westofengland
28-11-10, 00:40
I have a theory why HA is so hard to beat. I believe it is a form of OCD, just as much as checking the door is locked 100 times a day or washing your hands all the time.
There is the same fear of anxiety and 'what ifs,' the same compulsive checking rituals, the same hunger for reassurance and intolerance of ANY uncertainty.
But, we live in a society where we are encouraged to be worried about our health and get stuff checked out...
So guess what, we rationalise our disorder and pretend we aren't like the odd people who wash their hands all the time, when in reality it's coming from the same place.
So I guess it's about finding a balance and recognising obsessional behaviour and a compulsive need for reassurance as opposed to taking sensible health precautions.
I have found a great blog on OCD and the author has written a very good script she uses against HA
//quote//
Health Anxiety Script 5-7-07
I'm not going to listen to your false promises anymore OCD. You tell me I can be absolutely certain what is going on with my body. No risk is acceptable to you, but to be alive is to be at risk. You always promise me that you will make my fears go away, if I listen to you. But whenever I listen I find myself deeper in hell, with you telling me you just want a little bit more. I am not a doctor. I can't definitively diagnose myself. Overcoming health anxiety is a scary process. I feel as though I am risking my life, but this is a chance I have to take to get better from OCD and get my life back. I've lost so much time already in fixating on my body. OCD, you truly torment me, suck up energy. I can't go on like this. I may get cancer and die a painful death, but OCD can't save me from this, only take away whatever enjoyment I have in my life. My rituals are useless anyway. I can't be vigilant about every body symptom. I don't know what is going in inside my body. Medical guidelines are imperfect but that is all humans have to go by. Maybe I'll get cancer, and my doctor will accuse me of being irresponsible, but I will have to learn to live with my regret at my negligence, so I can enjoy whatever time I have left. The alternative is to lose even more time than I already have to OCD.
There is the same fear of anxiety and 'what ifs,' the same compulsive checking rituals, the same hunger for reassurance and intolerance of ANY uncertainty.
But, we live in a society where we are encouraged to be worried about our health and get stuff checked out...
So guess what, we rationalise our disorder and pretend we aren't like the odd people who wash their hands all the time, when in reality it's coming from the same place.
So I guess it's about finding a balance and recognising obsessional behaviour and a compulsive need for reassurance as opposed to taking sensible health precautions.
I have found a great blog on OCD and the author has written a very good script she uses against HA
//quote//
Health Anxiety Script 5-7-07
I'm not going to listen to your false promises anymore OCD. You tell me I can be absolutely certain what is going on with my body. No risk is acceptable to you, but to be alive is to be at risk. You always promise me that you will make my fears go away, if I listen to you. But whenever I listen I find myself deeper in hell, with you telling me you just want a little bit more. I am not a doctor. I can't definitively diagnose myself. Overcoming health anxiety is a scary process. I feel as though I am risking my life, but this is a chance I have to take to get better from OCD and get my life back. I've lost so much time already in fixating on my body. OCD, you truly torment me, suck up energy. I can't go on like this. I may get cancer and die a painful death, but OCD can't save me from this, only take away whatever enjoyment I have in my life. My rituals are useless anyway. I can't be vigilant about every body symptom. I don't know what is going in inside my body. Medical guidelines are imperfect but that is all humans have to go by. Maybe I'll get cancer, and my doctor will accuse me of being irresponsible, but I will have to learn to live with my regret at my negligence, so I can enjoy whatever time I have left. The alternative is to lose even more time than I already have to OCD.