How To Cope With Illness Anxiety

In the midst of a pandemic, which most of us have never experienced before, anxiety has increased ten-fold, especially as it relates to medical conditions. Anxiety about illnesses or medical conditions is very scary and can really spiral out of control quickly.

According to goodrx.com the following are characteristics of illness anxiety:

• Constantly checking their body for changes

• Going to the doctor often to be examined

• Frequently searching the internet for causes of possible symptoms

• Mistaking normal sensations like twitching as real symptoms

• Believing that minor symptoms are signs of a serious illness

• Worrying that they’ll develop an illness because someone in their family had it

• Becoming preoccupied with fear of developing a specific health condition

At the beginning of the pandemic, I had a lot of anxiety surrounding Covid. I was sure I was going to get it, which then made me think I would end up hospitalized and even possibly die. You can see how one thing that rationally scared me; Covid, then turned into me being hospitalized and even possibly dying. This is how quickly anxiety can spiral out of control. First of all, know that this is very normal with everything that is going on in the world.

Have you ever had a headache or stomach ache and were sure it was something more serious? Have you ever consulted Dr. Google? Goodrx.com says that 6 out of every 10 people have searched google for medical conditions they think they have in the past year. I know I have. Here’s the thing, the internet is full of information. They put best case and worst case scenarios on everything. Can the internet be helpful? Sure, sometimes, but most of the time you will end up diagnosing yourself with something so much worse than you actually have.

Trying to stay off the internet is one major way to decrease your anxiety. If you have a concern, calling a doctor is the best thing you can do. Think about it, if you have a headache, there are many things that are not scary that could be causing it. So before diagnosing yourself with a tumor, stop, try and calm down and take some time to think about it. I get headaches, and most of the time they are the result of a tight neck, or sinus issues and not something life threatening.

So, what can you do when something does not feel right and you start to panic?

• Call A medical professional – If you think you have a medical condition, don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed, reach out to your doctor. Nowadays there are a lot of doctors offering virtual appointments. Even if you do not have a doctor, you can go schedule a virtual appointment with a doctor using services like teledoc.com

• Breathe – Take a few long, slow deep breaths and try to calm down

• Walk – Take a walk and clear your head

• Talk it out – Have a friend or family member who provides support and helps calm you down? Call them and talk it out. Many times when we are in the midst of panic we get tunnel vision and have a hard time getting grounded. Someone who is not in a panicked state can really help talk us down

• Visualize a happy place – Have a wonderful memory that makes you happy? Close your eyes and visualize. Feel how you felt in that memory. For me, I have a memory of a great beach vacation. When I visualize it, I can feel the warm sun and sand. I can feel how relaxed, happy and healthy I felt. So, I visualize that memory when I feel panicked

• Meditate – Turn on your favorite meditation app and meditate. I like to use the calm.com app and use the emergency calm meditations when I feel this way

Remember, anxiety is real and can have a big impact on your life. However, you can overcome anxiety and get better. This is not going to last forever. Take time to take care of yourself when you are feeling anxious. Self care is so important in your journey to eliminating anxiety.