Are you a hypochondriac?

I’ve become more of a hypochondriac in the last few years. I guess it makes sense after all the various health scares I have encountered. Despite this, I know that it is still very important for me to keep my health anxiety in check and not let it dominate my life. The media doesn’t help either. Every day there is some new message about what we shouldn’t be doing or shouldn’t be eating. So I reckon the best way to be, is to enjoy life and moderation and forget all the doom mongering.

I have recently been diagnosed with a severe dog allergy and this has caused asthma attacks over the last few months. There have also been times when I have been out and about, like waiting in a long queue at the post office when I have had a coughing fit. Always embarrassing especially when people give you dirty looks, believing you are contaminating the air.

What this has done for me, is that I have developed quite a thick skin-so in some ways my health issues have served me well.

So how do you know if you are a hypochondriac? Hypochondriasis often occurs in people who are already experiencing anxiety. The best way to deal with hypochondriasis is to test out your beliefs. It is a term that mental health professionals call “exposure”. The more we test out our theories, the more we realise that what we fear will not come true.

Do you worry a lot? Do you engage in behaviour that maintains the problem-such as excessive health monitoring and googling all sorts of symptoms on the Internet? More we monitor the more we stay focused on our health. Do the regular health checks and learn to detach from every small anomaly in your body. The body has amazing healing properties and when our minds are focused on health and functioning well, our bodies tend to follow.

Trust the things are unfolding as they are meant to.

Mandy X

Author: Mandy Kloppers

Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.