Worrying about health is a common and understandable concern, especially in times of stress, uncertainty, or illness. However, excessive worry can have negative effects on your physical and mental well-being, such as disrupting your sleep, appetite, mood, and concentration. It can also interfere with your ability to cope with challenges, enjoy life, and take care of yourself and others.
Fortunately, there are some strategies that can help you reduce your worry and manage your health anxiety more effectively. Here are some tips that you can try:
1. Recognize your worry patterns.
The first step to stop worrying is to become aware of how and when you worry. You can use a journal or an app to track your worry thoughts and identify the triggers, situations, and symptoms that make you anxious. You can also notice how you react to your worry, such as checking your body, googling your symptoms, seeking reassurance, or avoiding certain activities. This can help you understand how your worry affects your behavior and emotions.
2. Challenge your worry thoughts
The second step is to examine your worry thoughts and question their accuracy and helpfulness. You can use some cognitive techniques to challenge your negative thinking, such as looking for evidence, considering alternative explanations, evaluating the probability and consequences of your feared outcomes, and adopting a more balanced and realistic perspective. For example, if you worry that you have a serious disease because of a minor symptom, you can ask yourself: What are the facts that support or contradict this thought? What are some other possible causes of this symptom? How likely is it that I have this disease? What would I do if I had it? How would I cope?
3. Practice relaxation techniques
The third step is to calm your body and mind by using some relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, yoga, or mindfulness. These techniques can help you lower your stress levels, reduce your physical arousal, and increase your sense of control and well-being. You can practice them regularly or whenever you feel anxious or overwhelmed by your worry.
4. Seek professional help
The fourth step is to seek professional help if your worry is severe, persistent, or interfering with your daily functioning. You may benefit from consulting a doctor or a therapist who can provide you with a proper diagnosis, treatment, and support. A doctor can rule out any medical conditions that may be causing or worsening your symptoms, prescribe medication if needed, and refer you to other resources. A therapist can offer you psychotherapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which can help you change your thinking and behavior patterns related to health anxiety.
Worrying about health is normal and natural, but it doesn't have to control your life. By following these tips, you can learn to cope with your worry more effectively and improve your quality of life.
Learn more through this video about five things that can potentially worsen health anxiety, (and what to do instead):