Health anxiety and google

[SophieRules]

I am constantly googling things related to my baby and thinking the worst and worrying about conditions in the future etc I’ve recognised that it is getting out of control and I really want to stop googling and going down a hole. I know therapy is an option but I don’t have the time or money. I’m just looking for tips as I know I can’t be the only new mum like this. Any advice on how to stop googling and stressing myself out is appreciated? It’s making me so stressed and unhappy, Thank you

I tend to do this about my own health conditions. Paradoxically, it helps if I give myself permission to google, but only for one query if that makes sense - not to 'fall down a rabbit hole' of following links, looking up related issues, until I've googled my mild sore throat into having six months left to live. Google 'sore throat', read one reputable result, e.g. NHS, and leave it there.

I would advise trusting your instincts - no one knows a baby like mum does. I realised over the years that the anxious voice in my head had a different quality to the ‘shit something is really wrong here’ feeling in my gut. I learnt to identify the difference and if it was the anxious rabbit hole voice I would calm it down and say to myself ok there’s something here I need to monitor to see if it develops but likely it’s my anxiety rather than anything real. When I got the ‘shit something is wrong’ feeling there was no need to um and ah or go on google - I would immediately seek help either from GP or A &E etc. I started to learn to trust that when something was really wrong my gut would just tell me what to do. That allowed me to feel calmer monitoring those things that otherwise would have sent me down a rabbit hole. Of course sometimes the monitoring things turned into a need for a quick trip to the GP if things persisted- but it wasn’t the same as anxiously googling everything.

I would refrain in your brain that you only trust certain websites e.g NHS and only google them.
Do you have a partner? Could you also only google when they are at home to make it googling for discussion with them rather than for worrying on your own?
They are my strategies.

I bought the book "what to expect: the first year" it has tons of helpful and sensible advice without the Rabbit hole dangers of Google. I really needed to put boundaries up for myself and when i felt something should be looked up online I asked DH to do it.
It was really helpful! Am long past baby stages now and definitely Google too much nowadays, but i remember this really worked for me.

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