Be honest about what you’re feeling and how you perceive your symptoms, even if you feel embarrassed. Give your physician as detailed a medical history as you can. Your doctor needs as much information as possible to offer an accurate diagnosis. Keep an open mind. There may be times when you think certain medical tests are necessary, and your doctor will disagree. There may also be times when your doctor will feel that you do not trust their judgment, and you may feel as if your doctor isn’t taking you seriously. If this happens, try to remember that your physician is trying to help you, even though you differ in the perception of your situation. Follow the treatment plan, including taking all prescribed medications. If you don’t, your doctor cannot accurately evaluate if the plan is working for you.
If you’ve never met someone with your condition, it can be profoundly validating to talk to someone who has suffered from the same sorts of fears and intrusive thoughts. Group therapy can introduce you to people who have learned to thrive with your condition, as well as people who are just starting out in treatment. Your group can provide you a support system for the times when you begin to waver in your treatment and start to doubt whether you want to continue. If you stick with your group, you can even eventually start giving back by helping others who are struggling. The internet is filled with message boards and forums for anxiety disorders where you can connect with and share feelings with others with IAD.
Many of the worst symptoms of IAD emerge while you’re alone and your brain starts spiraling into “what if?” questions, but your relationships can help you stay grounded. Friends are no substitute for treatment, but anything that helps you break up that avalanche of worries before it overwhelms you is a positive resource. A close friend might be able to see patterns in your life that you don’t, like that your symptoms escalated after the death of a loved one or the loss of a job. [7] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
Ask your doctor to refer a counselor in your area, or check the National Board for Certified Counselors’ online directory. [9] X Research source
Your doctor may ask you to stop monitoring your physical symptoms. This may cause you some anxiety, but allow yourself to feel uncomfortable.
Remind yourself that this uneasiness is evidence that the process is working and that you’re making progress. You’re not going to get better without making some significant changes, and the change process is always going to be difficult on some level.
You may feel more anxiety over perceived symptoms during times of stress in life. Working with a therapist will teach you to identify the signs so that you can stop those negative thoughts before they consume you. Attend all of your scheduled treatment sessions, even if you aren’t feeling well or aren’t sure it’s making a difference. If you don’t take your treatment seriously, it won’t work.
There are numerous blogs and forums where people relate the stories of how they came to understand their illness and learned to manage it. Reading these stories will help you identify many of the same thoughts and fears in your own life. Channel your anxiety into better understanding your disorder. Use the time you would have spent researching symptoms to read up on hypochondriasis.
When you’re feeling anxious or wish you had someone to talk to, write down your thoughts instead. Think about where your feelings originated. Are you terrified of experiencing physical pain? Have you watched someone close to you suffer with an illness? Exploring some of those bigger questions will help you uncover the thinking patterns that are underlying your anxiety. [11] X Research source Writing down your thoughts will allow you to track your symptoms and triggers. For instance, do you worry more when you’re stressed at work or arguing with your partner? Once you can identify those triggers, you can start to manage them more effectively.
According to research, serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed medications for hypochondriasis. Generally speaking, these drugs are not considered dangerous or physically habit-forming. As with most mental illnesses, a combination of medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most effective course of treatment for hypochondriasis. It’s possible that you won’t make sustained progress if you don’t take your treatment seriously, so stay with your therapy and medication even if you feel better.
Eliminate all foods that you suspect you’re sensitive to. Any food that causes you bodily distress will potentially produce symptoms that you could easily misinterpret. Additionally, eating smaller meals throughout the day will stabilize your blood sugar and help with digestion, thereby improving your mood and helping to reduce pains. Cut back on caffeine. Stimulants can worsen anxiety, and it’s difficult to control racing thoughts and sleeplessness if you’ve had two cups of coffee before bed. [13] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to source
Work out for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. If you currently have no exercise routine, feel free to start out small with 15 to 20 minutes of walking per day. To help manage anxiety, the frequency of your workouts is more important than the duration, so spread your sessions throughout the week. [14] X Research source
Use relaxation techniques before going to bed, like gradually tensing and releasing all of your muscle groups, one at a time. You also might be the kind of person who deals with anxiety by taking a warm bath or listening to some calming music. Go to bed at the same time every night and avoid napping late in the day, even if you’re tired. Over time, you’ll feel more rested and balanced. Any small disruptions in your sleeping patterns can make it difficult to get back on track, so do what you can to stick to your routine every day. [16] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
