Raise your hand if you’ve panic-searched, "Is chest pain bad?" and search on the panic until you end up at a heart attack survivors forum. Great.
And if you tend to spend far too much of your time contemplating.
Whatever illness happens to be topical on social media, then chances are you probably already know all about health anxiety or fear of getting sick.
When you suffer from fear of getting sick, you exaggerate aches and pains, and you tend to make yourself believe
That the worst and most unlikely health consequence that you can imagine is actually inevitable.
This may interfere with your regular routine and dominate your thoughts.
But how do you manage this type of "fear of getting sick" if you cannot help being a body-based individual?
Here, we consulted professionals to expound.
Before we dive into the details, here's something you need to know: Mental health is complex, and we all deal with it in our own ways.
So don't go trying to self-diagnose yourself off of some things you've read online (but we're happy you did end up making it here to learn about it).
If this is you, consider this the beginning of the help-seeking process. Now, let's get started.
Health anxiety fear of getting sick
What is fear of getting sick?
The term "fear of getting sick" is not a formal diagnosis, although it can be a symptom of mental illness.
It is a colloquial term that indicates that you have "too much or not right" worry about illness, according to the American Psychological Association (APA).
Individuals with fear of getting sick listen extremely closely to what their body is experiencing, says "fear of getting sick" coach and licensed therapist Britney Chesworth, PhD, LCSW.
They will interpret those symptoms or sensations—many of which are extremely common—to be serious and threatening. To a person with fear of getting sick,
That freckle that appears different is melanoma, a headache is a tumor, and forgetting where you put your keys is early-onset dementia. You get the picture.
"It spoils all the enjoyment out of life," states Dr. Chesworth, author of Help, I'm Dying Again: Overcoming Health Anxiety with CBT. "If each day could be your last or the beginning of the end, how can you have fun?"
When those worries arise, fear of getting sick individuals will attempt to feel better by googling the symptoms, scanning.
Their bodies for anything out of the ordinary, and/or consulting other individuals (family, physicians, etc.), according to licensed psychologists Josh Spitalnick, PhD, ABPP.
And since you can never be 100% certain about your health, that comfort is fleeting, according to licensed clinical psychologist Danielle Cooper, PhD. So the fear of getting sick spiral continues.
It's natural to be anxious about your health every now and then—either you or someone close to you being sick, or a virus going around that you don't want to catch.
This is natural and can actually be good for you, according to Dr. Chesworth. But if concerns about your health are regularly interfering with your life (e.g., by spending hours online searching for symptoms or fretting about a mole that you've already had checked out), this could be an indication of an issue with your mental health.
When fear of getting sick is extremely strong and lasts for at least six months, it may be called illness anxiety disorder or somatic symptom disorder.
Somatic symptom disorder is where you worry too much about having one or more of your symptoms, and illness fear of getting sick disorder is where you worry too much about having or developing a serious illness even without symptoms.
This is according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). Fear of getting sick can also be found in OCD, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and some phobias, says Dr. Cooper.
You don't have to be told you have a medical condition to be concerned about your health.
If you are always concerned about your health or concerned about getting sick and it is affecting your life, you may have fear of getting sick.
Also read: 50 How Can Health Anxiety Affirmations Help You?
1. Scroll responsibly.
The internet and social media can assist in staying abreast of health news and in contacting people who are also experiencing the same health conditions.
They can, however, give rise to fear of getting sick if one has health problems.
It is hard to resist reading such material when it appears helpful (better safe than sorry!). It is also hard not to look when someone is discussing in relation to your biggest fear, according to Dr. Chesworth. It is therefore wise not to interact as much as possible.
And with the web proving impossible to move, here is some guidance on being more thoughtful in a Google and Facebook world, says Dr. Chesworth:
Don't ask Google leading questions such as, "Is sore throat cancer?" Ask rather, "Common causes of a sore throat."
Use reputable and trustworthy websites like the National Institutes of Health, Mayo Clinic, and the CDC.
If you see something that bothers you, mute or block the post or account. You can also mark that you're "not interested" in certain content when you have the choice.
2. Increase your tolerance to uncertainty.
Not knowing 100% for certain about your health can be downright terrifying, but it's also just human.
If it feels like it's impossible to let in even a little bit of uncertainty when it comes to your fear of getting sick, think about all the ways you cope and just stop worrying about getting sick with it in other areas of your life, says Dr. Chesworth.
You hail a cab without knowing the driver, you order takeout without knowing they'll bring you the right thing, and you apply for a job without knowing if you'll ever hear from them.
Making a list of the risks you take on a daily basis can put things into perspective, says Dr. Chesworth. Maybe you can take the small risk of not knowing every ache and pain, and you'll be okay.
Also read: 5 Ways To Overcome Health Anxiety!
3. Find a middle ground.
They belong to two categories: visiting the doctor frequently and staying away from the doctor as far as possible. Exercising both of these in moderation is what is required to manage fear of getting sick, says Dr. Chesworth.
