How health anxiety can be managed

by Natalie Altman

“The doctor said it’s fine, obviously nothing is wrong with you”, in the depths of my health anxiety – I was told this by multiple friends and family members (all of whom were trying to be supportive) …but the doctor’s verdict wasn’t enough for me. I saw 5 doctors, went to A&E twice, phoned 111, spoke to multiple pharmacists, demanded a CT scan, even google told me nothing was wrong. And yet, nothing would resonate with me. My OCD and health anxiety combined are a terrible combination, and only when I went onto medication did it help.

Anxiety is an awful thing, and for me health anxiety is something I’ve struggled with for as long as I can remember. The good news is it can be managed. I don’t think medication is the answer for everyone, but for me it’s definitely helped. It can’t make the thoughts disappear – but it can stop them going round and round.

Health has always been something that’s scared me, how do I know if something is wrong with me? What if the doctors missed something? What if it’s different this time. CBT has helped me so much, and my partner is a complete saint and knows exactly how to rationalise me. Recently, I’ve started documenting my experiences on TikTok, and it’s opened my eyes to how many people experience the same thing. In under two months, I’ve already secured 100 new followers! And received messages from so many telling me how much my content is helping them.

Anxiety is serious, and I do think there is still stigma around it. Charities such as Anxiety UK are so important in changing this, but ultimately, the work is down to the individual. Something I’ve learnt along my journey is that you can have all the tools, and even be on medication, but you can only get better if you’re willing to put the work in. As the saying goes, nothing worth having comes easy, and your anxiety can certainly put up a fight. But, this is normal, you’re not alone. It will get better, I never imagined I would be this happy, but I am! I have a long-term boyfriend who is the most wonderful partner, a job I love, a beautiful flat with my boyfriend, and the most amazing friends and family. Things I used to be anxious about are now things I’m looking forward to with immense excitement.

My biggest tip would be, be open, talk to those around you like you would if you had a physical problem. Don’t treat this any differently. Similarly to if you were given physio exercises for a broken leg, do the exercises your therapist tells you to do.

You can order the book Overcoming Health Anxiety by David Veale and Robert Willson here   By ordering from Anxiety UK you are also helping to support the charity.

The views expressed by the contributor are not necessarily those of Anxiety UK, nor can we guarantee the accuracy of the information provided. If you would like to write a blog for AUK please email [email protected]  for more information.