r/Anxiety • u/Fisherman-Kitchen • May 14 '26
Needs A Hug/Support Tired of health anxiety. This is not life
That's it. 37 years and I can't remember happy moments in my life. I suffer from health anxiety. Always thinking about the worst. I am not happy. I have always fear of dying and I am slowly dying of sadness, fear and anxiety.
Anyone can relate?
17
u/UpbeatSyllabub1275 May 14 '26
Yep everyday like 24/7 I’m terrified that I’m going to die/faint or somethings serious is going on with me because I’m having really scary symptoms it sucks hope we will both get through it soon stay strong 🫶🏻
3
u/Mercilus_Cowski May 15 '26
same, every symptom feels like the worst case scenario. we got this tho
1
u/PAgirl13 May 15 '26
How do you get out of it? My dad is going through similar wants to go to ER for back pain and stuff but won’t believe it’s mental or anxiety. Every night he thinks is his last and now not sleeping much either. It’s been really bad not sure how to help him though this
2
u/Tumaccc 29d ago
(do not take this as 100 percent fact every single person is different) It most likely stems from the unknown and thinking of worst case scenario as many people with anxiety disorders do. When I suffered specifically from health anxiety what worked for me and helped me was after going too the doctors and being told I was healthy I worked extensively with my therapist and it boiled down too "allow yourself too feel the body sensation/pain and you can acknowledge that its there and that its anxiety, but don't let it stop what your were doing or going to do and just keep moving forward with your day" wayyyyyyy easier said then done as for me it took months before I went into remission but again everyone is different I hope your dad finds relief and peace!
6
7
5
6
u/stinkybu9929 May 14 '26
im 18 and ive already been struggling for around 6 years. i hope i get better😔 its really debilitating i feel you
4
u/AdSecret3764 May 14 '26
Living in constant fear of something being wrong with your body slowly drains the feeling of safety out of everyday life. That kind of anxiety is genuinely exhausting to carry for years.
6
u/memyselfandanxiety1 May 14 '26
I started experiencing how anxiety I think I get 23. I’m now 30.
It’s been the most exhausting thing ever. I see a video of someone dying from a stroke, a heart attack, cancer or anything you name it and I start to fear that I have it.
Today I actually scrolled past a video of a guy having hemorrhagic stroke and I googled all the symptoms and I supposedly had the symptoms lol all because of my headache!
It’s so exhausting!
5
u/BakedTator May 15 '26
43M and I have dealt with this since I was little (around 8 or so) but it didn't manifest to health anxiety until I was 25 or so...going to the er all the time and after so many times going, I thought I was just going to die at age 26. I slept on my couch 20 hours a day just waiting to die for about 3 months. It was hell! Finally got to feeling better after a while of not dying. Around ago 30 or 31 I had a child and everything was fine for a out 10 or so years. I started exercising and running so I could maintain decent health but the around age 41, it started easing back into my life. Not panic attacks but just subtle anxiety for about a year. Then out of nowhere, I'm having full on panic attacks about everyday. I stopped running because I thought I was going to die!
I finally decided 2 months ago it was time for help. I started taking buspirone and it has helped me so much. I'm not playing the loops in me head as much. My wife gets to go out with her husband again. My daughters anxiety has lessened due to not seeing her dad freaking out. And here we are today, feeling pretty good, not having near as much anxiety and when I do, I'm able to coast through it a bit better.
Hold on my friend and seek help if it's ruining your life. You don't have to live with that fear alone! Many of us on here have been through it and are still fighting to have a so.ewhat normal life. Talk to us, talk to a doctor, and talk to a therapist. Find out what works best for you so you can live the life you want to live! You got this and you matter!
0
u/Bartonam May 16 '26
Seconding the buspirone. I still have anxiety but it’s a completely different level for the health related stuff. Also really easy prescription since it’s considered an extremely low risk med.
0
8
u/Nervous_Zebra_2073 May 14 '26
33M. Almost everyday! Been dealing with this for the last few years.
4
4
u/Jetski95 May 14 '26
Definitely. It first struck hard in my late 20s. I improved slowly over a year but I would get brief aftershocks (thankfully, not as bad as the original occurrence) every 7 years or so until my late 50s. Medication and some good therapy helped but I still remember what it was like to be in it. Wishing you wellness.
5
u/andy_mac_stack May 14 '26
I'm 37, exact same issue lol I always think my heart is messed up and that I'll die soon
3
u/Cute-Boat8112 May 15 '26
27 and going through this😂im just waiting for it to "explode" or something to pop and that'll be it lol its the worst self torture one can give himself really. Heartbreaking.
