How do we stop checking our body?

[nhelen79]

This week it is a neck week for me. The front of my neck is itchy since yesterday and if I scratch, it turned red.

This triggered me looking at my neck and see in the middle, the voice box/front of neck structure is prominent. All I felt is bone and lumps in that structure.

I’m trying my best not to go down to that hell hole again so I told myself I will have annual physical chi checkup with my doctor in a week. She can check everything.

Then my mind is racing with all the whatif. The thing is I had an ENT exam like 2 weeks ago where she felt my neck, looked into my ears, nose, and throat because I brought up how my left shoulder/neck side looks puffy than the right.

How do I teach my mind to trust that if the front of my neck (voicebox area) has issue, she would see it during her exam because she is a specialist in Neck/Head as an ENT? I used to get reassurance after a doctor appt but not anymore. Now I question

[Punky789]

It's a good question. One I don't know the answer to. I often wish incou just have tests run monthly to always rule everything out but then I think that would just be feeding into my anxiety more. I wish it was easier to just accept and move on .

[NoraB]

This week it is a neck week for me. The front of my neck is itchy since yesterday and if I scratch, it turned red.

This triggered me looking at my neck and see in the middle, the voice box/front of neck structure is prominent. All I felt is bone and lumps in that structure.

I’m trying my best not to go down to that hell hole again so I told myself I will have annual physical chi checkup with my doctor in a week. She can check everything.

Then my mind is racing with all the whatif. The thing is I had an ENT exam like 2 weeks ago where she felt my neck, looked into my ears, nose, and throat because I brought up how my left shoulder/neck side looks puffy than the right.

How do I teach my mind to trust that if the front of my neck (voicebox area) has issue, she would see it during her exam because she is a specialist in Neck/Head as an ENT? I used to get reassurance after a doctor appt but not anymore. Now I question

Acceptance.

Accept the HA thoughts because they will come, only you don't act on them. Don't fight them or try to block them. Don't add fear to them. Simply observe them for what they are - just a thought, not reality.

You've been checked over; that's common sense if you think there's a problem, and there is no problem or the specialist would have found it because they have the years if training and experience, and you don't.

The more we stare at our bodies, the more imperfections we will see, and that's normal because no human body is perfect. The anxious mind also sees things that are not actually there..

If you're constantly seeking reassurance from doctors and tests, there will come a time when it no longer works.

You need to practice acceptance. It's not easy; it's a LOT easier to go with the negative bias - but it's the only thing which will get you out of this hole.