Without the end to the COVID19 pandemic in our sight, we must do a whole lot to maintain a worry-free mind. Especially when talking about constant worry and pressure concerning our everyday well-being and health. Sometimes, our care for the health of ourselves or our loved ones can turn into a pathological issue. Ironically, the obsession with leading a healthy lifestyle can turn into an unhealthy habit. So, how does one stop worrying about health? Well, let\u2019s try to find out together!<\/p>\n
Health anxiety<\/h2>\n
If you\u2019ve watched some Woody Allen movies, you\u2019ve surely noticed most of them feature a stressed-out, neurotic figure constantly worrying about whether he\u2019s dying of severe disease (like cancer). That\u2019s a textbook case of health anxiety, a disorder more commonly known as hypochondria.<\/p>\n
Symptoms of health anxiety (hypochondria)<\/h3>\n
Here we\u2019ll show the signs that might mean you\u2019re suffering from health anxiety:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Constantly worrying about health issues. (Well, of course.)<\/li>\n
- Always checking your body for signs of illness. Lumps, for example.<\/li>\n
- Googling symptoms of this or that disease or obsessively avoiding any medical TV programs or web content.<\/li>\n
- Acting as if you\u2019re ill (even though you\u2019re not).<\/li>\n
- Asking people to reassure you that you\u2019re not ill.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
There are also symptoms of more serious illnesses you shouldn\u2019t ignore. You\u2019ll find them\u00a0right here.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Did the COVID19 pandemic only make things worse for folks suffering from health anxiety?<\/h3>\n
As one can easily assume, it did. Today, many people around the globe have either one or more of the symptoms we\u2019ve mentioned above. For all we know, you could belong to that group. Are you constantly checking your body temperature or asking others to touch your forehead? Are you on alert every time you hear a sneeze? These are all\u00a0<\/span>consequences of the pandemic<\/span>. Let\u2019s check out how we can battle health anxiety<\/span>.<\/p>\n
How to stop worrying about health, i.e., prevent health anxiety<\/h2>\n
There are many \u201cmethods\u201d a person can do this. Here we\u2019ll show you some of them.<\/p>\n
Stop Googling symptoms<\/h3>\n
We know it does seem quite hard to suddenly stop something you\u2019ve been doing regularly for the past, god knows how many, years. Still, it\u2019s a habit you must break away from ASAP. Internet forums are not the places where you want to get medical advice of any kind. According to some posts, a mild headache can lead to certain death in just a few minutes. People love to panic and give panicky advice. Also, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll only see the negative side of the comment\/blog post\/whatever you\u2019re reading (if it has a positive side, of course). So, yeah, try to avoid Googling your symptoms!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.talkingaboutmenshealth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/How-to-Stop-Worrying-about-Health-3-1024x683.jpg\")
Avoid Googling your symptoms! As someone who\u2019s suffering from health anxiety, you\u2019re bound to focus only on the negative side of whatever info you might stumble upon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Acknowledge the feeling<\/h3>\n
Once you start to feel anxious, don\u2019t panic! Acknowledge the fact you\u2019re beginning to feel the way that you do. Say to yourself:\u00a0alright, this is probably one of my oh-god-what-if-I-have-cancer episodes<\/em>. As we said, your first reaction shouldn\u2019t be to Google whatever pain or discomfort you\u2019re feeling. Peace won\u2019t come overnight, but you should still reach it at whatever speed your mind finds best. If the pain or discomfort prolongs, don\u2019t hesitate to contact your doctor.<\/p>\n
Mens sana in corpore sano<\/em><\/h3>\n
Translation:\u00a0a healthy mind in a healthy body<\/em>. It\u2019s an old Roman proverb that still hasn\u2019t lost its value. Most mental health experts would say physical exercise is a fantastic form of meditation and therapy. Also, a steady diet shouldn\u2019t be avoided. Imagine you\u2019ve got a relocation coming up soon. You\u2019ll want to\u00a0keep your good health\u00a0during the moving process. We all know how those can affect the levels of stress we endure. That\u2019s why you should exercise regularly and avoid eating unhealthy food.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.talkingaboutmenshealth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/tamh-ivan-cole-stop-worrying-4-phillip-davies-yNPTXNYVfmw-unsplash-683x1024.jpg\")
By exercising on an everyday basis, you\u2019ll do some good damage to your anxiety levels. Also, don\u2019t forget to avoid eating junk food.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Keep a diary to challenge your thoughts<\/h3>\n
Even if you don\u2019t have health anxiety issues, it\u2019s very beneficial for your overall well-being to keep a diary. Being in touch with yourself and keeping track of your mental processes is a must nowadays. But, let\u2019s say you\u2019ve noticed symptoms of health anxiety. You should always write down what you feel when fear kicks in. You can make two columns. In the first one \u2013 write what kind of pain, anxiety, or discomfort you are experiencing. In the second \u2013 write a \u201cpositive\u201d reason why that might be happening. It has to be pretty benign, just like our health anxiety fears tend to be.<\/p>\n
Avoid watching the news<\/h3>\n
This one\u2019s pretty similar to the \u201ctry no to Google symptoms\u201d solution. Anyway, we\u2019re not saying you shouldn\u2019t be informed. But, limiting how much info you handle each day might prove to be very helpful. For example, try not to browse social media as much as you used to, especially those panicky health-related groups. By constantly being influenced by that kind of content, it\u2019s no wonder why many folks tend to have anxiety issues.<\/p>\n
Meditate<\/h3>\n
Last but not least, you should try meditation. Breathing exercises are also great for reducing anxiety levels in our minds. Get yourself in a comfortable position, play some ambient, soothing music and try to capture the moment. This is an exercise you can do whenever you have time, and it will most probably bring back the smile on your face.<\/p>\n
Final words<\/h2>\n
As the old year draws to a close,\u00a0the new one allows us to lead healthier lives. If you were wondering how to stop worrying about health issues, now you know some tips and tricks to help you handle the anxiety we all tend to feel, especially while constantly being bombarded by paranoia-filled news. Anyway, by doing some of the things we\u2019ve mentioned above, we\u2019re sure you\u2019ll resist the urge to diagnose yourself or your loved ones with a terminal illness as soon as someone reports a mild headache.<\/p>\n
Meta description: Nowadays, many folks tend to get paranoid when it comes to health issues. Click here to see how to stop worrying about health.<\/p>\n
Photos used:<\/em><\/p>\n
https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/BuNWp1bL0nc<\/em><\/p>\n
Photo by\u00a0National Cancer Institute\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/em><\/p>\n
https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/eMemmpUojlw<\/em><\/p>\n
Photo by\u00a0Phillip Davies\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/em><\/p>\n
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