Health anxiety going crazy (bonus if your a nurse)

[Starrynight999]

Hey! So I have suffered with health anxiety all my life terribly! Although maybe not just health anything I can’t control or puts my life
or families at danger or what I perceive as danger sets me off.. recently it’s been the on going in the world, this evening I noticed a red half circle type patch on my hip, it won’t go away and isn’t painful.. I haven’t done anything to it and now my mind has gone into overdrive and I’m sweating and absolutely boiling hot and now I have full blown convinced myself I may have sepsis! Currently I’m pacing up and down my garden typing trying to distract myself from losing it.. I’m freaking out and can’t calm down.. what if it is sepsis and I go to bed and don’t wake up.. I have self refered for I talk because I know I need to get my mental health under control again but in the mean time was just looking for some mum reassurance or any nurse mummies wanna put my mind at rest 🫣

When you've felt like this before what has helped? What has worked for you to help calm yourself? Can you use those strategies now? Even if its just focusing on your breathing - try birthday cake breathing - big breath in then blow out the candles. Or try and focus on 5 things you can see, then 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell and 1 you can taste. Really go through each one in detail and notice it.

You know, and you don't need a nurse to tell you (although I am a nurse), that a bit of a red patch isn't really a warning sign of sepsis, it's only your anxiety that's saying this.

Can you think of any times you've had similar things happen before - did they end up being serious? Is it more likely that this is a bit of dry skin or you were on a chair that pressed on it or your jeans rubbed etc. Sometimes when we think back to previous experiences we can use those to help remind ourselves usually things have a simple and harmless reason.

https://giveusashout.org/ - Shout is a good text service if you just want to talk to someone non judgemental either to share how you feel or as a distraction.

Thank so much just for that reply it acctually helped massively… more than you will know, my husband doesn’t understand although he tries so hard too, I have calmed down and little after I put it under a glass and it disappears so that calmed me a bit, and the fact I have just had a wee 🫣 my son had sepsis after flu a and was constantly dismissed as a virus until he was extremely poorly so maybe this is what traumatised me.. although the health anxiety has been all my life and I’m 34.. 😫

It's really understandable that that would have been traumatic and if you already have health anxiety it makes sense that you are extra vigilant for signs of sepsis after what you went through with your son.

But you are ok, you are safe. This feeling will pass.

Our brains treat real danger (like a man running at us with a knife) and imagined danger (anxiety) the same way. It still gets us ready to fight or flee or freeze. That's why you get pounding heart, hot and sweating, your body is trying to get extra blood to your muscles incase you need to act, you might feel sick or need the loo because your body wants to be free of anything that's slowing it like dealing with processing food. Your thoughts rush as your brain tries to plan how to deal with the issues. It's a really good way for us to deal with a man with a knife but works terribly for our own thoughts.

Sometimes if we can slow this down a bit by regulating breathing or focusing and grounding enough to convince our body the danger isn't there then we have a much better chance of convincing our brain - it's a bit chicken and egg - you might think you convince brain first and then they symptoms settle but often it's easier to deal with the body first and then the brain is in a better place to listen.

أ
Oh wow, this brought back so many memories I’ve been in exactly this place before. The racing thoughts, the physical symptoms that spiral into worst-case scenarios, pacing around just trying to stay grounded… I know how terrifying that feels.

What helped me wasn’t just one thing, but a mix of small shifts that completely changed how I respond in those intense moments. I still get anxious sometimes, but it doesn’t control me like it used to.

It’s honestly amazing how our minds can convince us of the worst I totally get why your brain went to sepsis. I used to have the same kinds of thoughts, and now when they come, I handle them very differently.

Hey, I hear you—it’s horrible when your brain goes into overdrive like that. You’ve already won half the battle by reaching out and knowing this might be anxiety talking, not sepsis.
That little red patch on your hip? No pain, no fever, no other symptoms—it’s super unlikely to be anything serious. Sepsis usually comes with really high fever, chills, racing heart, confusion—you’d feel properly awful. What you’re experiencing right now—heat, panic, pacing—that’s classic panic response.
A few things to try right now:
Splash some cool water on your wrists or the back of your neck.
Try box breathing: breathe in for 4 seconds, hold 4, out 4, hold 4.
Remind yourself out loud: “I’m safe. This is anxiety. It will pass.
You’re doing the right thing by self-referring for supportwell done for that. If the patch sticks around, changes, or you just can’t rest, book a GP appointment for peace of mind. But for now, be kind to yourselfyou’ve
got this ❤️