Dear Friend,
You have been asking me repeatedly if
the thoughts you have about your health are accurate. If your doctor really
sees or understands what is really going on. Can you really even to the lab
result when it is negative and you feel unwell and something really is
wrong. You have tried many doctors and been to many laboratories but still
not convinced and the thought of “what if… causes you to panic."
Understanding Health Anxiety:
When worry about health takes over, most
of us get concerned when we feel a strange ache or a bump that wasn’t there
before—it’s natural to care about your health. But for some people, this worry
becomes constant and overwhelming. That’s where health anxiety—previously
called hypochondriasis—comes in.
So, What Is Health Anxiety?
Health anxiety
is when someone becomes excessively worried that they’re seriously ill, even
when medical tests show nothing is wrong. Every small symptom—a headache, a
twitch, a sore throat—can feel like a sign of something dangerous. And even
reassurance from doctors often doesn’t ease the fear for long.
It’s not about faking illness or being dramatic. People with
health anxiety truly feel something is wrong. Their minds are caught in
a loop: noticing a symptom, imagining the worst, seeking reassurance, and
feeling relief—until the worry returns.
Why Does It Happen?
Health anxiety isn’t a choice. It can come from:
- Past
experiences with illness—either personal or someone close to them.
- Personality
traits like a tendency to worry or perfectionism.
- Stress
or trauma can make the brain more sensitive to bodily sensations.
Over time, the brain starts interpreting harmless signals
(like a muscle twitch) as threats. The more we focus on these signals, the more
anxious we become, and the stronger the symptoms may actually feel.
How Does It Affect Life?
Living with a constant fear of illness can be exhausting.
People may:
- Avoid
hospitals or even hearing about diseases.
- Constantly
searching about your symptoms online, which often fuels more panic.
- Visit
doctors frequently—or avoid them altogether.
- Struggle
to enjoy daily life because the fear is always lurking.
It’s not just about worry—it can affect relationships, work,
and overall peace of mind.
The Good News: It’s Treatable
Here’s the hopeful part: health anxiety
is very treatable. With the right support, people can learn to trust their
bodies again and quiet the anxious thoughts. Treatments like Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy (CBT) help change the patterns of thinking that feed health
anxiety. Mindfulness, stress management, and sometimes medication can also
help.
You don’t have to “just live with it.”
Many people who once felt stuck in a cycle of fear have learned to break free
and feel better.
ILLNESS ANXIETY DISORDER (IAD)
📋 DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria:
To be diagnosed
with Illness Anxiety Disorder, the following must be present:
- Preoccupation with having or acquiring
a serious illness.
– The worry is persistent, even when there are few or no physical symptoms. - Somatic symptoms are either not
present or are only mild in intensity.
– If there are symptoms, they do not explain the level of anxiety. - High level of health anxiety.
– The person is easily alarmed about their health status. - Excessive health-related behaviors, such as:
- Repeatedly checking the body for
signs of illness, or
- Avoidance (e.g., avoiding doctor
visits or hospitals out of fear).
- Illness-related fears persist for at
least 6 months,
– But the specific illness feared can change over time. - The illness preoccupation is not
better explained by another mental disorder, such as:
- Somatic symptom disorder
- Panic disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Body dysmorphic disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
🧠 Here is how you can differentiate if what
you are experiencing is Illness Anxiety Disoder or Somatic Symptom Disorder
|
Feature |
Illness
Anxiety Disorder (IAD) |
Somatic
Symptom Disorder (SSD) |
|
Somatic
Symptoms |
Mild or absent |
Prominent and
distressing |
|
Main Focus |
Fear of
having/getting a serious illness |
The symptoms
themselves (pain, fatigue, etc.) |
|
Health
Anxiety |
Very high |
May be present,
but anxiety is about symptoms more than disease |
|
Behavioral
Patterns |
Repeated
checks, reassurance-seeking, or avoidance |
High levels of
medical use, worry about symptoms |
|
Duration |
6 months or
more |
6 months or
more (though symptoms may vary) |
|
Example |
"I’m sure
I have cancer, even if the test says no." |
"This pain
is ruining my life—why won’t it go away?" |
💌 THERE IS HELP AVAILABLE:
When you are ready for a session with me just send me a personal message on Messenger Jiji Harner
Here is more information about my services: https://safeguardmentalhealth.org/
CRISIS PLAN WHEN HEALTH ANXIETY IS SURGING AGAIN
🛑 STEP 1: Pause & Breathe (Mindful
Awareness)
Instruction:
Sit comfortably. Gently close
your eyes. Place one hand over your heart and one on your stomach. Breathe in
deeply through your nose for a count of 4… hold for 4… and exhale through your
mouth for 6.
