If you have health anxiety, you might feel like you are in a constant battle with your body. Any unusual symptom might seem like a looming catastrophe. You might feel driven to seek reassurance by searching the internet, by asking a loved one if they think you are OK, or by being a “frequent flier” at your doctor’s office. Or, your anxiety might lead you to avoid doctors, skipping physicals and important health screening appointments (e.g., mammograms and colonoscopies).

Regardless of how your health anxiety manifests, there are many strategies you can implement to start recovery:

If you have health anxiety and hear about someone else having a disease or dying, you might personalize it and think you are at risk for developing that condition. It could be a relative who died from a certain disease or even a friend of a friend of a friend on social media who developed a rare health condition at a young age. Or you might hear about a celebrity’s health issues and worry that you might have the same problem. It’s important to keep this statement in mind:

Just knowing about someone........

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