Health anxiety can be an exhausting and overwhelming experience. It's more than just worrying about being unwell. It can take over your thoughts, impact your day-to-day life and leave you constantly feeling on edge. You might find yourself checking your body for signs that something is wrong, looking up symptoms online or booking repeated appointments with your GP for reassurance. And even when you're told everything is fine, the sense of unease lingers.
Health anxiety is a form of anxiety where your mind becomes stuck in a cycle of fear and worry about your health. You might notice physical sensations in your body and immediately worry that something serious is happening. A racing heart becomes a heart problem. A headache becomes a brain tumour. A stomach ache feels like something life-threatening. These thoughts can feel very real and very frightening.
It's not just the physical symptoms that cause distress. Health anxiety often brings with it a constant state of mental alertness. You may feel tense, find it hard to concentrate, struggle to relax or experience poor sleep. Your mind might be constantly scanning your body or jumping to worst-case scenarios. It can feel like you're on edge, always expecting bad news.
What many people don't realise is that health anxiety can sometimes be deeply connected to grief. When we lose someone we love, especially if their death was sudden, unexpected or due to illness, it can shake our sense of safety in the world. We are forced to confront the reality that life is fragile and unpredictable. This can trigger a deep fear that the same thing might happen to us or to someone else we care about. It is not unusual to become hyper-aware of your own health and to begin to fear symptoms that previously wouldn't have caused concern.
Grief can heighten our sensitivity to anything that feels threatening. After a bereavement, many people describe feeling more vulnerable, more anxious and more fearful of dying. If the loss was traumatic or if it brought up unresolved fears, the mind can hold onto that trauma and turn it inwards. Health anxiety can become a way the mind tries to make sense of, or gain control over, something that feels completely outside of your control.
You may also feel the weight of unprocessed emotions. Fear, guilt, anger, sadness, all of these are natural parts of grief, and when they are held in, they can show up in the body. Health anxiety can sometimes be a sign that your grief is needing space and attention.
When you're grieving, you are already carrying a huge emotional burden. If health anxiety is added into the mix, it can feel as though you are constantly battling with fear. You may feel isolated and misunderstood, especially if those around you don't quite grasp how much it's affecting you.
Counselling gives you an opportunity to explore what you're going through, to help you make sense of things and how it's all come about. It's not about being told to stop worrying or to just think positively. It's about understanding what might be underneath the anxiety and gently working through it at your pace. In counselling, we can look at how your fears may be linked to loss, trauma or uncertainty. We can work together to help you feel more grounded, more in control and less at the mercy of your thoughts.
You don't have to face this alone. With the right support, it is possible for you to feel more at ease in your body and to reduce the constant worry. There is hope that life can feel calmer and more manageable again.
If any of this feels familiar and you would like to talk, you can call, text or email me to get started.