In the same way that you accept the uncertainty regarding the fact that you might get hit by a bus but still leave the house. It's the same way that everyone else without health anxiety lives with that uncertainty that you claim you can't live with. CBT treatments for that uncertainty do not rest on religious faith, but if you say to yourself "I can't live with uncertainty" then it becomes true. You can though.
You can still learn to accept that it *may* happen to you. Anything can happen. My best friend was killed by a drunk driver last year, and that was the last thing anyone had imagined would ever happen to ANY of us. That threat has always been there, but it never hit so close to home before that. Many (but not all) of the things those of us with HA tend to fear are equally unlikely to happen, though they do sometimes happen. That's just life.
I'm genuinely curious what religious/spiritual beliefs have to do with it, from your perspective. I actually found that dropping my spiritual beliefs several years ago actually *helped* me to overcome fears like this, related to health.
Those resources are not inherently harmful. I think the point made previously is that it's no different from seeing your own doctor in person, as it relates to seeking reassurance. And repeatedly seeking reassurance is indeed harmful and only perpetuates the cycle of anxiety. Aside from that, it's great that genuine doctors are so easily accessible. I've used a telemedicine service ONCE, several months ago. The doctor diagnosed BPPV and prescribe an anti-vertigo medication. That was much simpler than going to my doctor, especially since my doctor's office was closed for the day.
Really? This is interesting to me. Why do you think that's the case?
Because I believe this is the only chance I get, so I shouldn't waste time worrying about the inevitable. Instead, I should focus on making this one chance count. I may not believe in an afterlife, but I do know that, depending on how I play my cards, my name and my "spirit" (meaning my impact on others, what I bring to the table) can live on for a long time even when I'm gone. It won't matter to me, because there will be no "me", but it will matter for those who continue their own life journey.
Good advice. As you mention, it's also important to not entirely put off the symptoms either. One thing I try to ask myself is "what would someone without HA do?" and then I try to pivot into that course of action.
I agree with much of this. I'm secular myself, although I do believe in a form of "spirituality" I believe the material world is all their is (or all that we have access to). Sometimes I find myself wishing I believed in an afterlife, because it seems like that would be a way of avoiding death, but I agree that death and its finality give added value to life. Anyway, I'm going to play some video games!
I used to be a firm believer. I was never forced into it, parents left that decision entirely up to me. I also didn't stop believing because I felt like "god betrayed me." I spent a few years really thinking hard about it, and none of it made sense anymore, so I dropped it.
I was more religious than my parents until circa grade 7 when I transitioned to a full atheist. Now I'm a bit more ambiguous, but nothing like a Christian God has entered into my field of beliefs and never will.
Fair enough. At this point I don't care one way or the other if something like that exists. Doesn't bother me either way. I just want to enjoy my time here and make the most of it.
The religious comment meant that if one believes in God and an after life, salvation and such, the thought of dying may not be as scary. My dad, who lived to 97 told me he had no fear of death. He believed he would be reuniting with loved ones.
Fair enough. I find the opposite equally comforting in a way. I don't want to go into details because I don't want to cause anyone an existential crisis, I have enough of my own. No worries, I was just wondering what you meant.