanks so much for replying xx

[lior]

I also turned to spirituality when I was depressed. I did it privately so as not to be judged. It hasn't really stuck to me long term, but I think I did draw some strength from it in the moment, and that's what counts.

I still look at Tarot cards now, but rather than being literal and 'woo' about it, I use them to reflect and get different perspectives on my situation - it's all about what I make of it.

Don't take this the wrong way, but you and I are kind of nuts anyway :) I'd rather be happy and let people think I'm weird, than be unhappy and not try out stuff that could make me feel better.

I'm not a therapist so please take what I say with a pinch of salt.
It sounds like a deeper problem is that misdiagnosis... sounds traumatic... painful. Did it affect your trust in doctors?
Why do you fear death?
Maybe exploring those kind of questions could help with the bigger picture?

If you aren't experiencing stress all the time from the big picture, the short term triggers will not affect you nearly as much - if you're anything like me.

Hope you're having a good weekend :)

[Loggie05]

Hey lior. Your right in saying we are nuts lol. My family think I am absolutely bonkers. I think the misdiagnosis did lead to a mistrust in Dr's. I do get relief when I've visited the Dr and spoke things through so I have somewhat overcome the trust issues. I'm not as such scared of death itself but the impact it would have on my children or if it happened to them. I think I fear the emotions that come with a terminal illness if you know what I mean? I seem to be searching for any reassurance that if something did happen to me my kids would be ok without me. It's the sadness of them growing up with no mum and needing me for things and I'm not there. Our minds are wonderful things but mines seems to be a bit muddled at the moment.

The thing with spirituality is I think I'm trying to convince myself that there is eternal life and all our souls meet up for a big party when we have kicked the bucket. I think of I could come to terms with or believe that there is an afterlife then I wouldn't be so scared??.

Hope you've had a good weekend. Sorry for rambling lol xx

[PennyLane85]

Hi Loggie05, what you have said below fits me to a T!
I have even thought about becoming a Christian and ‘discovering’ God in a way of elevating my fears of death....crazy as I am not religious.
My biggest fear (so big I can hardly bring myself to type it) is terminal cancer. I fear it so much and it was all triggered from the birth of my son and the repercussions of loosing me would have on him.
I really want to shake this damn health anxiety of as it is stopping me from enjoying my day to day life with my family. Cancer is always at the back of my mind somewhere and you guessed it I have various symptoms that fit various ones 🙁
I know it’s not rational at all but I struggle so much to be rational about it xx

[lior]

It's interesting that two of you both have this fear - and it's linked to the birth of your children.

My unprofessional take: Tragedies happen to everyone. Live in the moment. Anxiety is about stuff that hasn't happened yet or may never happen. I'd rather my children (when I have them) got the full 'me', happy, in the moment, than have a distracted, worried 'me' - worried over something that might never happen, on their behalf. I think they'd rather have the full me now for a moment, than only a fragment of me for longer. The worry doesn't serve them. It wouldn't serve me either.

I trust that whatever happens, I deal with it. I have been through some real shit and no matter how hard it's been, I keep putting one foot in front of the other, one step at a time, staying in the moment as much as I can. I know I can deal with things now - whatever life has to throw at me. If I got cancer, I would find ways of doing things. There's always a way.

If I had kids and got cancer, I'd probably write them letters to be opened at various points in their life, like first boyfriend, 18th birthday, getting married, etc. I'd still mother them from the grave.

I don't believe in the afterlife. I believe that when you're dead, that's it. I prefer to believe this because it creeps me out to think we might be trapped in some other ghostly form... and that once life is over, the story is complete.

BUT people do live on through the hearts and minds of others. It's no joke. Humans really leave an impact on each other. The remnants of me will stay with the people I have touched. The 'afterlife' can happen through the living.

[Loggie05]

Hi Loggie05, what you have said below fits me to a T!
I have even thought about becoming a Christian and ‘discovering’ God in a way of elevating my fears of death....crazy as I am not religious.
My biggest fear (so big I can hardly bring myself to type it) is terminal cancer. I fear it so much and it was all triggered from the birth of my son and the repercussions of loosing me would have on him.
I really want to shake this damn health anxiety of as it is stopping me from enjoying my day to day life with my family. Cancer is always at the back of my mind somewhere and you guessed it I have various symptoms that fit various ones 🙁
I know it’s not rational at all but I struggle so much to be rational about it xx

Hey penny, isn't it awful being like This? Are you on any meds? I have looked into all religions/spirituality and have come to the conclusion that I am going with spirituality and using a guide to inner peace. Set yourself small targets to clear your mind. For example I've been meaning to fill in the calendar with all our appointments since January. So today that s my job along with getting my youngest her feet measured and new shoes. Tomorrow my tasks are decluttering my 2 drawers in the sideboard and visiting the beach to collect some sea glass. I'm gonna set myself 2 tasks everyday until my house is completely empty of useless items and clear and organised. Then I'm going to move onto my diet and exercise. Give it a try.. I'm happy to help you out with a few bits and any info xx

---------- Post added at 09:19 ---------- Previous post was at 09:16 ----------

Hey Lior. There is a film called the shack that I watched the other day to try gain some perspective. Give it a watch and remember tissues. I love the thought of everyone meeting after death and having a big party. If that was the case and we could get definitive proof I think the fear of death would be completely different. Xx

[lior]

Fear of death is very interesting... it's not something I've experienced acutely, as you experience it. It's a major theme for poets and artists, so it's a seriously widespread fear.

Why does it seem better to you to imagine that there is life after death?
What exactly is scary about nothingness?

[Loggie05]

Fear of death is very interesting... it's not something I've experienced acutely, as you experience it. It's a major theme for poets and artists, so it's a seriously widespread fear.

Why does it seem better to you to imagine that there is life after death?
What exactly is scary about nothingness?

I'm not too sure myself to be honest. It's a big minefield this anxiety palava. I'm not sure if it's the thought my kids would need me? Or the thought of them crying for me and I'm not there? X

[lior]

Aww. These are fears. What can you do to deal with these fears?

It's really interesting that you're not thinking about an end to yourself with death - you're not thinking about an end (correct me if I'm wrong) - you're thinking about disadvantaging and causing pain in others. It's quite unselfish. Kind of beautiful... but not when it's not helping you enjoy living in the now.

You can be there for your kids in the now. That's all you can do, each day :)

Hope you're having a good week x

[au Lait]

In terms of desensitizing, it typically involves refusing to do the compulsive behavior. So for an example if someone with OCD is obsessively checking then they must refrain from checking repeatedly, no matter how uncomfortable that makes them.

Acknowledge the anxiety but refuse to engage in it. Sit with it. Allow yourself to feel anxious until it passes on its own.

So in your case you have to actively stop sniffing obsessively. If you smell smoke and feel anxious, let yourself feel that way, but don’t start sniffing around. You know that it’s just HA making you worry that it’s a sign of some underlying medical concern. You don’t need to engage it. Engaging with the anxiety strengthens its hold on the mind. It validates the anxiety and makes the urge to give in to it stronger the next time.