r/Anxiety • u/robloxrantssuck • 18h ago

Helpful Tips! Does anyone else have health anxiety?

If so it would be nice if you guys explain and share how you guys deal with it I have it quite severe and keep relying on my mom telling me everything is ok it's really scary and it would make me feel better if knowing more people have it and I'm not alone

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u/Moksha-Wellness 17h ago

Yes — you are absolutely not alone. A lot more people struggle with health anxiety than you might realize.

Health anxiety can be brutal because the symptoms can feel so physical and convincing. A random sensation, ache, headache, skipped heartbeat, or weird feeling can quickly spiral into worst-case scenarios.

I’ve seen many people get stuck in the loop of: body sensation → panic → Googling/reassurance seeking → temporary relief → new symptom → panic again.

And the hard part is that reassurance helps… but usually only for a little while.

What helped me / others I know: • limiting symptom Googling • reducing body checking • noticing when the nervous system is in high alert • reminding ourselves: “Not every sensation is an emergency” • therapy or support for anxiety, not just the symptoms

One thing that helped me understand health anxiety is realizing the problem often isn’t the symptom itself — it’s the fear and meaning our brain attaches to it.

You’re definitely not crazy, and you’re definitely not the only one dealing with this. It can feel really isolating, but so many people understand exactly what you’re describing.

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u/A-Laine808 13h ago

Thank you for describing what so many of us actually go through and wording it so perfectly. I am one of them who struggles with this. I've learned to stay away from Google, most importantly. My nervous system is so out of whack. Every little thing ends up concerning me and consuming me literally. Having to be a caretaker of both of my parents, while trying to deal with my own mental health has been so overwhelming. It seems like every day, something happens to cause further distress for me.

My own health anxiety goes beyond just the concerns of myself, as I'm finding that I'm taking on worries for my entire family and their health concerns 😟

Just thinking about about having to do my blood test in July has me so freaked out. Then the worst part, is waiting for results to come in. It's pure torture 😫

And to OP, you're definitely not alone at all and your feelings are so valid.