does anyone get intrusive thoughts about their heart / health? i'm overweight so i'm always worried about my health but... recently i've been eating out a lot because my mom and i haven't had time to go to the grocery store, most of the time it isn't too bad of food, usually salads or chicken sandwiches but tonight i treated myself to a burger because yknow f*ck it... and all of a sudden i got these major intrusive images of my heart literally exploding... this happens a lot when my "health anxiety" is high and i refuse to eat when i'm alone, i don't eat after a certain time and sometimes i won't eat properly for days... is this anxiety or is this a subtype for OCD? I'm genuinely curious as it's a major factor for my panic attacks sometimes....!!! any links or info would be greatly appreciated !

LittleLuna

Date posted: 4y

Hey there, I think this is definitely a mixture of ocd and health anxiety. I have health anxiety myself, especially about my heart stopping. I used to take quite a lot of drugs back in the day which makes me worried about the health of my heart too. And I have bad heart palpitations from my constant adrenaline of flight and fight. and when my heart bombs and sometimes it feels like it stops, or skips a bit, I think im going to have a heart attack, one of my medications is propranolol, and its ment to slow your heart down, however that also freaks me out too sometimes because I worry it's going to slow my heart down too much. Anywho, when im having a panic attack due to health concerns, I have noticed my body mimics symptoms of what I think the problem is. And it feels soo real and scary. However, I dont know how to stop it, but what has helped me so far is, whenever I feel like this. I will go and sit with someone, preferably someone close to me and when it doesn't go away, I will get up and go for a walk with someone outside. The reason why I do this is because, when im having a health related panic, it makes me want to sit very still so my heart won't go faster and not move or monitor my heart rate or fling my arms up in the air to make sure both side of my body is working. So by forcing myself to go for a walk with someone, even though its scary, it stops me from doing compulsions sat on my own and it distracts me. And by the end of the walk with someone, I have realised that my heart is still working and I'm still here. I know this may sound silly and I didnt mean to ramble on alot, I didnt just want to say walking helps, as I can imagine how stupid that sounds at the time, so i wanted to explain why I go for walks, but I hope this helps alittle. Sorry to hear your struggling with this because it is hard. If you ever want to talk about it more, im more than happy to listen further🌻

kpoplover

Date posted: 4y

oh my gosh i get heart palpitations also :( and it makes me so upset because when i'm out in public and i start to get anxious about my heart it completely ruins the mood and i'll feel so guilty about it.. my body mimics symptoms also... i'll get pains in my arm conveniently when i'm panicking and the heart palpitations and i can hear my heartbeat in my ear and i absolutely hate it... i'm tying to lose weight and i'm hoping that'll help but i just wanna be able to control it...

LittleLuna

Date posted: 4y

@Lex Yes I know what you mean about being out in public, the issue i have with being out in public is because of adrenaline it makes me wee myself and be sick. Like do you know when a dog gets scared and it wees and throws up, thats what my body does. So now everyday I wear adult incontinence pants. I know what you mean by hearing your heart, I hear my heart in my head when im having panic, I can hear the pulse in my head which essasibates it. Try not to feel guilty, I know that's easy to say. But you are not to blame what so ever. Yes the pains, they feel so real dont they. I went to hospital a couple times thinking im having a heart attack as the symptoms it mimiced was very similar to the point where 111 told me to go to hospital and it was just a panic attack, I feel so guilty after that, but they are always understanding. Just like we should be understanding of our selves. Loosing weight can be hard, what helped me was finding something I enjoyed doing, as loosing weight takes time, you want to find something that is fun for you to do, so its easier to stick at it. For example I really enjoy swimming and taking my dogs out for a walks. But yeah, if I knew how to control it, trust me sweet, I would tell you! But all I do know is forcing myself to go against what my head is telling me and for my body to go for a walk and move, has been the only healthy way of coping with it. And it also makes me feel better after because I've been for a walk and during that time I normally spill out everything in my brain to my sister and it makes me feel better to know that she's aware of what's going on. Have you got anyone who would be up for going on walks with you? X

kpoplover

Date posted: 4y

@Littleluna i actually just got a puppy recently so i walk him during the day!! (i'm a weenie so walking him at night terrifies me, especially when dogs just stare at nothing i think there's a monster!) i've noticed walking does help me clear my head, my anxiety is always better during the day!!! I've never called 911 before but i've been tempted MANY MANY times!! At night what i also do is i turn on this audio from youtube and it's an air conditioner running and it's absolutely soothing so even if i can't fall asleep my body is more calm vs watching regular tv...

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