Headaches and health anxiety

[AnxiousEveryday]

Posting for traffic.
have severe health anxiety, and OCD. The slightest symptom.swmds me into meltdown. I've be n having a suoe sharp intermittent ent pain in th side.of my head all night. It comes and goes but when it comes it's so sharp. Google tells me it's a brain aneurysm or an unruptured aneurysm. I'm having a.titak meltdown and I'm sure I'm making it worse. I don't know what to do! Anyone else get weird headaches like that and it's not serious? Please I just need someone to talk me down. It's not sudden intense pain. It's a sudden sharp ache. I feel like I need to hold my head in my hands. I've never suffered with headaches or migraines. I've also developed a really bad back pain especially when I move my head, I can feel something throbbing, pulling in there when I move my head and I'm getting myself so worked up. Please can anyone calm me the hell down.

If you have health anxiety, you must put down the Google. Seriously, doomsday scrolling is only heightening your anxiety. If you have a headache, take a pain killer (Tylenol, acetaminophen, whatever it is marketed as in your country), and find something to distract you for the short term. Put on a movie, go play with the kids, call a relative, paint something beautiful.

For the long-term, have you spoken to anyone to address the health anxiety and OCD? Are you on any medications for these?

Yes, I have therapy and medications for my anxiety.

I've been suffering with stress and anxiety since September 2023, the first physical symptom I had was a throbbing constant headache which was making my neck ache quite bad. Cutting down on caffeine and alcohol and using a warm compress on my head and neck helped to ease this. I was the same as you, constantly Googling my symptoms and its no good for you. Please speak to a doctor, a friend or loved one. I kept everything to myself, my head felt like it was going to explode once I started opening up to friends and family and my partner the symptoms eventually died down. I've been off sick from work and am finally going back in a fortnight, I still feel quite anxious but have a few coping mechanisms such as breathing exercises. Hope you start to feel better soon x