Your heart is racing, your palms are sweaty, and your body is restless. Your thoughts are coming quickly, one after another until your mind feels consumed with worry. You have spent the last 30 minutes with your old friend Dr. Google, in a futile effort to diagnose your symptoms, convincing yourself the worst-case scenarios are inevitable. Maybe you have also reached out to your physician through MyChart, or requested another appointment to discuss the same symptoms you called about last week.
Does this sound familiar? If so, you may be experiencing health anxiety.
Health anxiety is characterized by persistent and out-of-proportion effort spent trying to diagnose, treat, or cope with real or perceived symptoms. The truth is that people with health anxiety often experience very real and unpleasant physical sensations such as dizziness, numbness, pain, gastrointestinal concerns, and headaches, amongst others.
Our bodies are designed to interpret potential signs of danger or threat and to respond to such signals. However, sometimes our brains and bodies experience a disconnect, and while symptoms or sensations may be unpleasant, they are not in fact a sign of threat. In the context of health anxiety, the thoughts, emotions and responses we have to these signals are sometimes incorrect altogether, or disproportionate to the problem at hand, and they maintain the cycle.
It is often the case that our own histories of illness, experiences with death, impact of media intake, and triggers for stress outside of our health inform whether and how health anxiety manifests. It is common, realistic and important for us to notice and address changes in our physical or emotional health and to discuss any concerns we have with our providers.
When health anxiety is present, repeated reassurance from physicians or healthcare providers, normal lab work, and even negative test results are often not enough to adequately quiet the mind or settle our bodies. Repeated and interfering thoughts and behaviors that prevent us from doing the things we need and want to do during the day distinguish reasonable concerns from more problematic health-related worries.
Understandably, health anxiety may be more prolific now due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to other illnesses that plague us at any time. So what can we do to ease our minds and focus on the people and things that matter to us most? Here are a few tips for how to manage health anxiety based on evidence-based approaches:
- Remember that your thoughts are not facts. Anxiety tries to protect us from pain, danger and discomfort, but often our worries are not warranted. What would happen if you challenged the thinking that promotes an over-focus on your body? What if you actually contracted something you are fearing- what is the worst that would happen? How would you cope if your worst fears came true?
- Calm your body and regulate your nervous system. You might utilize relaxation skills, deep breathing, mindfulness practice, being in nature, or other soothing activities that ground you back in the present moment. These are tools that can help you to refocus attention when thoughts about the body are all-consuming.
- Ask yourself: How much mental effort, time and energy does this thought or worry deserve? What is more meaningful to me that I could be focusing on or doing instead (i.e. playing with my children, completing a work task, engaging in a hobby). Clarifying values and then taking steps to do what brings you purpose and joy will reduce emotional distress.
- Be willing to experience discomfort. Sounds counter-intuitive, I know! If we can ride the waves of discomfort, whether it be tension in our muscles, frequent uncertainty, or racing thoughts, these concerns are more likely to dissipate on their own. Just like a wave in the ocean, intense experiences build, peak and then diminish; I promise your discomfort will not last forever, although I appreciate the worry that it might. As our response to our physical sensations and thoughts shifts, so too will the anxiety itself.
- Acknowledge your experience. Validate the emotions or sensations you are feeling in your body. Trying to talk yourself out of what is there may only amplify your distress. Open yourself up to curiosity about WHY these sensations or emotions are present; Perhaps there is an alternative explanation other than the one you have feared. Bodies are “noisy,” complex and ever-changing, so it is reasonable to consider the fact that your body may be experiencing shifts that are expected and healthy.
- Seek support from trusted healthcare professionals. Express concerns about any new or concerning symptoms you have, and trust in your provider’s recommendations about how to evaluate and treat those concerns. Allow your treatment team to support and educate you in ways that are validating but not enabling of the health anxiety.
If you need additional support in managing unhelpful thought patterns, intense emotions and intrusive behaviors related to health anxiety, please contact us at hello@galiacollaborative.com.
Hi Sarah,
I suffer vey intense health anxiety.
Is it possible to talk with you? Do you and sessions I can pay for?
Hi cindy I’m having the same it’s so overwhelming at times I feel for you cuz as it’s so real and your thoughts rule your day
Hi, came across your page while try I ng to find what kind of counselor I need to be looking for. I’m stressing over latest heart diagnosis plus other issues, plus family issues, etc..
Realized it’s time to seek help to talk these issues out but not sure who may specialize with health issues along with everyday stuff.
Thanks for any help you can help me with to guide me in the right direction.
I’m a male and I need your help please. I’m pleading with you please help me.
I think I’m having trouble breathing but really I can breath can u please help and tell me what this is
Hey me too. Utilize deep breathing and meditation it helps me.
I’m constantly thinking I have or going to get an illness I’m constantly on DR GOOGLE I’m fed up I know it’s irrational I know it’s silly but it’s like an addiction
This is worst thing anyone can experience.. like slowly hurting yourself !!!
