To see if anyone can empathise?

[oliviatrivia]

I am in a spiral of self doubt and anxiety and don’t know what to do.

I struggle with anxiety, mostly health anxiety. I have had a lot of CBT and generally can keep it under control.

However over the last few weeks it has reared its ugly head again - I had a back spasm that then caused back pain for a while (I controlled anxiety about that to a degree) but for the last week or so my feet have been feeling strange and kind of like they have just ‘woken up’ after being dead like I have been sitting on them, but all the time.

I have previously had issues with tingling hands and feet that was anxiety related so I am just at a total loss of whether this is a symptom of my back making me walk and move funny, a symptom of my anxiety or something else entirely.

I know I probably need to just go to my gp and explain all of the above but I feel such a fool. Also am horribly anxious about it and having all kinds of intrusive thoughts.

Anyone else experience health anxiety? Any tips on how you deal with it?

Yes, I have health anxiety so I can totally relate.

Half the time my health anxiety ends up being the cause of physical symptoms then I end up worrying about those symptoms in another context.

Honestly, not a single twinge, tingle, itch or mark goes unnoticed by my brain and it's bloody exhausting.

Also, not sure I have any tips on how I deal as most of the time I don't!
But remembering that health anxiety is there is possibly helpful to me sometimes.

Thank you so much. You’re exactly right, it is exhausting to constantly be on such high alert for every physical sensation.

Then I end up worrying that I assume everything is anxiety related and i’ll end up not going to the doctor when I should.

It’s such a vicious cycle.

Get out your CBT paperwork and challenge those thoughts. Theory A/Theory B?
Remember to tolerate the uncertainty. This will pass!

Thank you so much! You’re right, I need to use everything I learnt.

You do. CBT skills are for life, if you stopped taking insulin.... I think it's the same.