How do i control health anxiety

[Rosemariex]

Hi everyone

Ive been suffering with anxiety since my daughter was born 7 years ago nothing too bad and in general i am ok just fear of dying and leaving her, motorways terrify me as i fear we are all going to die when i go on one so i avoid if i can which i hate as at times it can stop me going certain places.

The past week i have been really bad and have never felt like this before and it is very scary.

I had my first jab 6 weeks ago was scared of getting it as worried about side effects but i was ok and have been carrying on as normal and feeling fine.

Last week i seen some posts on social media of a few girls who couldn't walk after their jabs etc and bang within a day ive had weak arms tingles in my arms and i have not stopped worrying i now have this side effect from the jab. I cant concentrate i feel sick and disorientated and i keep crying.

I ended up in a&e last night as my lips were tingling and i was terrified i was now having a stroke! Burst into tears to the nurse who must of thought i was crazy anyway They took bloods which came back perfect (thank god) and i was checked over the doctor said my weakness seems to be coming from two places in my back which can cause my symptoms of weakness and tingling in arms and leg he told me to use cold compress.. i wfh due to covid and my posture is shocking now so this is probably due to that and it is just a coincidence that this feeling in my arms etc started when it did!

so i should now feel better as i know it is nothing serious.

I still feel so anxious and my mind is still racing.. does anybody have anyways of dealing with this and any distraction methods i can use.

Thank you

The first think to realise is that your body can not distinguish between a real threat and an imagined one, so it reacts in exactly the same way if you were about be attacked by a wild animal or if you have imagined yourself dying from a stroke. Your heart races, your breathing gets shallow (which causes the pins and needles), you sweat and your stomach contracts. If you are anxious rather than actually under attack, you panic about your body's reaction and that starts the cycle over again.

So, the first thing you need to do is to relax. Why? Because it's physically impossible to be stressed and relaxed at the same time. Try to slow your heart rate and, when you have 20 minutes try - once you've mastered the technique you can use it in sections whenever you feel yourself tensing up.

There are lots of resources to help tackle the underlying anxiety - either self taught or via CBT/similar counselling. Happy to post my favourite links if you'd like.

Self Help for your Nerves by Dr Claire Weekes. This will give you the tools you need.

Could anyone tell me if this is the up to date thread for health anxiety please?