How did you or are you beating this?

[helenhoo]

New year, new me and all that but I'm so adamant to beat this once and for all. Its ridiculous how consuming it is and how much control I let it have. Just looking for anyone who is beating this or has overcome their anxiety?

[NotDeadYet]

helenhoo

Therapy
Mindfulness
Constant internal self-reassurance
New hobbies

I'm never "beating" it because my brain is wired to think this way but I'm absolutely managing it. If your expectation is to eradicate it, then you'll be setting yourself up for disappointment. It takes a lot of time, patience and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!

Best Wishes

[Kitkat99]

My health anxiety seems to be very dependant on how stress I am. If my life’s not going well then my anxiety is worse. All though I think this might be more to do with the fact my health anxiety comes from having OCD.

But anyway not googling or asking for reassurance helps a ton. After a while I find my brain just resolved whatever is bothering me on its own if I don’t reassurance seek. Not googling is helpful too because the less I know the better.

Then just trying to distract myself, making sure I’m eating right getting out the house and getting some exercise. Writing down the thoughts also helps.

[BlueIris]

I'm beating this one day at a time, or sometimes an hour at a time. I'll sometimes go a while without it bothering me and then I'll get stressed about something and have to start actively fighting the unhelpful behaviours again.

Staying busy helps.

[NoraB]

I don't think I'll ever 'beat it' because of the way my brain is wired but I've had two lots of CBT and I can stop myself from spiralling out of control. For instance, my health anxiety has flared up again because I have unsual symptoms with no obvious reason. I have fibromyalgia, so I'm used to weird symptoms which come and go but this is a pelvic issue and it's not buggering off like symptoms usually do. I am being investigated and because there are no red flags, it's a 6/8 week wait on top of the 6 weeks it's been going on for. So I take myself to 'thought court' when I think of boarding the cancer train. I ask myself where the evidence is etc. There is clearly a problem but I don't have to go loco with my mind as I have done before and that time I went ALL THE WAY into mental breakdown. That time, I was utterly convinced I had bowel cancer (or cancer of some kind) and I only got some peace when I accepted that I was dying. Turns out, I wasn't dying. Not even close, but I learned something valuable - that good memories can be made even in the darkest of times.

The anxious mind will take you to some scary places. It will convince you that your darkest fears are right and the ANXIETY symptoms which accompany health anxiety will convince you even more.

The crazy train will stop for us but we don't have to climb aboard.

Today is Boxing Day. My sons and their partners (and my soon to be born grandchild) are coming to visit me, their step-dad and their baby brother and I intend to enjoy my day, regardless of what's going on in my pelvis!

Those who are prone to health anxiety are people with anxious minds. Often, it's in the wiring. It can't be cured, but it can certainly be managed. But there are things we can do to help ourselves and keep HA under control instead of it controlling us.

Meditation.
Relaxation.
Visualisation (I took myself off for a walk along the beach with my deceased mother during a recent MRI - very nice it was too)
Anything that requires you to focus, like knitting.
Distract yourself.
Watch comedy - you cannot fear while you are laughing.
Stay away from the news.
Stay away from Google.
Learn EFT and love yourself while accepting that you feel crap.
Learn to live in the now. (I recommend Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now)

I always knew that there would be bumps in the road after my therapy finished but it obviously worked because here I am with unexplained symptoms and waiting for tests and I've not gone the rabbit hole.

Nor will I because I am controlling it. Thing is, when you have a complete nervous breakdown - you've gone down as far as it's possible to go and still live. This is a breeze in comparison!