I feel like i’m going insane

[holly441]

For about a year now i’ve struggled with Health Anxiety. It seems to fluctuate on how bad it is, but for the past few weeks i’ve really been on a low. I feel like i’m not even in my body anymore, i check anything and everything that happens around my body: pains,cramps,sensations or just any weird feeling. I always feel the urge to call the hospital right away. Ive had multiple blood tests and ecgs which have all come back mostly clear, but i can’t seem to shake the idea that there is something wrong with me. I feel like i am going insane constantly worrying from the moment i wake up till the moment i get to sleep, that is if i get any sleep at all. It’s eating away at my mind that much that i can’t sleep in fear of dying in my sleep, i used to think of sleep as an escape from all of this but as the Anxiety got worse sleep gad become something i start to dread. The symptoms are always worse at night: coughing, pains, shortness of breath. I have only just turned 16 and i am so consumed by this. My whole family don’t believe a word i say and i feel like i’m trapped in a cage with my mind. It’s like i get mad when the Doctors say that it’s “just Anxiety” because that doesn’t put me at ease at all, frankly makes me feel so much worse. I’d rather have a physical diagnosis, otherwise i just think the Doctor missed something. Right now i’m having such a bad episode where i feel sort of like i am high. Someone please help me.

 

[Worriedmama]

I think all of us feel that way. We always think doctors missed something. We need to break that cycle. Focus on a good book, binge watch a show, take your mind off of it. You have to break the cycle of negative thinking. Also, do not google! You’re only 16, go and enjoy life!

 

[Fraser]

For about a year now i’ve struggled with Health Anxiety. It seems to fluctuate on how bad it is, but for the past few weeks i’ve really been on a low. I feel like i’m not even in my body anymore, i check anything and everything that happens around my body: pains,cramps,sensations or just any weird feeling. I always feel the urge to call the hospital right away. Ive had multiple blood tests and ecgs which have all come back mostly clear, but i can’t seem to shake the idea that there is something wrong with me. I feel like i am going insane constantly worrying from the moment i wake up till the moment i get to sleep, that is if i get any sleep at all. It’s eating away at my mind that much that i can’t sleep in fear of dying in my sleep, i used to think of sleep as an escape from all of this but as the Anxiety got worse sleep gad become something i start to dread. The symptoms are always worse at night: coughing, pains, shortness of breath. I have only just turned 16 and i am so consumed by this. My whole family don’t believe a word i say and i feel like i’m trapped in a cage with my mind. It’s like i get mad when the Doctors say that it’s “just Anxiety” because that doesn’t put me at ease at all, frankly makes me feel so much worse. I’d rather have a physical diagnosis, otherwise i just think the Doctor missed something. Right now i’m having such a bad episode where i feel sort of like i am high. Someone please help me.

The thing is, it is "just anxiety" but that's not a helpful way to come at it. What you need is to get help. What country do you live in? I ask, because that will determine what kind of access you have to things like therapy. The good news is, unlike many mental issues, health anxiety responds very well to treatment, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy.

 

[holly441]

Thanks for the reply! But i’ve already tried that, my therapy didn’t seem to work and now because of Covid can only have a over the phone session, which gives no help. If you have a good therapist, maybe you have some small tips i could use during an episode?

 

[Fraser]

Thanks for the reply! But i’ve already tried that, my therapy didn’t seem to work and now because of Covid can only have a over the phone session, which gives no help. If you have a good therapist, maybe you have some small tips i could use during an episode?

One thing you can do is print out the sheet I've attached to this post and fill it out. One per day. At first it might seem silly or redundant. But try to stick with it. A lot of CBT is easy to blow off at first, but as you set into a new pattern of thinking, you start to shed the old one.
Here are a couple of videos that might be worth a watch for you:

and

Here is a book that contains information and thought exercises that can start you on the right path:

Overcoming Health Anxiety: Letting Go of Your Fear of Illness: Owens PhD, Katherine, Antony PhD, Martin M.: 9781572248380: Amazon.com: Books

Overcoming Health Anxiety: Letting Go of Your Fear of Illness [Owens PhD, Katherine, Antony PhD, Martin M.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Overcoming Health Anxiety: Letting Go of Your Fear of Illness

www.amazon.com

The thing with this is, you have to be proactive about it. Wanting to get better is simply not enough. You have to put in the work and understand that it's a three steps forward, two steps back kind of thing. It will take time and effort, but you can get better. Imagine your life without health anxiety; it's achievable.