Knowing you don’t have something but worrying about it anyway

[Hijikata]

So I am ten year plus health anxiety professional who has had every disease you could imagine. Two weeks ago I realised that my right shin was numb (still is). Worried that I had some horrible disease but turned out to be a herniated disc. Somehow during this time muscle twitches began jumping from muscle to muscle, and so began the fear of als (a fear I have thankfully never had until now). Thing is I know I don’t have it but still I worry about it almost all day, reinvigorated whenever a twitch occurs. So how does everyone get over a fear without rushing to the doctor. I’m trying to get better and to do that I can’t chase reassurance. Any tips, pointers or personal experience on what works to work through a fear?

[lofwyr]

Are you seeing anyone for the anxiety? It amazes me how many people rush off to the doctor for a twitching muscle, worried about being proactive regarding every disease in the book, some of them VERY rare diseases too, but they have a problem right there in front of them to deal with and they take no proactive steps at all towards dealing with it.

I am not saying you aren't dealing with the anxiety, but *if* you aren't, find professional help and fight back. Don't let the anxiety win.

Now that said, something my counselor told me which really helped me, was "accept the anxiety." She didn't mean just be anxious, but she meant allow yourself to feel anxious. Let it happen. The second you can begin to acknowledge anxiety for what it truly is--the obsessive thoughts, the compulsive checking etc., the sooner it actually loses power over you. In allowing myself to be anxious, I became less anxious.

It sounds counter-intuitive for sure, but it really did help me.

Mentally, it sounds like you are ready to deal with the anxiety. Knowing you cannot get help chasing reassurance is a big deal, and an actual win if you put it into practice successfully. Now extend that to finding professional help--even if it is just reading a book about it--and fight back. It can, and does get better, but not if you don't work at it.