When is it ok to worry about health?

[niro83]

Hi, I constantly worry about my health and most other things. I used to be care free and not really worry about anything, but then when my children were born, I think I started to think about anything that could go wrong for them and then that made me worry if I would be around for them. I got to the age where everything doesn't just heal immediately and you start noticing things with your body that weren't there before.

I posted this question, because while given time, most of the things that I worry about go away, the cycle that I'm stuck in is that every time a new symptoms arises, I think to myself, this could actually be the real thing this time. We're bombarded with posts on facebook that tell us to watch out for these signs of cancer, heart attacks, diabetes, etc. and to be honest, I have most of the symptoms on most days. If I ask myself, am I thirsty, I'll then find myself incredibly thirsty, and if I'm asking myself do I have a pain in my arm, then I have a pain in my arm.

I feel this is the cycle that I need to break out of to get over health anxiety.

So the question is, how should we live our lives? If I can't trust my body to tell me when there is a problem because of the anxiety, then do I just have to
assume everything is a problem and get everything checked out all the time?

I went to the gym yesterday and worked on the weights, and then afterwards I had a tight feeling in my chest. I worried that I was having a cardiac issue, and I know that it's just me working on my muscles, but then the little devil comes in to my mind and says, but how would you know? Maybe it was the working out that over stressed your heart.

When should you say, nope, I'm definitely having a heart issue I should alert someone right now! This is my biggest hurdle over coming this issue. I quite often go to bed and think, right, I'll go to sleep and if I'm here in the morning, then it was all in my mind, but that seems like blind ignorance.

Has anyone found a better perspective?

[blindfaith]

Hi Niro83.

I am sorry that you are going through this, I can relate and it is just terrible when you feel stuck and confused as to what is what.

I am going through something similar. I have many health issues which causes me anxiety(anxiety for something that is already there). Then you add in the HA and now you have anxiety for something that you are not sure is there. That is a lot of anxiety!!

I myself get stuck where I don't know if it is something new, something getting worse, is it all in my head? I was told, as so many others are, that so much of it is anxiety. So, a new symptom pops up, and you get confused if you should go to the doctor or ride it out in hopes that this isn't the time you should of gone.

There is nothing wrong with seeing your family doctor. The problem comes in where you have to believe what they tell you. A check up is a good thing if you haven't had one in a while, explain your complaints, make a list if you have to. Go over all your concerns because it is impossible to see a doctor for every new symptom we get. Letting your doctor know you are having anxiety is a good idea also.
We also have to learn to trust what the doctors tell us. They know what is what, and if they feel anything is wrong or a test is in order, they will tell you. But we have to do our part also, and work on our anxiety.( Not easy, I know!)

Your question was, how should we live our lives? Definitely not running to the doctor every time we feel a new symptom of something. That is allowing the anxiety to control us. I am guilty of it myself. Life is meant to be lived and that is what we have to start doing, living

I hope you are able to find solutions and I hope you can find peace.

[paranoid-viking]

All the time but what is just damaging to yourself is to be constantly hysteric and panicking(yes I am guilty of that myself).

[Mindprison]

I think it's only natural for us to worry about our health, especially if you have a family to think about. The problem occurs when we start to seek constant reassurance as we become hypersensitive to changes or feelings in our body caused by the anxiety.

I do still have issues and i'm having a particularly bad episode recently, but something i've been telling myself the past week or so is this.

"Surely if I had something seriously wrong with me, I would know about it?"

Anxiety is a mimic, it's great at making you feel aches, pains and feelings that are supposed to scare you into thinking something is wrong. But after the 4th, 5th or even 6th time, you start to realize a pattern.

"Hang on. I've had this before and I was fine after it. What could possibly be different this time?"

Health anxiety is a vicious cycle and it's good to nip it in the bud before it gets out of control!

Blindfaith has offered some excellent advice and I would agree with everything! See your doctor and just make a list of all the things on your mind! With the right help, you will be able to get back to a normal life. It may not feel like it now, but it won't last forever!

Best of luck to you!

[niro83]

Thanks for the advice.

I try to think more along the lines of, any of us could die tomorrow, nothing is certain, and that's what I'm looking for with my HA, certainty that I will be ok tomorrow, and no one can get that. So if that is impossible, then we must try and enjoy each day as much as we possibly can. HA is useless. Even if I had something terminally wrong with me, I would rather use the time that I have with happiness, not worry.

I've been making tiny steps towards this kind of thinking, and it's helping me get through my HA. It's the difference between time served, and quality of life, and I would much rather a high quality of life than a long life of suffering.

The biggest hurdle is that all of that mindset disappears while in the middle of an anxiety attack, it becomes fight or flight.

I am grateful to anxiety for making me re-evaluate my life and make me focus on the things that are most important, like family, happiness and enjoying what I can.