I’m pretty sure I have health anxiety. Especially re my kids, I don’t let them see it of course but im terrified that they’ll get really sick. It doesn’t interfere with our life but I do just catch myself worrying about it. I worry about my own health too, especially when it comes to pain (I’ve had unexplained abdomen pain, to the point of vomiting and not being able to sleep, paracetamol doesn’t work, only codeine for years).
Rationally I think I know why I have it, it’s a combination of poor health in my family (both parents had cancer, father died of cancer related complications but also had a plethora of other health issues and his death was traumatic), child abuse (my mother used to wish I got cancer instead of her and wish I’d die from it at around 13 hrs old), a difficult pregnancy with dc1, bad experiences with a few drs (medical negligence occurred) combined with the fact that we all worry about our kids to an extent. So I think that’s the ‘why’.
Has anyone else found anything useful for managing and getting on top of health anxiety?
To add I referred myself to perinatal MH team in 2nd pregnancy and to say they are f’ing awful is an understatement.