Anyone successfully done cbt by themselves? (health anxiety)

[Worridoncemore]

I had a course of face to face cbt for my health anxiety nearly 3 years ago and I'd say it helped a bit. However, by the time the sessions came round my anxiety was relatively low as I was fresh from clear medical tests and had no specific health worries at that time. I dutifully did my "homework" every week but remember thinking it was all a bit obvious - I had been given the tools and I just needed to use them!

However, since then my anxiety has ramped up and I'm now back in the spiral of worrying/checking/googling. I desperately want to get better as it's controlling my life and came across this course, helpfully posted by someone on here which looks excellent https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking-After-Yourself/Health-Anxiety

I've printed it all off and am planning to diligently work through it by myself. Have done the first module so far.

Has anyone found this approach worked for them?

Thanks.

You could do a lot worse than studying the subject. This is an excellent couse;

https://www.udemy.com/course/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-online-course-cbt-practitioner-course

Hi op. Sorry your symptoms have ramped up. There's nothing wrong with considering threapy again x

I think you’re doing brilliantly to try this approach! Well done and keep it up.

Just to update. I've been diligently working through the course I linked to and thought I'd been doing quite well, it's certainly given me a clearer idea of why HA occurs. However, I'm really stuck on the module where you practise working your "attention muscle" which means spending time not allowing yourself to think about your health worries and giving full attention to the task in hand, folding washing for example. You're also supposed to allocate certain times where you allow yourself to worry. It's SO HARD. While I really try, in no time I find my mind has drifted back to my worries without realising. I did CBT a few years ago where I was given similar exercises as homework. While I would hand in my completed sheet each week, I have to be honest and say I don't think I really did it properly. My anxiety was relatively low at that point though, so I wasn't so motivated either I guess.

I think the reason I'm failing is that I'm scared that if I do manage to train myself to stop worrying, I'll miss an actual illness before it's too late. And of course, no one can guarantee that I won't ever get something serious, if I haven't already.

Can anyone else relate? From the posts I've read here, HA is extremely common!

Sounds like you're at the same stage as me!
I am making progress but am finding the attention training tough. What's currently helping is using one of the other workpacks from the website you linked from. It's called distress intolerance, I found it to be a bit more detailed about dealing with uncomfortable feelings so instead of googling my health concerns I am sitting with the anxiety which is helping. Also the introduction to the unit was helpful for me as I realised it's quite normal for the thoughts to keep resurfacing and I'm not doing the attention training "wrong" it's just that it's really difficult to do and will take time before it works.
I completely get where you are coming with worrying that if you train yourself not to worry you'll miss something, I'm also struggling with that. Some of the stuff (again) on the same website in the worry workpack is really useful on this, the unit is called something like challenging positive beliefs and worry and there is also a unit on accepting uncertainty that might help.

Thank you for replying, comforting to know it's not just me, but sorry you're struggling too. I've had a quick look but can't see the distress intolerance bit you mentioned, which module is it in? I've been trying to work through in order and not jump ahead (which is what they tell you to do) but I've been stuck on module 4 for nearly 2 weeks 🙈

This sounds brilliant. Well done on trying it, I’m going to see if there’s one for GAD

I really recommend the Disodered podcast - Josh fletcher and also some of his books are really useful

Have you tried Discursive meditation this will train your mind to focus on particular thoughts.it is the type of meditation common in western traditions. It teaches how to keep the mind focused rather than wondering off. It’s not an empty your mind type of eastern meditation.

The key to it is, if your mind starts wondering don’t jolt it back to your original thoughts, this will likely bring you out of your meditative state and all that involves. Instead, gently retrace your steps. Work out and retrace the steps that got you from folding sheets to being ill, eg were you folding sheets, the crispness of the sheets made you think of hospital corners your mum told you how to do when making beds, then you think of hospitals, then you imagine yourself being in hospital, then you imagine what’s wrong with you and why you’re there. Simply retrace those steps, take control of those and bring it back to the folding of bedsheets.

It's in a different workpack, it's the second module in: https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking-After-Yourself/Tolerating-Distress

For me the reason I end up on Google / Mumsnet is that I can't tolerate the anxiety I'm feeling and even though googling makes it worse it feels better at the time than sitting with the anxiety does. It's like I feel worrying it's protecting me in some way.

Even though they recommend you do the modules in order they do say that you can reorder if needed. So if you're stuck on a particular module it's worth doing other modules first as there maybe a reason specific to you that something else needs to be addressed first.

This is the GAD one. It's brilliant:
https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking-After-Yourself/Worry-and-Rumination

This element is a slow but steady process. Start with what you/your body can tolerate, gently increase, even if only a second, but not exceed your tolerance otherwise possible to spiral down.

Slow and steady encourages care, nurture and progress.

Also here for tips.

Thanks so much @Spiral1033

Many thanks, will take a look. Trouble is, although these programmes can give you the tools, whether it be in person, online, or by yourself such as this one, they cannot do the work for you, which is the hard bit!

Definitely the hard bit. I know what I should do but in the moment when anxiety hits I feel in danger and it's really hard to do what I should.
I'm also struggling to believe that there is nothing actually wrong with me and that my symptoms are caused by anxiety / menopause rather than a fatal illness...