For me that's the bottom line.
We all want assurance, reassurance and all but we just have to learn to live with ambiguity.
Try not to constantly check things (me) or obsess/google over symptoms, read medical articles, etc.
Just tell yourself that you have health anxiety and that anxiety will often push you into incorrect and catastrophic conclusions.
You can try to drug yourself into numbness but its best, for me, to just accept the condition and learn to live with it.
Do what you can do to control it - daily outdoor exercise, avoid unhealthy food and drinks, sleep well every night (critical- you can google up videos, meditations, strategies to help) keep busy and meditate (see Peter Renner's free mindful meditations) every day as often as you need to calm yourself down.
Its a journey, for sure, good luck to all of us.
I absolutely agree with you! It’s the fear and the thoughts that can drive you crazy. We need to realize that those are all part of anxiety and they are based on non-facts .
I hate to say it but too many people are on A vicious circle of reassurance, fear, reassurance , comparing symptoms, etc. it doesn’t really help but can make matters worse.
what excellent advice , will so try to live by your words ,try to accept instead of fight and panic with the physical symptoms of anxiety ,i know i have anxiety have had it come back recently after a few years of feeling so much better , you then get into a spiral of fearing your symptoms and constantly checking for them ,my worst is sudden dizzy turns which seem to come without any reason and every timei panic and then feel ill all day , i need to accept them for what they are and pay them no attention , thankyou i will certainly remember your words
Lol. I need to remind myself of them, too!
I was having a good day when I wrote that - then I saw a vivid article about a health problem and it is one of my “go to” ones lately so I read it, of course, and it sent me way back in my self help therapy.
Its like intellectually I know X is true but trying to convince that nasty little voice in my head that always fills me with fear and doubt is another story!
As I said - its a journey and I’m still on it!
I’m going to try neurofeedback on Monday. I’m going for my first session to see if I can qualify for it. I’ve read that it can do amazing things for GAD. Fingers crossed!!!