But, Mindfulness is the best therapy. Pl pl connect with your real form ..your soul. Believe in your soul…your soul is your identity , not the body and believe that you are the master of your soul. Not to mention … Yoga & Meditation are gonna help you achieve this. God bless !
Well said!
Please how do you practice mindfulness
I suffer from panic attacks and anxiety I constantly feel like something bad is going to happen to me
Every time I get labs done, something in my labs seems elevated or too low. I start googling causes, symptoms and of course, the worse of the worse always appear on google. Then I start to worry, google even more, worry more, trying to connect one symptom to another….. its a vicious cycle. I’m embarrassed to tell my family already what I feel, as they now say I’m a hypochondriac… (maybe true). The truth is, I’m afraid of dying, I’m afraid of not being here tomorrow to care for my family. For the past 6 months I have been saving as much money as possible in case something should happen to me, I can leave each of my kids a little something.
I feel the same way. Wish I knew how to stop
Hi iv been feeling the same something is wrong with me I have had blood tests endoscopy CT scan urine sample stool sample all came back negative but I’m still getting palpitations feeling dizy and weak because I think iv got the big c
Me too. It’s so bad. I’m having difficulty swallowing. My anxiety is making me old before my time
Why hasn’t the questions been responded back?
I was feeling a weird kind of discomfort in my vaginal area.. I went to the doctors and she said its just labia infection, she recommended some medicines, even though I don’t have any pain or discomfort now, I guess I’m forcing myself to believe that its not cured yet, I keep pressing and checking if its alright because Im anxious and I think thats why its sometimes hurts but I feel like I have serious health issues my doctor does’nt knows… I think I’ve health anxiety because the symptoms matches but I can’t reduce it.. Thank you for the tips…
Wow wow what comments I have exactly the same problem .
Health anxiety I worry about everything about my body have done so for years.
Used to read the medical book and convinced myself I had it all
I have had gi issues on and off for years. Now have family hx of colon ca. When issues last more then couple weeks im convinced i have colon ca. Now ive googled and am convinced i have ovarian ca. . I have been trying to eat better and of course have had the issues so lost a few pounds which now im especially convinced of ovarian even though i feel nothing. My dr tells me i can gave a cat scan if I want but shes not concerned. I dont want to because they will tell me i have cancer…im so upset all the time to where now im making symptoms worse
I am exactly experiencing the same thing. How are you coping with all this, i go to the dr on Monday. What type of GI issues are you having ? How are you feeling now?
I have had severe health anxiety my entire life, ever since I was a little kid. My family always called me a hypochondriac and that it was “all in my head” and would get so mad at me whenever I would tell them about a health concern I had or ask if they would take me to the hospital. I have gotten a bit better over the last couple years by just managing my general anxiety, but reading these comments have helped me to realize I am not alone in this struggle. And I just want to say to anyone out there struggling with health anxiety; you’re not alone, and please know that there is hope, you can recover and heal from this awful anxiety.
Hello Sydney I just saw this page hope by now you feel better. I know how you had feeling, since covid started I been having more problems than usual with my health. I got now stomach issues, my diabetes have been worsen, I got now palpitations, I have now pins and needles, and the list goes on. My health anxiety it’s high. Reading this column I see I’m not alone. I’m trying to hide this from my family. Since now I have insomnia too I pray and ask God for help sometimes that make me feel better. Hope you are better , God bless everybody.
I never used to bother at all about my health until one day I had abnormal bleeding and picked up a medical book (no Google back then ) and that was it suddenly I had bowel cancer or so I convinced myself, it turned out to be piles and consequently after that every symptom of illness I had I turned to the medical book ,and guess what I had every cancer going, my husband even remarked that he was surprised I hadn’t got prostate cancer yet !! But even now 30 years later I am still at it , but now I have Dr Google which predicts my imminent death from my symptoms I put in nearly every time , but I’m still here . I wonder , why do we do this ? If I have a gland up I’ve got leukemia if I have stomach pain I have pancreatic cancer if my ribs hurt it’s spread to my bones why oh why do I torment myself with these thoughts and info from the internet because of all the many times I have been ill there has always been a recovery for me. yes I do have health issues but I make them worse by overthinking each time. I am going to stop this and if I am one day facing a bad illness I will learn to live with it because this has ruined some of my life and I’m fed up with it but glad to know I’m not alone x
Wow this sounds like me 💯.. so nice to know I am not the only one .. trouble is my worry then causes me to have physical symptoms like burning sensations and wind in my tummy ..
