Using exposure therapy is part of the assistance that helps you progress day by day. Keep taking it step by step and do a little bit everyday to help you through this.
Keeping busy is also a helpful tool to keep your mind from being flooded. You guys are doing your homework and it is paying off!
Oh my gosh cardio_tech you are exactly like me. I work for oncology so I always worry about my health as well!
When I'm home and don't think about it and busy I'm okay, but any time I have time for my self to think it starts to come back in my mind and then I feel anxious. I need some coping skills I love my job but this is the down fall.
It really a sucks and I want my life back too, not have to worry about my health and just learn to enjoy life!
My anxiety revolves around the heart/chest pain. I work in the cardiology lab so know why too much about coronary artery disease (CAD - blocked arteries in the heart). I know the risk factors and signs and symptoms of CAD and heart attacks. The problem is, every time I have symptoms of chest pain (which I have quite often), I'm convinced I have CAD....even though I know the odds of that are low. I do have risk factors for CAD (borderline diabetes (treated), borderline high cholesterol, big time family history, overweight (although I've lost 33 lbs in the last year). My symptoms are atypical of CAD (chest pain is there any/all the time, regardless of whether I'm exerting myself or not and lasts for hours), and I had a normal nuclear stress test back in December 2013 (which is 90% effective at determining if someone has CAD). I've also done regular stress tests on myself over the last few months which have been fine.....but I still can't convince myself that I'm fine.
I see plenty of people who get chest pain for a few seconds, and panic and go to the hospital. I also see the people who are in denial, have major heart attacks at home and don't seek medical attention.
When I feel fine (like yesterday afternoon) my mood and anxiety are normal. When I feel unwell (like today) I'm completely the opposite. I just want to feel well and normal and get my life back on track.
I was constantly told I am healthy but still having little ailments, or feeling the littlest things scare me.
Also, it doesn't help that I work for oncology seeing patient's deteriorate the stuff, I'm working on changing the career but at the same I time its a challenge for me to continue my CBT for not letting me get affected by the things I see and read.
Its really hard because that's my core belief, in nursing school thats when I started being afraid of getting sick and such....so its stilll lingering. Sometimes CBT works and I don't think much about it because I know I can't control it. But its so darn hard. Today, I type feeling anxious again. Some days are good and some aren't.
Health anxiety is completely affecting my life to live and I hate it. I haven't had a full blown attack in a while because I now understand and know how to cope but I can never stop thinking about my health.
Any advice? As for driving, I'm starting to drive again....so here's another challenge and exposure.
Because a fear of driving falls under Agoraphobia, (a fear of not having control) all I used was a mantra based on "want to" My friend who could not cross bridges and had a fear of high places used "want to" to get over her fear. (she was on this site when I joined). She is still panic free. She drove across Canada to drive across Canada's longest bridge. She flies now too and has been to Europe. She says she still has to use self talk based on "I want to" when things are really bad but it is seldom. We are still in contact by Email. The program has a formula for getting back driving, but I feel to be totally free to drive you really have to want to. There is not a shred of the Agoraphobia left and I can drive anywhere and anytime. Distance is only limited by my tolerance for pain.
Hypochondria may fall under Agoraphobia if the fear is of getting something you would have no control of. It would depend on what the person was afraid they had. It is usually something pretty bad. Un curable is similar to uncontrollable. But it would take a different change of thought pattern. CBT is like that, an idea with different processes.
I have health issues as well as the Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia. I take medication for it and will have to for the rest of my life. But, I don't worry or concern myself unless I'm really ill, or suffering a Panic attack but the CBT is helping me with that. My mother suffers from Hypochondria, she is constantly concerned and worried there is something wrong with her health. She see's so many specialist I have lost count. From what I understand about it, it causes anxiety.
Also, you are the first person I have seen post anything about having a problem with driving. I have that. Working on the exposure part and trying right now. What are your self talks for the driving?
So I am curious, do either if you have any real health issues. Or is this just fear. I take pills to control my Arthritis and my blood pressure. There is no way this is imagined. I've been so close to death so many times it holds no fear. After 17 operations I know that if I die on the table I'll never know. I've watched so many people die that I realize it isn't the horror storey it is supposed to be. In hospital you actually die from the morphine and don't even know you died. It is possible to die in pain but this is seldom. The only thing keeping me alive is that I enjoy life more than I am bothered by the pain. So fear of health issues is not an issue for me. What will be will be. But then I'm 63 and there is always some pain some time. It is hard to fear hell if you live in it.
I can understand fearing something you have not experienced. This is normal. But here is where the difference comes in between concern and worry. The concerned person accepts the diagnosis, the worrier doesn't. A couple of days ago I cut my leg bad. I don't hold stitches so I cleaned it, put steristrips on it and a clear bandage. It hurts a bit but has no infection. I'm concerned but not worried. Why worry, if it shows infection I'll fix it. There is no anxiety or panic and no need for it. All I can say is this could just be experience. Or possibly I just don't care. I don't have an answer for this other than it seems to have come with CBT.
So what do you actually fear, most people don't fear death but being crippled or in pain?
I just realized last night that I completely got over a fear and anxiety of taking showers. I remember last year I always was anxious when I took showers coz it scared me, I guess with me constantly doing it everyday had slowly exposed me to not feel any anxiety about it anymore....
Now if I can do that with driving, as sometimes I'm okay and then sometimes I'm anxious... Also my health anxiety is back with a vengeance read some horrible news about stuff and it triggered it back... Any one have advice on having health anxiety? What are your self talks?
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