Prayer
Whisper:
"Lord, quiet my thoughts. I
inhale Your peace… I exhale my fear."
Bible Verse to
Meditate On:
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
– Psalm 46:10
🙏 STEP 2: Acknowledge the Present
Moment
Instruction:
Say out loud or in your
heart:
"Right now, I feel
anxious. My mind is racing. But I choose to stay here in this moment with God, not in imagined
fears."
Prayer:
"Father, You are here with me
in this moment. Not in my past, not in the future. Help me to be fully present
and to trust that Your Spirit is within me, calming me."
Bible Promise:
“The Lord is near to the
brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:18
💡 STEP 3: Declare God's Control Over
Your Health
Out loud,
declare God’s authority:
"God is in
control of my body. He knit me together. Nothing escapes His eye or care."
Prayer:
"Lord, You are my Creator. You
know every cell in my body. You are not surprised by my condition. I surrender
to Your perfect plan for my health. Help me trust You completely."
Bible Verse:
“For I know the plans I have for
you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to
give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
🧠 STEP 4: Release the Need to
Understand Everything
Acknowledge
the tendency to fear what you don’t understand. Then release it.
"I don’t have to understand
everything. That’s not my job. I trust the One who does."
Prayer:
"Father, calm the whirlwind in my
mind. I lay down the 'what-ifs' and 'maybes.' I choose to rest in the truth
that You know what I do not. I lean not on my own understanding."
Bible Verse:
“Trust in the Lord with all your
heart and lean not on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5
👨⚕️ STEP 5: Trust the Doctors God Has
Provided
Pray over your
care team and release fear of misdiagnosis or error.
Prayer:
"Lord, You have placed trained
professionals in my life to help me. Give them wisdom. Let me trust that You
are working through them, and that I don’t need to be afraid of what I imagine.
Anchor me in the truth, not my emotions."
Bible Verse:
“Let the wise hear and increase in
learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.” – Proverbs 1:5
🛡️ STEP 6: Declare Your Safety in God’s
Hands
Place your
hand over your heart and declare:
"I am safe. I am held. I am
not alone."
Prayer:
"God, I declare that I am not forsaken. Your Spirit comforts me. Even now, I am being healed in ways I may not see yet. I accept where I am. I release panic. I receive peace."
Bible Verse:
“Surely he took up our pain and bore
our suffering... by his wounds we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:4–5
🕊️ STEP 7: End with Stillness and
Gratitude
Spend 1–2
minutes in silence. With each
breath, silently thank God.
“Thank You, God, for Your peace…
for Your healing… for Your presence.”
Prayer:
"Thank You, Father, for
hearing my prayer. You are in control. I trust You with my body, my mind, my
doctors, and my future. You are good. Amen."
Bible Verse:
“You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” – Isaiah 26:3
🌱 Practice This Daily or As Needed
This prayer and
grounding method can be used whenever fear arises. You don’t need to “feel”
peace to receive it — just show up, breathe, and let God's truth
settle into you.
🧠 JOURNAL YOUR RESPONSE AS YOU FACE YOUR HEALTH ANXIETY
🌱 1. Externalize the Problem
You are not a
problem – the anxiety is.
ü
It
sounds like ‘Health Anxiety’ has been showing up in your life a lot lately.
When did it first start trying to take over?
or
ü
Let’s
call that constant worry ‘The Voice of Illness Fear.’ What kind of things does
it say to you?
🔍 2. Name and Describe the Anxiety
Let personify
this thoughts so we can understand how it behaves.