I did have early breast cancer don’t need any treatment but now every little thing I feel I now think the what ifs.. it’s honestly not nice at all .. negative energy it’s awful
This is so me.. I have stopped living life and its been 2 years I have been so consumed with worries.. I feel tired and defeated
I can’t remember the last time I was happy
Currently have a gland up and Google is scary
I never used to bother with my health either. I was not a sick kid, teenager, or early adult. I can count on one hand how many times I have been sick in my life and I am 42. I used to be my pcp’s favorite patient because I was never sick or no family diseases. I have a really good immune system. Last January I got china virus. I still had an annoying cough so I went to see a pulmonologist I worked with. I had a CT and two accidental finds came out. One, I have mild copd. Two, I have a nodule on my lung. At the sametime, I was told what allergies I have and also heartburn. Since all of this came within a week, I didn’t process it or have anyone to talk to about what I was feeling. I was freaking out about the copd and nodule because I have never smoked or been around people that do so how the hell did I get this disease. Then the nodule. Will I get lung cancer and how will that effect the copd. I went to the hospital three times last July and they kept telling me that they couldn’t find anything after blood work, ct of my torso, etc. They told me I was having anxiety. I said, I don’t have anxiety. I have never had anxiety. I was fighting the anxiety because I have never had it and knew there was something wrong. I saw my regular dr, cardiologist, neurologist, etc and everything came back negative. Since then, I have read the people that have had china virus can develop anxiety ( I HATE china like the devil) and I have also started cognitive behavioral therapy. Several of my symptoms have gone away because therapy is teaching me a different mind set. I have recently learned (this week) that I am doing this to myself and working on the why since this is all new to me. I have read on several websites that your body suppresses memories and I have alot of childhood sexual abuse that I never dealt with so that is also coming to light and therapy thinks that what I think is wrong health wise could also be from my childhood. I am learning so much from therapy and I am so glad that so many of my anxiety symptoms have gone away just by retraining my brain. Because I am struggling with accepting that I have copd, my therapist has me looking at it like grief. There is a grieving process with no timeframe. I am feeling the loss of somethings I can no longer do and medication that I have to now take for like. It is hard for me to accept and understand because I am a healthy person. Once I accept that I have copd then the grieving process will end and I can better move forward. I know I will get back to normal and the way I used to think and feel. It is not something I can hurry along. It will take time which is something I am also struggling with. I want it to be done and over so I can get back to my normal. I know that you can do the same Joyce. If you are not in therapy, I highly highly recommend it. Good luck Joyce. I wish you all the best.
Yeaa, I really thank God knowing that it’s not sth beyond this world. But fr, may God come through for all of us that we will remember to live free from worry!
I just ran across this article today. 8 years ago I was dx with colon cancer, 7 years ago I was dx with breast cancer, both times they got clear margins and maintenance chemo. Also I was dx as type 2 diabetic in 2017. I have a Dr.s appt on Monday for my yearly physical and I have been having stomach issues since Thursday and I have convinced myself that the cancer is back. I am a ball of nerves and cannot shake it. I do not know what to do, I can’t talk to my husband cause he blows it off. I know my blood pressure is sky high, and yes, I am on medication for high blood pressure. I pray all the time for God to take my issues, but. I tend to pick them back up and more. I honestly feel lost and I do not know how to stop it. If you get this, any help/tips would be great. To all of you that have commented, you’re not alone and God has each of us. God knows the plan for all of us and I know nothing I can do will/can change that. Please help. God bless you all.
It’s a horrible thing. I recently got diagnosed with fatty liver disease and even though it is common and can reverse itself with diet and exercise I’m still so concerned my case is the worst and I’m dying. I know I need to be proactive and do my part to get healthy but I have been reading the internet ever since. It’s nothing new I have done it since the beginning of internet and well before that. It’s exhausting and I can’t stand myself sometimes.
My anxiety is making me sick. Constantly running to doctors and sitting on google looking up every symptom I am experiencing is so draining. I started having difficulty swallowing recently. Idk what I have. I am freaking out. I started to choke and thought I was going to die. I need help. I feel like going to doctors is making me worse. Please God help me
I am just like the rest of them where every little pain I get I worry and blow it out of proportion. I constantly worry about dying. My anxiety does not allow me to do the things I would like to do. I’m so tired of thinking so negative.
So I recently went through the same exact thing, and I can completely relate to a lot of the comments. But I want to leave something a little more positive and really hope it helps somebody. I’ve always experienced some forms of anxiety but never health anxiety till last year. And it honestly all began with a headache. At first I ignored it but then I noticed that I started noticing the headache more often. Anxiety was bringing the pain to my focus. I started over thinking my headache and opened up google and anxiety completely submerged me! My headaches became body aches, stomach pains, I Couldn’t sleep. I worried about every little thing my body felt. So I get it. The symptoms become very real! Well after neurologist came back with scan “looked fine” I decided I would stop thinking so negative. No it wasn’t easy. It’s actually extremely hard…. At first. But it’s practice every day. As weird as it may seem, every time you feel anxiety over your health creeping up, smile and say to yourself thank you. “Thank you for trying to protect me but I’ll be okay”, do some mindful breathing. And then begin your next chore, your hobby, your walk, run etc! You’re lost in the anxiety waters but if you keep swimming you’ll really be okay ! I still have moments. But I find myself enjoying life again and not overthinking everything. If possible seek therapy as well. If that isn’t possible please educate yourself with mindfulness techniques! I didn’t believe in them at first. But I’m a believer now !! I really hope this helps someone!