Triggers Anyone???

[Andy699]

Hi, so basically I want to know if this is just me or not. I've noticed lately that certain things will trigger my anxiety. For example my next door neighbour died a few years ago from oesophageal cancer and for weeks after that I kept being paranoid about my throat, was it sore? Was I swallowing normally? Etc. Then it was another neighbour with leukemia, for weeks I was checking my body for bruises. My latest HA is a brain tumour and I've just realised that about a week ago I watched 24 hours in A&E with my mom about a man who had a brain tumour.

I was just wandering if anyone else gets triggered by things like this or does your HA just come on randomly?

Much love

[Liddy1993]

Totally! I read about skin cancer a few years back and ever since then I’ve been obsessed and I’m talking over ten years later! I also read about lymphoma and now have an obsession with lymph nodes, hiv is also a big worry for me. I think it’s because you’re alteady conscious of your health and when you see something worrisome it makes you hyperfocus on it so you pick up on normal things going on in your body and kind of go AHA this is it when in reality it’s just a normal part of you. I do this too wish there was a quick fix for it but unfortunately not. Think it’s a common thing too because I’ve read lots of other threads with people saying they worried after they heard or read about something happening to someone else.

[emmc]

Yes. if I read or watch something I instantly become very aware of it which turns into HA about it.

[lofwyr]

My first bout of HA started just at the end of high school when an acquaintance was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. I am largely in a good place with anxiety now, but often enough all my triggers in the past have been from "someone I knew" or "something I read or saw on tv."