Awful health anxiety debilitating me

[he123x]

i have had health anxiety since the birth of my daughter over 8 years ago now.

Im pregnant with my 4th and feeling incredibly lucky - however my HA has come back with a vengeance. I’ve been feeling very anxious about all the DCs health and mine over the past few weeks and it’s all caught up with me. I feel like I’ve got a tickly throat and need to cough but it doesn’t help if that makes sense? This in turn is making me feel like I can’t breathe even though I can - my heart rate is fine etc it is just my awful anxiety. I get these symptoms every time.

I also cleaned the house with shake and vac on Monday and cleaned surfaces etc and now worried I’m coughing because of that? Or am I just being stupid? Baby is fine kicking away etc.

I don’t know really what I’m asking just for some reassurance that this is all in my head! I do have a therapy appt in the upcoming few weeks which I really do hope will help. I just want my life back and to stop feeling like I’m going to die.

Try 'worry time' google it, it's a CBT technique that will help you gain some control of the anxiety. It makes the anxiety wait for longer and longer periods of time. I had extreme health anxiety after my first baby and it does ruin your life, so sorry you're going through it. Worry time helped me so much.

https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/CCI/Mental-Health-Professionals/Generalised-Anxiety/Generalised-Anxiety---Information-Sheets/Generalised-Anxiety-Information-Sheet-0505---Postpone-your-Worry.pdf

You may need to postpone your worry for very short periods of time to begin with e.g. think to yourself 'I hear your worry/this thought but I'm busy right now so in 10mins I will give you some time' and then keep extending it. I went from needing to worry every 10 mins to being able to set a date in my diary for 3 weeks away!

Thank you so much x