How can I cope with health anxiety without relying on medications?

Health Anxiety/OCD

7 years ago I was a raging drug addict. I took any and all kinds of drugs without second thought of consequences. When I had my first child it’s like a switch flipped in my brain. Within her first 6 months of life I had over 12 visits to the ER. I was (still am) constantly afraid of developing a life threatening disease / illness or having a sudden health event (stroke / heart attack / heart failure / brain tumor / cancer ) develop. I’ve seen over 10 Specialist from autoimmune, heart, eyes, neurology , stomach , skin, etc. I’ve got a seemingly well bill of health but I become so hyper aware of every small change within my body. It’s. Constant state of fear and anxiety. Headache = likely tumor / aneurysm , small pain in chest or arm = heart problems , mild cold = covid or some rare disease , etc. Lately, my heart has been my fixation. I was having tachycardia going to the ER 2x a week. EKGs normal, 24hr monitor normal, X-RAY normal. Shortly after I notice my resting heart rate went down as low as 50bpm. I looked through my history over the months and that seems pretty normal for me I just hadn’t noticed before. Now I’ve been worried about my heart for weeks even tho my dr says I’m okay. It’s exhausting to be afraid of sickness and death 24/7. When I get focused on these thoughts it pulls me away from my kids and husband and daily tasks. I either full blown panic or shut down in fear. Anyone else relate? What helps you? I don’t want to rely on medications as I have so many adverse reactions to the 10+ I’ve tried! - oh year here’s another one - I’m afraid of allergic reactions as well I CONSTANTLY fear I will have an allergic reaction to medications / foods or over dose on things like Tylenol and Ibuprofen or mix meds and have reactions.

Username: ShrlztmplShrlztmpl

Date posted: 51w ago

Hi I have a huge fear of sores and I’m always worrying if someone has it, if I touched certain things, always afraid and avoiding certain things because I’m afraid to get one. I totally understand what it feels to not be present because you’re so focused on your thoughts that you’re not even fully there with your kids or husband. I find that the more I worry the more I feel things and sometimes it’s just the anxiety that makes me feel like I feel a certain way. For example I focus so much on my lips that I start to feel like they hurt or they feel weird but I know it’s my anxiety. What has helped me is reminding myself that Im to worried about something that isn’t there instead of enjoying life right now that I’m healthy. I kinda just think if I get sick or get a sore atleast I was living instead of being afraid all the time when those things were only a thought in my head (if that makes sense)

Username: paylo28paylo28

Date posted: 51w ago

@Shrlztmpl I do the same thing! I feel the more I focus on it , it’s almost causing the symptoms to become present! I really want to learn to redirect this obsessive fears and thoughts!

Username: OCDdontownme OCDdontownme

Date posted: 51w ago

Oh you are so so not alone. I have battled these fears and thoughts off and on over the past 10 years. I think different traumas and experiences in our lives can trigger these fears. I know the only way to get through them is with ERP. It’s soooo hard and uncomfortable, but I know it can help. I’m starting to work with a therapist again to help me do that. If you can connect with a therapist on this app I know you could find some relief. You’re not alone! Hang in there! Also another app that can help you work through the panic and thoughts and symptoms is the DARE app. It’s full of incredible tools.

Username: paylo28paylo28

Date posted: 51w ago

@OCDdontownme Thank you so much! I appreciate your suggestions. I always say it’s a love : hate to know I’m not alone. I hate that others suffer this way, but it’s comforting to know I’m not alone. I do have a in person therapist I do CBT with, but I kept seeing this app and felt the community could be beneficial, I’m going to check out the DARE app as well!

Username: OCDdontownme OCDdontownme

Date posted: 51w ago

@paylo28 How do you feel your CBT therapist has helped you? I’m hoping to start making some headway.

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 51w ago

I’m not a therapist but if you do ERP they will probably say you are going to the doctor and getting tests because you are seeking reassurance. Every time you go and a test result comes back fine, how does it feel? It probably reduces the anxiety a little bit, but does it always come back? Every time you go to the doctor (compulsion) you make the anxiety about your health (obsession) stronger because the anxiety feels validated when you do the compulsion. I think CBT is great for a lot of people, but at least for my health anxiety it didn’t help the way that ERP does. When I did CBT it was a lot of telling myself “I’m fine, I’m healthy” whereas the goal of ERP is to tell yourself “Maybe I’ll get a heart attack. Maybe a stroke. Maybe cancer.” It’s not about reassurance, it’s about accepting the uncertainty of life.

