Health anxiety ruining my life, anyone conquered it??

[TomandJerry69]

Just that really. Every time I have any kind of ache, pain or other symptom I always think the worst. Am 48 and have 4 teenage kids and I feel like I'm wasting my life waiting for cancer to come and get me or one of my DC's. I know it's irrational and I try hard to stay calm but it's exhausting. GP has put me on sertraline but am only 3 weeks in so no better yet. Anyone else any experience of health anxiety and how to manage it? I have had CBT in the past.

I used to worry about cancer then I got lung disease. I'm only 36. All I can say is if you do get it, you survive, there is always a treatment plan. I think counting blessings is a good technique. Get a piece of paper and write down all the things to be grateful for. Did that when I was diagnosed. Also physical activity.

I used to get it terribly. I was always sure something was seriously wrong with me, heart disease, MS etc. Then I got cancer and weirdly enough having a serious illness stopped me obsessing about all the other hundreds of illnesses I might have. Been considered cancer free for a few years and I still don't have health anxiety. Not a helpful response I realise! For me health anxiety seemed to plague me when I had nothing else to worry about.

Thank you for replying. Sorry that you have both suffered ill health.I lost my mum and best friend to cancer and that has definitely made my anxiety worse. I will try writing things down.

I'm so sorry to hear of your losses. It's not surprising you fear cancer. I did a mindfulness course that helped me deal with my fear of the cancer returning. I'd recommend it.

Thank you SallyWD, I will look into mindfulness courses.

Forgot to say hope you are doing ok now after having cancer. I feel bad worrying so much about something that hasn't happened when lots of people like you are facing it or have faced it in real life

TomandJerry69

I have terrible health anxiety at the moment. This morning, my anxiety was constant and I felt totally helpless, then I watched this video..
m.youtube.com/watch?v=W4-hhWqi2rg

I totally identified with it. I felt less anxious after I watched it and the advice is good.
There's also an nhs self help leaflet on health anxiety app you can download on Google play. I've just read it and I can't believe how accurate it is. When you see it all spelled out in front of you it makes you realise how you create the anxiety.

I wouldn’t say I’ve conquered it but my health anxiety - which peaked after the birth of my son - is now firmly under control. For me it was a combination of mindfulness and eating right. I noticed that when I’d had lots of inflammatory foods - refined sugar, alcohol, gluten - I felt much more inflamed in my brain and couldn’t stop the anxiety worm! Now I avoid those things and my brain feels a lot calmer place to be

Thank you both for your helpful advice.