How to Overcome Health Anxiety

Listening to your body is often a healthy way to monitor your physical health. It can help you identify potential illnesses and even prevent injuries. 

However, if you often panic over any sensation or spend a lot of time researching symptoms and ailments, then you may be suffering from health anxiety. 

Health anxiety, formerly known as hypochondria, can cause you to excessively worry that you may be sick in some way. Those that suffer from health anxiety will often worry that they have an illness, and these illnesses can range from mild conditions to rare diseases. 

Overcoming health anxiety starts with identifying its symptoms and understanding how it forms. Let’s take a closer look at health anxiety to discover the various strategies for overcoming it. 

Health Anxiety Symptoms—Common Signs to Look For

In addition to excessively worrying that you may be sick, there are many other signs of health anxiety to look for. Some of the common symptoms of health anxiety include:

• Thinking that minor symptoms are part of a serious illness
• Being easily concerned about your health
• Worrying about potential illnesses so much that it disrupts daily functions
• Frequently checking your body for signs of illnesses
• Frequently searching the internet for signs of illnesses 

Someone with health anxiety may also make frequent trips to the doctor for reassurance. However, it’s common for someone with health anxiety to still feel anxious about their symptoms despite receiving a negative diagnosis. 

Read our full guide for more symptoms of anxiety and ways that anxiety can manifest.

What Causes Health Anxiety?

There are many factors that can contribute to someone developing health anxiety. Understanding where someone’s health anxiety comes from can help them gain self-awareness about their often irrational feelings. 

Family History

If someone has a family history of chronic or serious illnesses, this can cause them to have anxiety about their own health. This is especially true if someone personally witnessed a family member suffer from an illness. When  someone sees how an illness affected a family member, then they may obsess about their own health and frequently check for similar symptoms. 

Personal Experience

Individuals can develop health anxiety if they battled a serious illness at some point in their lives, especially if it occurred at a young age. This can cause them to have a constant fear of their illness returning, and they are often hypervigilant about any symptoms that they might be experiencing. 

Cyberchondria

Cyberchondria is health anxiety that comes from frequently searching the internet for symptoms, illnesses, and other medical information. The internet makes it easy for someone with health anxiety to assume the worst-case scenario when researching any symptoms they might be experiencing. In fact, several medical studies have proven that there is a positive correlation between online information seeking and health anxiety. 

Read our related article for more information on the dangers of self-diagnosing with online information.

How to Deal With Health Anxiety—Three Effective Strategies

Health anxiety is a persistent issue that doesn’t go away on its own. By using these effective strategies, you can conquer your fears and overcome your health anxiety. 

#1: Limit Your Online Research

People with health anxiety believe that researching their symptoms can soothe their anxiety. Unfortunately, researching their symptoms only makes their anxiety worse. Online medical information is often incomplete or misleading, and it’s impossible to self-diagnose a condition with online information. 

A medical condition can only be diagnosed by a medical professional. That being said, nearly half of the people that self-diagnosed with online information don’t discuss what they found with their doctors. If you truly feel like something is wrong, talk to your doctor. Online information can’t provide a diagnosis, and it will only exacerbate your health anxiety. 

#2: Take Care of Your Physical and Mental Health

Eating a nutritious diet and exercising regularly will ensure you’re doing your part in taking care of your physical health. Also, taking care of yourself physically is known to benefit your mental health too. 

Practicing mindfulness techniques can help you gain self-awareness of your irrational health fears and reduce your anxiety symptoms. Meditation and breathing exercises are proven methods that reduce anxiety flare ups. Journaling is a popular self-reflection technique that can help you achieve mental clarity, reduce anxiety symptoms, and set goals towards living a healthier lifestyle.

Read our article to discover how stress management can improve your mental well-being. 

#3: Seek Help From a Mental Health Professional

One of the most important ways that you can overcome your health anxiety is by working with a mental health professional. By seeking professional help, you don’t have to fight your anxiety battle alone. Therapists and other mental health experts can provide the tools that are needed to effectively treat your health anxiety. 

Experience Relief with Health Anxiety Treatment

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a therapy method that is proven to provide relief to those suffering from all types of anxiety. CBT works by identifying the harmful thoughts that become unhealthy behaviors. By identifying these negative thoughts, CBT helps you replace them with positive, healthier ones.

Read our full guide for more information on how CBT works and its many benefits.

Individual counseling is a proven method that provides relief from the symptoms of health anxiety. During individual counseling, you work closely with a mental health expert that can identify the root of your anxiety issues. Also, individual counseling can teach you the tools to live a healthy and anxiety-free life. 

Overcome Your Health Anxiety With Inner Balance

At Inner Balance, we recognize the negative impact that health anxiety has on your daily life. Our clinical professionals can help you overcome your health anxiety and get you back on track towards optimal mental health. 

Individual counseling at Inner Balance can teach you positive coping skills, stress management techniques, and effective strategies to eliminate your anxiety. We work with you closely to provide treatment that is personalized to your mental health journey.

If you or a loved one is suffering from the burden of anxiety, reach out to Inner Balance today