Username: Graciegirl

Date posted: 1y ago

Health Anxiety/OCD

I’ve been struggling with OCD since middle school. Over the years I’ve had many different obsessions such as POCD, Harm OCD, and now Health Concern OCD. For the last 6 months my newest obsession has been thinking that I am having a heart attack. I constantly body check, google symptoms, ask others for reassurance. I live at my university which is a little bit far from home. This causes me to have to call my mom in the middle of the night every time I have a panic attack over this. My roommates a nursing major so she always offers to take my blood pressure which helps, but still I don’t enjoy living like this. I always feel bad bothering others, and constantly feel like a nuisance. If anyone else with these worries and obsessions can let me know new ways to cope with it that would be amazing:) I just started my switch from lexapro to prozac for my OCD and I’m hopefully starting ERP/CBT soon but any tips on how to help this would be amazing.

Health Concern OCD

Username: juliarenee11

Date posted: 1y ago

Severe health ocd

I’ve struggled with health anxiety for about 11 years, and it’s been horrible the last 3 years. Health related stuff wasn’t my first theme though. It started out with contamination OCD and magical thinking, and then I was diagnosed in 2015 after being hospitalized. Throughout the last 5 years or so, I’ve been hospitalized a few times for debilitating health anxiety OCD, been on countless meds and struggled to find an OCD specialist. I just want this nightmare to be over. I’ve been convinced of having breast cancer, lymphoma, bladder cancer, brain tumors, ovarian cancer, skin cancer, cervical cancer, and many other health issues. I’ve been to the doctors multiple times, I’ve demanded tests, I’ve compulsively gone to the ER and urgent care to “check” for reassurance, I’ve been convinced that doctors aren’t looking good enough or are lying to me. I do a lot of body scanning, and reading and rereading doctors note for reassurance. I also call the doctors office a lot. Again, I just need this to end but I don’t know what to do because I am so burned out.

Username: melodramaddie

Date posted: 37w ago

Health anxiety

So I’ve been suffering with intense health anxiety for a few years now, and just recently I learned it may be caused by OCD. It’s to the point where every time I get a headache I start to freak out, scared that I could be having an aneurysm. I am far too worried about having a stroke or heart attack for being 21. I can’t even enjoy a casual, relaxing hot shower anymore. I have to slowly increase the temperature when getting in and slowly decrease the shower while getting out because I am afraid that any drastic temperature change can give me a heart attack. I know deep down that these fears are illogical, but no matter how often I get them they still feel just as real every time. I try to reason with myself, but every time I feel mild discomfort in my body I can’t help but freak out. I am so tired of checking my face in the mirror for symptoms of stroke every time I get a headache or feel a weird sensation in my body. Every other day of the week I force myself to stay awake for a certain period of time because I’m scared if I go to sleep I won’t wake up. I get hymnic jerks every single night (where you jolt awake when drifting to sleep) because my brain is so occupied with making sure I’m staying alive that it jolts me awake because my body is trying to sleep while my mind stays awake. It’s so difficult for me to pay attention during lectures because I get so caught up in my health anxiety that I’m focusing on grounding techniques in order to keep myself from hyperventilating. I spend more time making sure I can understand the words my professor is saying to make sure I’m not having a stroke than actually paying attention to the lectures. Another thing I struggle with is having to count my medication every time before I take it to make sure I didn’t accidentally take two or more doses, even if I KNOW I only took one. I have to count them anyways otherwise my mind will convince me I overdosed. It will not stop until I count my medication and make sure I didn’t overdose. It’s honestly so tiring, and the sad part is that my health anxiety has actually gotten better. It was even worse before now, and everything I’ve listed is stuff that I still do. Does anyone else have this struggle? Because it feels so isolating and makes me feel like I’m going crazy.

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond

How can I cope with health anxiety without relying on medications?

Related posts

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Be a part of the largest OCD Community