Help

[MariaHernandez]

Hello, I've never asked anyone for advice on the internet but I will now cause I really REALLY need help. I'm having severe health anxiety, I always feel there is something wrong with me. I look for symptoms online and 90% are symptoms that I don't have or diagnosis that are irrelevant to my case but the other 10% that says that I may have that sickness or that what I'm fearing is possible I freak out. And it's just exhausting and frustrating. I just wanna live my life and be normal like everyone. What do I do?

[Carmen]

Hello,

I am glad you reached out to us - those are all scary feelings to have. The internet is an endless, and often dark, pit hole when it comes to trying to self-diagnose anything. But we can help talk through what is going on and different ways you may be able to reach out for support. I also want to emphasize that there really is no 'normal' - no 'normal' person or life. Each of our struggles and experiences are unique to us (another reason internet searches usually won't do the job!).
First of, could you give us a little more background - when did you start feeling this way? Have you reached out to anyone before (for ex. a family member or a counselor?). Also, when you say you are worried that what you are fearing could be possible, what is it that you are fearing?

In the meantime, I'd also suggest checking out our resource for self-care for the moments when exhaustion and frustration hit hard:
Self-Care a La Carte

[MariaHernandez]

Hey, first of all thank you for answering so quickly, means a lot. Yeah, I went to a psychologist over a year ago cause I was having really bad anxiety. I started lowing my grades and I just wasn't in a good place. But at that time it didn't had anything to do with my physical health. I got better and I was happy for a while, but now it's back and it's attacking me in a new way, now I feel I'm sick mentally and physically. And is really sad cause I'm only 19 and I'm afraid to do anything cause my mind keeps playing tricks on me. And when I say health anxiety I mean like if I get a sharp pain I feel is somerhing horrible. For example the other day I felt pain in my chest area and I thought I was having some kind of heart attack, not like my heart stopped but that something was wrong with my heart, turns out it was only heartburn. see where I'm going? I know normal is not something I should strive for but I know my mind is abnormal and it makes me really sad. My youth should be beautiful, not full of anxiety.

[Eddie C]

Hello there, Maria. I hope you don't mind if I chime in.

You mentioned you did see a therapist a year ago, is this someone you stop seeing? Also, did they talk to you about strategies to cope with anxiety when it happens?

[MariaHernandez]

Hey, yeah I went to the physiologist and then stopped cause I was feeling better. But now I'm planning to go to a new one but I don't have the money yet. And yes, she showed me some techniques but they are defenetly not working now.

[Heather]

Have you tried any of the anxiety helplines or online resources for anxiety that don't cost money?

Also, one thing you could do for yourself in the interim is to just figure out some strategies to stop looking this stuff up. That might be blocking yourself from the websites you usually go to by using parental controls options on your device, or it might be doing something else each time you go to do that searching, like putting down any devices and going for a walk, or taking ten slow deep breaths, or calling as hotline, etc.

[MariaHernandez]

No I haven't tried them, maybe cause I don't know any but I will look them up. Do you have any suggestions?

Also, the parental controls option to do on my phone sounds like a good idea, i will defenetly try it. And yeah I have tried putting my phone down and get out of my room and go talk to my sister or go downstairs and watch tv with my parents, stuff like that and it helps but just for a few hours.

[Sam W]

Hi Maria,
I'm not certain if Heather had specific resources in mind, but these are two helplines you could try calling: National Institute of Mental Health Information Center
866-615-6464
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml

National Mental Health Association Hotline
800-273-TALK (8255)
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week
http://www.nmha.org

There are also a bunch of resources listed in this article: Anxiety Lies

[MariaHernandez]

I will save them to my phone. I will try the techniques some of you gave me to cope with my anxiety. Thank you so much for helping me with this topic, I really appreciate it.