I have suffered from general anxiety/panic attacks for years but over the last couple of years it has consolidated as health anxiety.
These days I only have to get a spot on my chin to fleetingly think it's a lump, then I have to spend a totally disproportionate amount of time rationalising and understanding why and how it has happened and get left with a high anxiety level for ages.
I do have some real health problems to deal with at the moment which means I am particularly focused on my health. And I am under a particularly high level of stress too.
I battle constantly with anxiety about doing anything on my own and set myself challenges to deal with this but anything that raises my anxiety levels seems to mean at some point soon afterwards a physical symptom will appear and freak me out. I do relaxation exercises and positive visualisations and stuff.
I don't panic any more over palpitations too badly. I deal with repeated bouts of swallowing difficulties. I hide the level of my anxiety well in my day to day life.
But I have not found a way of practically challenging my health anxiety, how I can stop that constant checking of minor symptoms, constant awareness of my ageing body and its inevitable deterioration!!
I don't seem to have come across any particular help for this problem - how can you gradually expose yourself to health problems??
I am getting loads and loads of support here but feel bogged down in sharing my symptoms (which does help) and would like to do something positive and pro-active about it. Does anybody have any ideas?
I got an appointment through today for a gastroscopy I have been waiting for, and to see a dermatologist and I am also going to the Dentist! It just seems a relentless battle to keep myself together and get through each day - it was easier to hide it when I was working and distracted, but it was there all the time anyway. I have another 5 weeks off sick and want to use it to get help - but I am not finding the help I think I need.
Thanks for reading - if anybody has!!!
fee
xx