Navigating My Health Anxiety
Racing hearts and racing minds can make the shadows difficult to overcome.
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Mortality.
How does that word make you feel? It can be a scary word for many of us. Yet, it’s something that others don’t seem to give a second thought about. For me, it's the former. Despite being fit by society’s standard, I’ve always worried much more than I’ve needed to.
A recent health event triggered led me to genuinely believe that my current age may just be the final number of my book… 53. That’s a long way from the number I have set my life goal at, 100. The unexpected experience really shook me, and to say the least, has since instilled a deep sense of gratitude for every day.
It started with some weird sharp chest pains. Googling didn’t help because according to the searches I did, I had virtually every illness I could think of, specifically heart disease. My posts encouraged me to go to ER. So what did I do?
I went to ER! But the results of the EKG were good. Wonderful right!? Yes! But that reassurance was what I needed and must have lasted… about a day. As soon as I felt those uncomfortable pangs again, I was back to square one.
While it hasn’t been formerly diagnosed, I have health anxiety.
Health anxiety was previously referred to as hypochondria, but more recently, Somatic Symptom Disorder (or SSD). It is a mental health condition characterized by excessive worrying and fear of having or developing a serious illness, despite having no or only mild physical symptoms. In other words, someone who notices a freckle on their skin but sees a Stage 4 Melanoma!
Individuals with health anxiety often misinterpret physical sensations and normal bodily functions as signs of a serious medical condition. This leads to constant seeking of reassurance from healthcare professionals or performing self-diagnosis through researching symptoms online as mentioned. Try to avoid this!