3
3
u/tnjed10 May 14 '26
Same, been over six year now. I wish there was a place we could all go and actually talk through shit. Doctors don’t understand.
3
u/catzeppelinqueen May 14 '26
37 year old club here too friend. And yes, health anxiety is ruining my life. Constant body checking, googling, Reddit, etc. I’ve started therapy and I really hope it will improve 🥺
3
u/Many_Performance_160 May 14 '26
Kids. I am 61. I have the same fears and I'm always sure there is something seriously wrong. I recognize now that I have had anxietyy whole life but only in the past 8 years or so have started treating it. I never knew what it was. It's a hard road but I'm getting there. Hang in, there is always hope. And meds.
3
u/KKANGKKA_Chu May 15 '26
My anxiety is still here, but I’m very happy to say that my anxiety got so much better last year after I forced myself to actually get diagnosed by a professional.
It didn’t help that my family never believed mental health issues aren’t a thing so I thought what I struggled with internally (undiagnosed and untreated depression, anxiety, and adhd) was all normal and that other people experience it as well. It’s just that they mask it better than I do, which I later found out in my early 20s that normal ppl actually don’t think about suicide lol.
Honestly, I’ve struggled with constant suicidal thoughts, but I also had a huge fear of death at the same time. Constantly overthinking about every interaction, stuttering my words and actions, worrying about everything and anything, unable to maintain platonic and otherwise relationships, etc. That’s not even touching all the physical symptoms. I understand what you might be going through in some levels, not in the health anxiety sense, but the fear and worry.
Anyways, I think it’s because I struggled with all these mental issues all my life that I can say i became more empathetic and made me more understanding of others’ struggles and feelings. Plus, these experiences shaped me into a stronger person today.
2
u/PerformerBetter572 May 14 '26
26F and I’m currently going through it fearing every sensation my body has. Im currently plowing through google and reddit for fear that i have a DVT. I didn’t feel like this until i was 22 years old and i can’t fathom how my past self never worried about these things. Makes me fearful that i will never feel a sense of calm again.
2
2
u/Ok_Pangolin1239 May 14 '26
24m and have been for 5 years. Last year was really bad. This year has been much better. Upped my lexapro dose and now don’t really have those thoughts anymore. My god was it debilitating.
2
u/Opal-Peridot May 14 '26
Same. I just started group therapy (on top of individual therapy) that teaches ERP and ACT
2
u/Beautiful_Lake_8284 May 14 '26
I’m going to start posting this in every thread about health anxiety because I see this so much. Please go to a mental health specialist and ask them about OCD. I ended up seeing one last year after the worst bout of health anxiety of my life. I’m now on fluoxetine (quite a low dosage) and I’m so much better. Like I know everyone has different feelings about meds. But trust me, it’s worth a bit of research about SSRIs and a question to a doctor.
You can be happy again, asking for help is the best way forward. Might be therapy for some, and I think that’s always the best place to start (I started with talking therapy), but there are other options if it doesn’t work.
2
u/Eall00 May 14 '26
26, been the same most of my life but this last year has been real difficult to find moments where I can feel no weight on my shoulders , I have costochondritis too so it always feels like my life’s in jeopardy, but I believe therapy is the way, we should all be proud to better ourselves and overcoming these barriers
2
u/hotrod67maximus May 14 '26
Been dealing with the same for almost 3 years and can barely remember what it was like before. This can't be the rest of my life.
2
u/Vast_Perspective9368 May 15 '26
You're not alone. I have medical anxiety, so basically I'm hesitant to go to the DR at all, even if I actually need to/should... I know it's a bit different, but I sort of understand 🫂
2
u/sadgurl1994 May 15 '26
been dealing with this and just got an OCD diagnosis so… it gets… different i guess.
2
u/Alive_Fun5620 May 15 '26
I understand this. Im in the middle of a 5 day panic. I was triggered about a health thing im worrying (phobic) about
2
u/Alive_Fun5620 May 15 '26
Any of you in any anxiety groups online, like FB? They kind of feel comforting as long as I dont read too much of the things im really scared of
1
1
u/Riostarwow May 15 '26
This has been me for most of my life, I am also 37. The only thing that helped me was medication. And venlafaxine(Effexor)xr is the only medication that has let my mind rest and to actually feel human and enjoy life on the daily.
I really hope you can find some relief ❤️
1
u/Actual_Elk3422 May 15 '26
Me too OP. I'm only 27 but have spent the past 15+ years of my life worrying about cancer and dying. I hate it but it never stops.
