Health anxiety is a pattern of persistent worry about your physical health, often driven by fear that a bodily sensation signals something serious. While the symptoms and sensations are very real and frightening, the debilitating impact of the anxiety surrounding them often feels even worse.
Common signs of health anxiety
Health anxiety can show up in many ways, including:
You might feel stuck in a cycle of fear, checking, and very temporary relief that quickly returns.
How can therapy help? More specifically, how can I help?
I know how unsafe you feel in your body and your mind – there likely feels like there is no mental space for anything else. When working with clients experiencing anxiety around their health or physical symptoms, the focus is on changing how they relate to sensations and uncertainty, rather than trying to eliminate symptoms altogether. Ultimately, the sensations do often subside – but our primary goal is to address the fear and the way your brain interprets the sensations.
If you have been feeling overwhelmed and consumed by thoughts surrounding your health, physical sensations, or pain, you don’t have to keep feeling this way. A therapist can help work with you not only to reduce the anxiety and its impact on you, but also to quiet the intensity of the sensations you might be experiencing. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you are uncertain about whether or not I can help.