Health anxiety

[jinglybell]

I have had health anxiety since I was a child. It has never gone away but has kind of ebbed and flowed.

I now have health anxiety about other people, specifically family members and I'm finding it hard to cope with. If my (adult) child, partner or mother are unwell in any way or have any type of pain my anxiety goes through the roof.

I've had anxiety my whole life, 46 years, I haven't lived, just existed, going from one worry to another to another. I'm so tired of it.

Does anyone have any advice?

ETA - I was diagnosed ADHD a couple of years ago, awaiting an Autism assessment

Can you remember what happened when you were child that started this? Finding the origin is the most effective way of resolving it.

My brother has was born with a congenital defect and was rushed to hospital many times. I was 4 when he was born. I assume this is what started it.

I just don't ever remember not feeling anxiety. I have no memories of being without anxiety.

Have you ever had counselling OP? It can really help with anxiety, and health anxiety. Pregabalin is also a good medication licensed for generalised anxiety disorder.

I can imagine that was a very confusing and scary time for you and it's exactly the sort of situation that can cause the mind to see danger everywhere. It IS possible to resolve this.

At the moment you are reacting to everything with the same fear as you did when you were little, because your subconscious mind is locked into that pattern of behaviour. This is not you fault (or anyone else's), or because you're doing anything wrong, it's just because that's what you understood to be 'normal' due to your brother's health problem. By switching to an adult, logical way of looking at the past and present you can become far calmer and reduce the anxiety to a manageable level.