ü
If
this health fear had a personality, what would it be like? Pushy? Clever?
Sneaky?
ü
What
tricks does it use to convince you something’s wrong?
🧭 3. Explore the Effects of the Problem
Story
ü
When
the Illness Voice gets loud, what does it stop you from doing?
ü
How
has it impacted your relationships, sleep, or confidence?
ü
Even when anxiety has real influence—think about the last time
you have the power to push it back.
🌟 4. Find Exceptions to the Problem
ü Identify moments when you resisted or
wasn’t overwhelmed by the health fears.
ü
Was
there a time recently when the Illness Anxiety started creeping in, but you
handled it differently?
ü
Have
there been moments when you were able to say, ‘I’m okay,’ and move forward?
ü
Do you
feel confident or having inner strength to face the automatic thoughts.
✍️ 5. Reauthor the Story
ü
So if
we were to rewrite your story, how would you describe yourself? Maybe as
someone who’s learning to trust their body again?
ü
What
do you want your relationship with your health to look like in 6 months?
ü
Do you
find yourself not just coping but rewriting how you relate to your health anxiety
and your identity?
💬 6. Strengthen the New Story
ü
Would
you like to write a letter to your past self from this stronger version of you?
ü
What
advice would the calmer you give when the Illness Voice tries to take over
again?
HERE IS A TIP ON WHAT TO SAY AND NOT TO SAY- IF YOU ARE CARING FOR SOMEONE WITH
ILLNESS ANXIETY DISORDER:
🫶 1. Be Non-Judgmental – Don’t Minimize
Their Fear
❌ What NOT to say:
- “It’s probably nothing.”
- “You worry too much.”
- “You’re just imagining things.”
Even if
well-intentioned, these can feel dismissive. For someone with IAD, the fear is very
real, even if the illness isn’t.
✅ What TO say instead:
- “That sounds really scary for you.”
- “I can see how hard this has been.”
- “Your mind is trying to protect
you—even if it’s overdoing it right now.”
🎯 How to do it:
- Acknowledge their emotions first, not the facts.
- Validate their experience before
trying to offer comfort.
Example:
“It must be exhausting to feel on high alert all the time. I believe you’re
really feeling this.”
🔍 2. Be Curious, Not Corrective – Use
Open-Ended Questions
❌ Avoid jumping in with:
- “You’re fine—stop Googling symptoms.”
- “There’s no point worrying.”
- “You already saw the doctor.”
.
✅ Try asking:
- “What does the anxiety usually say to
you when you feel that symptom?”
- “What makes that symptom feel scarier
some days than others?”
- “Have there been times when the fear
passed more quickly?”
🎯 How to do it:
- Use a gentle, curious tone,
like you're trying to understand their experience.
- Avoid trying to “fix” it. Help them
explore it instead.
Example:
“When the chest pain started today, what went through your mind? What was the
Illness Voice saying?”
🌱 3. Celebrate Small Wins – Reinforce
Progress
❌ Don’t say:
- “You only didn’t check your pulse for
an hour. That’s not much.”
- “You still seem anxious.”
That discourages
progress and reinforces perfectionism, which can fuel anxiety.
✅ Instead, say:
- “You didn’t check your symptoms for 30
minutes? That’s awesome!”
- “You noticed the anxiety and still got
through your day. That takes strength.”
- “You were able to pause and
breathe—that’s a big deal.”
🎯 How to do it:
- Catch and name the small victories—especially when they resist a
compulsion or tolerate uncertainty.
- Keep your tone positive and
affirming, even if the win seems tiny.
Example:
“You made space for that anxious feeling without reacting to it
immediately—that’s a big step. That takes real courage.”
💬 In Summary:
|
Principle |
What You Do |
What You
Say |
|
Non-Judgmental |
Validate their
feelings |
“That sounds
really overwhelming.” |
|
Curious, Not
Corrective |
Ask open
questions |
“What was going
through your mind when…?” |
|
Celebrate
Small Wins |
Praise
progress, however small |
“That’s a huge
step—great job noticing and pausing.” |
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