5 things a person with health anxiety disorder can relate to 

IWill blogs

Health anxiety disorder is a painful condition in which a person constantly is worried that there might be something irreparably wrong with their health. 

These beliefs can come and go, can remain for a very long time but whenever health anxiety strikes, it usually leads to a lot of discomfort and difficulty in relaxing or in the ability to distract away from the fear and its manifestations physically 

 

Here are the 5 things a person with health anxiety can relate to a lot 

1. Physical symptoms caused by health anxiety can be very real 

A person dealing with health anxiety experiences pain, palpitations, and other symptoms in accordance with the health anxiety trigger that they are experiencing. And even when the doctor may rule out that there is no existing condition, health anxiety and physical manifestations of it make it difficult for the person to ignore these triggers 

 

2. Reassurance seeking behavior 

Someone with health anxiety may always need reassurance. They may constantly check for symptoms, scan body, pay acute attention to their body, ask loved ones or doctors to assure over and over again that there is nothing wrong with them. They know it’s not the right thing to do but they are so choked and debilitated due to the fear of health, and the symptoms and thoughts bothering that they end up engaging in reassurance-seeking behavior again and again. 

 

3. Avoidance vs over checking cycle

Sometimes people with health anxiety totally ignore and avoid seeing a doctor. The fear that something will come out of the investigation stops them from seeing a doctor. And at other times, they may over visit the hospital and order the rarest of tests sometimes to rule out health conditions that are rare. This cycle is painful for the person dealing with health anxiety! 

 

4. Moving from one illness to another 

Sometimes when the health anxiety episode is ongoing, a person can move on from one illness scare to another thereby never feeling relaxed or at ease. They constantly are jittery and over the edge, which really is very painful 

 

5. Complete exhaustion and inability to focus on anything else 

When health anxiety strikes a person finds it’s completely impossible to work on anything! Work, life, relationships, feelings of ease everything go for a toss! This pushes them back from their goals, happiness and really causes terrible exhaustion

 

If you are dealing with health anxiety or know someone who is, cognitive behavioral therapy can really help break the pattern. It can help change thoughts and even perceptions caused by health anxiety. It can help bring ease, perspective, and the ability to control irrational fear and talk your way out through it! 

Start IWill therapy today. Those with health anxiety in therapy have gone on to overcome the fear led compulsion around health issues and believe they are healthy and lead a blissful, worry-free life