panic thanks to health anxiety - worried about sepsis

[juralumin]

hi all,

this may sound a bit bizzare but my anxiety has skyrocketed as i have had 2 infections this month. after going to a hospital earlier in the year and seeing signs about sepsis i have been extremely terrified of getting it and passing away. i have a chest / throat infection right now and the last infection was from an ingrown toenail being removed and despite telling doctors my concerns they don't take it seriously.

this panic is honestly ruining my life - i am 19 and have been told i am unfit for work because of my mental health problems and this worry over an apparent rare disease is ruining everything for me. is sepsis debilitating or is it as common as the nhs is making it seem? i hear conflicting things from people who have survived it and from the nhs so it is hard to find closure. i'm scared

[BlueIris]

If you have sepsis, you're not likely to be well enough to type. It's a medical emergency, and whatever happens will happen quickly.

[ankietyjoe]

How many times have you googled sepsis?

[juralumin]

thank you both for the replies - i have googled it many times, it's a bad habit of mine. sometimes i don't even realise i'm doing it until it's too late but it never leads to a good outcome

[ankietyjoe]

So, your behaviour is WAY more of an issue than the panic. The panic only happens because of what you're doing. Health anxiety does not just appear, it's because of YOU providing YOU with things to fear.

[juralumin]

what is a good way to stop? i have tried extensions on my computer to block keywords from being searched or from showing up on any website but on my phone its a different problem, i can't help myself sometimes and it makes things a million times worse. does anybody have any advice or techniques? thank you

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[ankietyjoe]

what is a good way to stop? i have tried extensions on my computer to block keywords from being searched or from showing up on any website but on my phone its a different problem, i can't help myself sometimes and it makes things a million times worse. does anybody have any advice or techniques? thank you

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Just don't do it. You don't need a 'hack' to not do something, it's just a habit.

Saying 'I can't help myself' is just BS tbh. It's time to decide if you want to keep suffering or not. You already know it makes things worse, so decide if you want to stop doing it or not. Using blocking extensions takes the responsibility away from you, and it's YOU that's doing it.

And the reason I know this, is because I did exactly the same thing back in the day. The only way to stop is to just stop. Kinda makes it easier once you accept that.

[BlueIris]

Same here.

Find yourself Googling? Tell yourself to stop, and close the window.

At first, you'll do this A LOT.

Persist anyway. It'll get easier.

[ankietyjoe]

Same here.

Find yourself Googling? Tell yourself to stop, and close the window.

At first, you'll do this A LOT.

Persist anyway. It'll get easier.

Yes, a very good point.

Failing to stop is fine, as long as you KEEP stopping.

[juralumin]

thank you for your input, i know its gonna take a while to kick this habit but its better than worrying forever

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[ankietyjoe]

thank you for your input, i know its gonna take a while to kick this habit but its better than worrying forever



If you sat down and thought about getting into a fight with somebody, and really focus on the details of the fight, what happens? Or even focus on an argument you had in the past where you now try to think of something you could have done or said differently. You get a physiological response, right?

So imagine what happens when you're researching fatal diseases, that you don't actually have. Do you think your subconscious is capable of being pragmatic about your conscious behavorial decision?*




*trick question, it's not.