Health Anxiety

[OliveB71]

Has anyone ever fully recovered and got to grips with their Health Anxiety? Or have they just accepted it's part of their life?

I have suffered with this for 20 months and it's really taking its toll. I've had counselling and my therapist can't help me understand where this comes from? I've always had an irrational fear of death. I wouldn't go on holiday just incase anything happened to my parents etc.

I never used to be like this when I was in my 20s or early 30s. I guess my drinking spiralled out of control in my mid 30s because of an issue I had at a previous job where I was bullied by management and was made to feel as though I wasn't good enough for anything and my confidence took a battering, I started worrying about my health and dying young because of my drinking so maybe it started from there?

I am a lot better than I used to be and I have massively improved my diet and drinking habits which has eased the anxiety slightly, however it still creeps in especially when I'm tired or have been drinking the night before.

Not sure what I hope to accomplish from this post, guess I just need a listening ear from fellow sufferers so I don't feel alone and some hope that I can improve this.

I wouldn't say fully recovered but I would say It's eased a lot over the years. It still gets bad at times of stress or when actual medical issues arise. But I owe a lot of this to having an amazing gp who knows how to handle it/me well

Well, it wasn't part of your life 21 months ago so why would you accept that it's always going to be part of your life from now on?

Maybe the first step is to try a long period of not drinking at all (months rather than weeks) and a good self care regime; getting plenty of sleep, a good diet and exercise routine and then evaluating if you are still focussed on health worries.

I have thought about it, my birthday is at the end of the month so I'm thinking of going alcohol free after this for a couple of months. I have already drastically cut down on drinking, used to drink 3/4 times a week and now it's only once and my diet is much better.

I drank before I had Health Anxiety so I don't think alcohol was the issue? I'm probably wrong but I feel as though my brain has been trained a certain way since this started in how I interpret bodily functions/ sensations that I now need to train it back to how it used to be if that makes sense?

My GP instantly wanted me to go on meds which I declined, he hadn't even seen me it was a phone appointment. I find herbal tea helps me.

Why don't you want meds it helps so much.

So you're going to wait until after your birthday to stop drinking? If that's your mindset you will fail, because you're looking at it as something desirable you are stopping, rather than something that's affecting you negatively that it would be crazy not to stop immediately.

In terms of your brain (mind) being trained/untrained you need to dig into this statement "I've always had an irrational fear of death". You weren't born with that fear so you learnt it somewhere along the line, maybe when someone important in your family died unexpectedly? Once the part of the mine that's hanging on to that irrational fear can let go of it you'll find the health anxiety also vanishes.