Health Anxiety Triggers

[lblove]

I am currently off medication and have found myself on the edge of another health anxiety binder. The same thing seems to trigger my anxiety, any time I have diarrhea or a stomach noise or gas/indigestion it starts to send me over the edge. It’s to the point I get nervous about eating and then that anxiety often makes my stomach upset. It’s a vicious cycle, my anxiety always shows itself in gastrointestinal ways. I’m convinced it’s always related to some sort of colon or pancreatic cancer. I’ve had this same thing over the years so I know what it is but it’s not any easier to convince my mind.I am thinking of going back on meds. I’ve only been off about 6 months. How do we break the triggers and be strong off medication?

[ErinKC]

For me, the best way to break triggers is exposure. I make myself do the thing that I know could trigger my anxiety and prove that nothing bad happens. I realized that the avoidance behaviors just feed the anxiety because you keep telling yourself that you should be afraid of that thing. It's hard and scary, but it always helps me. I take it *very* slow so I don't overwhelm myself. But, if I slowly chip away at my triggers/avoidances it ultimately tones my general anxiety down over time.

[AnxietySufferer]

Everyone has gastrointestinal trouble, anxiety causes you to focus on these things.

I know because iv'e done it many times before, convincing myself I had stomach bugs etc or even worse colon cancer.

I have had the exact same fear previously. For me, I like to read back through old posts on here, to remind myself that I have been through it many times before.

I think acknowledging it is a massive part of it. I think a lot of people can acknowledge health anxiety until a new symptom comes up. Then we seem to go into panic mode that we cant be wrong again, and that this time it has to be something more sinister.

But, who wants to spend time fearing something that never happens?

I guess we have to learn that we need to believe in our doctors.Obsessing over things are not going to cure them.