i dont know how to explain this properly, but cancer has been a HUGE fear of mine for 2 years, at 19 i developed hypochondria, i was convinced i had every cancer there is, this anxiety caused a lot of physical and mental pain, and now, even though i am taking medication and seeing a therapist to help control it, the fear of dying is always in the back of my head, and this never used to be a thing for me, i am a pretty positive person, but i have never been as happy or positive as i was back before my anxiety happened and it really upsets me. i dont know why I think this way? I feel like i never pictured my life past 18 so now that im 22 i should be dead (does that make sense??) im currently in school for art, i want to do things with illustration and design, but whenever i think of the possibilities my future holds my head just goes "you cant look forward to anything because you are probably going to die soon" and it drives me mad, i just wish i felt safe but i am always on edge and its so hard to enjoy what i love when these thoughts linger in my head. it started with cancer and that fear is defiently still there, but now i just have a general fear of dying at any moment due to illness or something out of my control. has anyone gone through this and is there something i can do to fix this??? thank you in advance for the help.
Hi,
I understand what you’re going through and I’m in the exact situation. I suffer with severe health anxiety and I’m afraid I have all sorts of diseases including cancer.
I always think I suffer with certain form of cancer, brain, lung and throat etc and it gives me panic attacks and lots of physical and emotional issues.
I always check for lumps, signs and symptoms and worry about every little disturbance in the body as its sign, which would probably be due to stress and anxiety.
I thought I’d die soon since the age of 13 and now that I’m 20, they’ve only gotten worse, I’m still afraid, though there were no major or dangerous health issues since then.
I’ve a feeling of impending doom since an year, and I fear everyday is going to be my last,even when I have a lot to look forward to. Health anxiety took a huge toll on my studies, personal life and my well-being.
I suggest you to constantly remind your self that odds of dying and at your age and cancer risk are very low, majority of the people live longer not having to deal with the disease in their lifetime.
Ask for reassurance if it helps.
Take Care.
yes you have to try and trick your mind telling your mind u are ok .
yes, there are many people who have felt the exact same way as you including myself. I suffered with this for many years and to be honest, it made me miss out on so many years where I could have been enjoying life.
i learned through therapy that "What If " thinking is a complete waste of time. And if I don’t start enjoying each day then what is my life about? Is it about living in a mental misery worrying about what could happen? what kind of a life is that?
there is a saying that goes " don’t believe everything you think! ".that is so true! Anxiety produces negative scary thoughts like you are having but that is not based on reality it’s based on fear.
Don’t let fear run your life or you will be miserable all the time. I also learned that what I had was distorted thinking and that’s what many people with anxiety have.
what you are doing and what I did is robbing yourself. You are taking away days in allowing fear to take over. Those days can never be replaced! They are gone forever. if you live to be 100 years old and we’re miserable all those years with fear, you’re going to really regret that.
Nobody can predict the future. it’s a fact that one day we are all going to die but you can choose your thought process. You can choose to think about it constantly and be miserable or enjoy each and every day to the fullest!
You need to challenge yourself. Be grateful for being alive. Be grateful for the things that you have. go outside and take a walk and look at the beauty of nature that was created for you to enjoy. don’t miss out.
i would highly recommend that you see a counselor so that he or she can help you manage this. It’s difficult to do alone. You have so much living to do! So much to give and so much to enjoy! Your life is not over. You have decades ahead of you.
BE a fighter for yourself! im now in my 50s and I wanted to tell you that so you know that all that fear I had was a waste of time. I’m so glad I now enjoy every single day without that fear. and so can you. get some support now! 