A Health Anxiety Pep Talk and Validation If You Are Currently In A Spiral

I am so sorry that you suffer with health anxiety, I truly am.

I am not saying this just from a place of trying to be empathetic, because that’s what you do when someone is struggling.

I am saying this from a place of experience so I am not just trying to empathize with you, but rather fully empathizing based on the fact that I know you may currently feel like you are in hell. 

Why? Well I was there too, for far too many years. 

I say this alot, but it’s true; no one can understand health anxiety unless they have actually experienced it for themself. 

When in a spiral, we walk around with a mind that feels like it is permanently against us as it constantly tells us all the ways we are probably dying. 

We try to be logical, oh man do we, but logic tends to evaporate when fear is in control. 

We then react from a place of fear, which means we fall into the scary thought patterns and believe what our brain is telling us. 

We Google and feel or check something on our body to a point of madness, where we actually feel like we are losing it. 

We wonder how the f we are supposed to live like this day after day and wake up with a heavy sense of dread every damn day of our lives. 

If you feel like absolutely no one, not one person could possibly understand the torment you are going through then I need you to see this, because I do.

I hope it helps knowing that even one other human can understand where you may currently be.

I know our stories may be different, but the undeniable, overwhelming fear and that pit in our stomachs is the same. 

You just want to enjoy your life, but you don’t know how, because you are always worrying, there is always something. 

Even when you aren’t in a spiral with a current symptom you are obsessing over, you still feel those spikes of fear as you live in a state of constant anticipation.

You’ve probably told yourself that you just know that you’re going to be worrying about something soon enough and then, lo and behold, you do. 

So you get used to this and know that the good times aren’t going to last so you don’t even bother enjoying them.

What’s happened here is that worrying and obsessing has become your comfort zone.

Sure, it feels horrible, but this is what your brain has become used to and when our brain is used to something it feels like safety. 

It doesn’t matter if it’s not good for us or if it feels scary, it also feels like home in a weird, twisted sense. 

Not worrying is not what your brain is used to so it immediately sends out signals that this is not normal and then you feel that unease in your body. 

Your brain then labels a genuine feeling of calm as danger. 

Your brain and body are completely interconnected and are continually feeding messages to each other.

You feel fear in your body, it sends a signal of danger to the brain and suddenly fight or flight kicks in or a flood of horrifying thoughts. 

Or vice versa; an intrusive scary thought pops in and your body immediately reacts, hello all those physical symptoms 😐

So your challenge is to let your brain and your body know that you are safe. 

It’s to not judge your thoughts or reactions, but to understand that your brain and body is designed to keep you safe and alive.

So even though we are okay, our brain thinks it is helping by keeping us on hyper alert. 

I find that somatic movement is what helps me most with fear.

Deep breathing, gentle stretching, and just allowing my body to sway or move naturally while taking deep breaths with one hand on my belly and one on my heart.

It’s great to talk about what we are going through, but our body craves release in the form of movement too. 

You have all that fear and adrenaline just sitting there stagnant, movement helps to release it while gently sending a message of  safety to your overstimulated nervous system.

Of course this is just one thing that can help, but I cannot stress enough how these small and seemingly insignificant things end up making the biggest difference when you do them daily.  

Make the word consistency your keyword as you work through any kind of anxiety. 

I see people putting all the focus on the specific symptom and what it could be and how to get rid of it NOW.

Here’s another two things to remember:

1: Health anxiety will always make us doubt. That’s not you doubting, that is your health anxiety talking. 

2: The more you want something gone, the tighter it tends to hold on. The more you live your life in the future and where you want to be (but are not currently) the more anxiety you will feel and thus continue to feed the cycle. 

Instead of focusing on the symptom, realize that the over-analyzing is your 

health anxiety and work on understanding health anxiety instead.

Put your focus on what could be triggering your constant episodes, what all the underlying triggers could be, from the foods you may be eating to supplement deficiencies to stress that is not being addressed. 

It takes time and your brain is not going to believe you right away. 

You’re going to say “it’s just health anxiety, I am safe,” and it’s going to say, ‘yeah right, *Susan! funny one haha.” 

This is usually when we immediately give up, but this is when you can do something differently and keep saying it, despite what your brain fires back.

Your brain will start to believe it and once this happens fear will slowly start to dissipate and doing other things to help you work through it will become just a little bit easier as a result.

The keyword here is consistency though, don’t forget. 

So I am here to remind you that health anxiety is real. 

Just the fact that you have suffered so long and that you are doubting (I know you are) proves it. 

Keep coming back to your breath and please pay attention to your thoughts. 

I am not even asking you to try and change them right now, just observe them rather than become one with them, if that makes sense.

These thoughts are fear-based and not your own, you do not have to believe them.

I am sending love to you and can I just say that I am so damn proud of you. 

Someone needs to remind you of this, because I can’t be sure you are and maybe no one in your life understands the extent of your struggle. 

I do.

I see you. 

My heart is with you. 

If you’d like a book full of my health anxiety stories, pep talks, my worst episodes and every single thing that helps me still manage it to this day then click here for my latest health anxiety book. 

As with all my books, I poured my heart into this for you, hope you feel it as you read. 

You are safe and you are not alone.

Tam 
I also offer one on one sessions if you’d like to chat with me 🤍