When you’re living through a pandemic, like you did a few years ago, it’s natural to pay more attention to any symptoms that seem suspicious. However, if these concerns are interfering with the quality of your life, you may be experiencing health anxiety.
That’s the modern name for what used to be called hypochondria.
It often starts in early adulthood and grows more serious as you age. You may be convinced that you have one or more major illnesses, even if lab tests and other evidence prove otherwise.
Health anxiety finds its source in maladaptive thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. It can follow a pattern.
It goes something like this. You notice a symptom or sensation in your body. Instead of just noticing it and letting it pass, your mind begins to offer explanations for the sensation. These explanations spiral into worse-case scenarios. A pain in some part of your body becomes a worry about having cancer. Forgetting something becomes a worry that you have dementia.
Then, you begin to imagine your life with this condition. I won’t be able to work and support my family. Someone will have to take care of me.
Next, you need to find out all the possible sources of this sensation, so you start looking on the internet to see what these symptoms could mean. You talk about it with your doctor, or you make trips to the emergency room or urgent care. You look for reassurance from family members or constantly check your body for other symptoms.
The reassurance from your family or your physician gives you some relief, until the sensation shows up again or another symptom happens.
There is nothing wrong with some awareness of what is happening in your body. After all, all diseases and illnesses have symptoms, and it is important to listen to them. This type of awareness can lead to good decisions about your health and improve your living.
But health anxiety goes far beyond that. Any twinge or pain, any cough or congestion becomes a ticking time bomb in your mind. You can become debilitated and lose your ability to enjoy your life.
Here are some ways to deal with the presence of health anxiety in your life.
1. Be aware of your thoughts and how your mind works.
The thinking part of your mind is always scanning the environment around you for problems or threats. When your thinking locks onto a physical sensation and decides it is a problem, it can go into overdrive. The only thing you can do with a problem is try to solve, and you end up with all the behaviors of health anxiety described above.
In my work with people who struggle with different types of anxiety, I help them learn how to develop a different relationship with these thoughts. I help them access the observing part of their mind so they can look AT their thoughts instead of THROUGH their thoughts.
See if you can notice the difference between these two statements:
That’s the second time this week I have misplaced my keys. I may be developing dementia.
I am having the thought that I am developing dementia because this is the second time this week I have misplaced my keys.
The first statement is looking through your thoughts. It is reality. They only thing you can do is figure out ways to deal with this reality. The second statement is looking at your thoughts. This stance gives you the space to be curious and to wonder about the sensation. You can wonder about the thought too.
2. Be aware of your body and what is happening with it.
You may not be aware of your body until you feel some sensation. But there is something always going on in our body. I often teach people a mindfulness practice called the body scan. In this practice, you start at your feet and work your way up your body, just noticing what is happening. You do this in an accepting, non-judgmental way.
With the body scan, you may notice a sensation or a symptom. Instead of getting caught up in it, you are present with it. You may notice that it comes and goes. It is not a symptom of a disease. It is just something that is happening in your body.
Getting some help for your health anxiety, and other anxiety disorders, through counseling can help you lead a more meaningful life.