If you avoid going to the doctor because you fear bad news, you can work through that fear gradually.
For instance, before a checkup, read about what is done during a physical exam, make the appointment over the phone, drive to the doctor's office a few days in advance, and then actually go, says Dr. Chesworth.
Each of these things will make you a little bit more
fear of getting sick, but getting through them makes you feel more prepared.
Then, when you come in for your appointment, you will find that it is not as frightening as you thought it would be.
Conversely, if you see physicians continually, apply the three-day rule: Wait three days to see a physician after you experience a physical symptom that is not an emergency, advises Dr. Chesworth.
What you're worrying about will likely pass within those three days. And, if not, you can call your physician.
Also read: 10 Effective Tips For Managing Health Anxiety:
4. Ground yourself.
Imagine this: You're out running around on errands and you experience your heart jump a beat. Alarm bells are ringing to the sound of holy fucking shit and, with the mind-body connection, your heart is pounding. Your breath is coming more rapidly, palms are sweating. Now you're fear of getting sick about all of these things.
In a perfect world, you would immediately know you're jumping to conclusions and turn around. But when you can't, grounding techniques can help calm you down enough to apply a little more reasoning.
Dr. Chesworth recommends focusing on what's going on around you instead. Give the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise a try, she advises. Name five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Or simply write down what's in your surroundings—no need to use numbers.
Also read: 20 Affirmations For Health Anxiety To Help You
5. Challenge your ideas.
You can determine whether thoughts are legitimate even though you have no control over what comes to mind. According to Dr. Spitalnick, author of The Complete Guide to Overcoming Fear of Getting Sick: How to Live Life to the Fullest...
Because You're Not Dead (Yet), if you're rushing to the worst-case scenario, try making a list of alternative scenarios that don't end badly.
Yes, an ulcer could be the cause of the stomach soreness. What, however, are the more plausible options? Are you hungry? Have you recently been under a lot of stress?
Have you ever experienced stomach pains similar to this that were caused just by gas?
Your catastrophizing mind could be calmed by thinking of alternative options.
6. Think about how you would address a buddy.
Thinking about what you would say to a friend is another technique to alter your viewpoint.
According to Dr. Chesworth, even those who suffer from fear of getting sick can typically see a friend's health issues much more rationally than their own.
Suppose your friend has a bloody nose and is certain they should visit the ER. If it grows worse, you would probably advise them to slow down, wait for it to end, then visit the emergency room.
Also read: Anxiety Disorder Definition What Is Anxiety Disorder?
7. Become familiar with your "safety behaviors" and then gradually stop using them.
Any activity you take to reassure yourself that everything is okay when you're feeling fear of getting sick is considered a safety behavior. You may conduct a TikTok deep dive, ask a friend, go to urgent care, or Google it.
However, this kind of reaction is a trap. According to Dr. Chesworth, it demonstrates that the symptoms you are concerned about are serious and that you require outside security.
Once more, the problematic part is that while you may feel better initially, it won't persist. You begin to worry that you should keep checking, just in case, or that you'll get another ache. The cycle never ends.
However, Dr. Cooper suggests that this cycle can be broken by placing oneself in situations that provoke you and doing nothing about it. You could go grocery shopping without hand sanitizer, power exercise for ten minutes without checking your pulse, or read a story about a new virus that's running around without searching for anything else on Google.
According to Dr. Chesworth, this type of exposure therapy is something you would do with a mental health expert, but if you feel comfortable doing it alone, you can do it.
According to Dr. Cooper, you will eventually "learn to accept the presence of these ambiguous bodily sensations without trying to get rid of or fully understand them." Additionally, you'll discover with time that the things you first believed were beneficial don't actually benefit you, she says. You underestimate how robust you are.
Also read: 25 Powerful Positive Can Affirmation Cure Anxiety Relief!
8. Get mental health treatment.
"Mental health professionals can help you manage the catastrophic thoughts that influence your behavior (and vice versa) if your fear of getting sick is overwhelming," Dr. Chesworth explains.
They will also go farther. According to Dr. Chesworth, they can assist you in comprehending how your fear of getting sick may have been influenced by earlier trauma. Additionally, Dr. Cooper states that you will work together to uncover the fears that lie at the heart of your health concerns.
Finding a therapist with experience in treating conditions where fear of getting sick manifests, like OCD and anxiety disorders, using cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy is advised by the experts Wondermind spoke with.
The Fear of Getting Sick and Depression Association of America (you may filter for health anxiety under "disorders treated & specialty"), Psychology Today, the International OCD Foundation, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the American Psychological Association are good places to start your search.
According to Dr. Spitalnick, mental health specialists can teach you how to live with fear rather than constantly being afraid. And that sounds really lovely.
Wondermind does not offer medical diagnosis, treatment, or advice. Medical advice should never be replaced by any information published on this website or by this brand. If you have any questions or worries regarding your mental health, you should always speak with a licensed health or mental health expert.
Also read: 13 The Ultimate Guide To Coping With Health Anxiety
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