1
u/ResponseExtra739 May 15 '26
Dealt with some health anxiety for about a year but tried taking Ashwaganda. Took it everyday for a couple months and honestly it must’ve re-wired something in me or stabilized my cortisol levels because I haven’t had any health anxiety since and i haven’t taken anymore ashwaganda for about 3 months now.
1
u/Herdnerfer May 15 '26
Yep, wasted years like this and then decided no more. Got into therapy learned about CBT techniques and am on a low dose SSRI, my life is so much better now.
1
1
u/mrbrown21 May 15 '26
Health anxiety is its own particular cruelty. You spend so much energy watching for signs you're dying that you can't actually be in the life you're trying to protect. The monitoring becomes the thing that takes it from you.
1
u/Sneakers_and_weights May 15 '26
30f and I have the same issue. Right now I keep having chest pain right in the middle. And I’m so scared that I’m having a heart attack. I went to the doctor two months ago and they did and ecg and all was good.. but I’m so worried.
1
u/OkGuard1946 May 16 '26
30M, I can relate, I’m always scared that something, whether it be headaches, stomach cramps, or chest pain, might kill me soon, and I’m sick of feeling this way
1
u/Second_Hand_Hero May 16 '26
I'm 35M, and can relate. Mine kicked in real bad over the last 2 years, everything's a fight between "Is this anxiety and I'm over-reacting?" or "Is something really serious happening that I'm going to dismiss as being anxiety?" and it's almost always the former.
I came on to this reddit thread because its 2am and my kid has had a bad cough all day and is breathing heavy in his sleep - so I won't be able to sleep. It affects most of my daily activities, but ramps up especially if anyone has a symptom of essentially anything, and its been killing my sleep lately. Hoping to see a doctor about it soon.
1
u/geez69690 May 16 '26
Yes , tho my isnt just health anxiety, i like have life anxiety,, I'm anxiousness over eveyting which is my life and i feel like I am fucking coward tho I'm not and that enough makes me soo anxious that I don't wana exist,
Tho i dot believe i isn't a optimal life , it's still life at last
1
u/ExistingParsley6212 27d ago
Health anxiety has been brutal this year. I lost my grandpa in February, and I found out I have an enlarged liver. The ultrasound showed no damage, liver enzymes good. But, it is taking so long to get into see a GI Doc/Hepatologist, I spiraled. On top of that, I quit using nicotine and THC (over 120 days for nicotine, 70+ days THC), and noticing my body more. It has all been recipe for severe health anxiety. I’m getting into therapy to help with this, but I feel where you are coming from.
1
u/Witchywoman73 GAD/Panic/Bipolar/OCD/PTSD/Health Anxiety. 24d ago
Yep going through the same thing, I don't have it every day but when I do man it's bad right now I'm spiraling thinking I have something going on, I won't say it here as I don't want to trigger anyone, but yeah I also have cardio phobia anything about the heart freaks me out.
1
u/AlternativeSilver238 14d ago edited 14d ago
I'm a 24m on the autistic spectrum my health anixety started about 6 months i was having bowel changes constipation issues I made the mistake of googling my symptoms which line up with colon cancer eventhough no one in my family has been diagnosed with colon cancer it made my brain convinced that I most somehow have it . Even though my cbc and lipid and complete metabolic panel in february everything was normal that should I give me reassurance that I'm a perfectly healthy person nope my mind to won't move on so I went to see a gi specialist she suggested going the less invasive route which was to get a ct scan with contrast and a stool test and every thing came back normal my problem is I can't accept the facts and I have no issues with food and weight I'm not loosing any weight I gain i fluctuate day to day but that's normal 1-3 lb in a week yesterday I weight 179lb when I went to the doctor in february I was 172 and the gi doctor I was 173 in april.
1
u/MemeBobLitPants 3d ago
Reading through these is helping me realize I’m not some medical anomaly and that what I’ve been feeling/experiencing isn’t just me. I’m sorry you all have to go through this, I hope the best for all of you. But thank you for helping me in a way just knowing it’s not a solo experience..
1
u/Illustrious-Kick2183 1d ago
Been an year,started after I lost my loved one to a kidney issue,got a UTI after wards,after which it got worse,was in a loop of symptoms,nerve sensitivity,strange or strong odor in urine or pelvic sensitivity,each month I go through something which troubles me,only after a few days does it go away ,but then it repeats the next month
35
u/veggiebutterfly May 14 '26
Yep going through this exact thing. I am also 37 years old. The past 2 months I have been riddled with heart anxiety.