How do I stop it? Reassurance needed....

[WorryFiend]

So, posted about 3 weeks ago regarding going out on a Saturday night and having too many drinks and smoking (I don't smoke)...had myself conviced that I had given myself some horrible disease as I woke up with an aggravating cough.

So---have still had the cough, but pretty sure that it is allergy related as I have problems this time of year EVERY year. Have also had a stuffy nose, sinus pressure, etc....

Anyway--on Saturday night, I guess I decided that I would just let go---drank way too much, and even though I still had the cough, you guessed it, smoke a few cigs. Woke up yesterday feeling like I was probably going to die. Went to the Dr. this morning, (which I never do) and he said lungs sound clear, heart sounds good, throat irritated and, yep, I have a cough. Gave me an antibiotic just to be on the safe side and kill a bug if there is one in there.

So--why does my mind keep fearing the worst? I can't stop googling bronchitis, laryngitis, you name it. How do I stop this cycle? I know that I need to just quit drinking because that is the ONLY time that I smoke, and that is really the big issue. However, then I just sort of get lost in the moment and WHAM! right back where I started. Please somebody tell me what to do and reassure me that if the Dr. said my lungs, etc. are fine, then they REALLY ARE FINE!!

[LisaLisa]

Aw hi hun

Its torture isnt it.

The basic things you need to remember about this Health Anxiety are:

1) the problem is a feeling of anxiety not a physical health illness

2) health anxiety tries to persuade you allllllll day that there is something dangerously wrong with your health and you better pay attention! - You gotto ignore its winey repetitive irritating attempts to get your attention...!!

3) the reading/Googling about ilness is an addiction...like smoking. Although there is no pleasure...only pain both when you do it and also unfortunatley when you dont...but the important this to know here is that the pain of trying not to do it will reduce as time goes on if you are consistant. Howevere the pain of googling and 'researching' will be very sore and long lasting and cannot be measured or controlled because we cannot protect ourselves from all the information in the internet if we are looking for something really bad....ITS THERE!!
4) you will notice clear patterns developing and repetitive behaviour that you make excuses to yourself for
5) you will skip from one illness to another depending on what fits at the time..... the ONLY common factor is......ANXIETY.......becuase thats all that is wrong!!

So please dont feed your anxiety with any more health information. Recognise that you have a problem with health anxiety and take steps to help yourself...............

.........and relax!! LOL......sorry I did go on one there , but its really the way forward!!

Lisa
xxxx

[WorryFiend]

Lisa,

Thank you so much for responding.

It really is a vicious cycle, isn't it? I totally agree with all of the things that you said!

I think that for me, these anxious times have actually gotten to be few and far between. However, I think that they come back at times when I am not proud of the person that I am being or of my behaviors.

For me, there have got to be some changes made to stop this once and for all. I do believe that I have to find a way to eliminate drinking completely. In turn, that choice will eliminate smoking, etc, etc...

Hopefully if I change things more for the positive, the anxiety will crawl back under a rock and stay there!

Thanks for taking the time to post, it really does make me feel better!
Brandy