Is it possible to control hypochondriac thoughts?How can I reduce this constant obsession with being aware of my body’s sensations?A sore throat that can be a symptom of a more serious infection, that pain in my abdomen that can become something that forces me to have surgery?There are many people who would like to calm their minds in the face of these conditions.
The current 2013 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V) removed the term hypochondria as a disorder, replacing it with two new ones: somatic symptom disorder and anxiety disorder; however, in our daily lives, a hypochondriac is always defined as someone who is convinced that he has an undiagnosed serious illness, despite repeated medical guarantees that he is not.
- It is important to highlight this fact: the impact on the quality of life of those with this anxiety disorder can be severe.
- At worst.
- Some of these patients can sink into the depths of depression and do so when they are overcome.
- By irrational fears difficult to control.
- Caused by self-diagnosis and anxiety about the unknown.
Fear of cancer, fear of contracting a virus, panic to get a loved one’s disease?The personal world in which the person is stuck with this clinical picture can be very painful, having strategies to manage such thoughts can be of great help. Help.
When a person undergoes therapy and exposes their phobias, talks about their germ anxiety, their fear of leaving home and contracting a virus, or suffering from certain incurable diseases, many things happen.
The first is that they are fully aware that many of these ideas are irrational, but still cannot control them, they cannot exercise logical control over their own fears.
Similarly, another dimension emerges, which is shame, as well as a sense of contradiction and anger for not understanding why they do what they do and feel what they feel.
Anxiety about a somatic disease or symptomatic disorder results in great exhaustion at all levels, people feel uncomfortable with themselves, have problems in their social relationships, because they feel unattended and often believe that the health system is not taking care of them properly, all of which arouses despair and therefore fuels basic anxiety.
Therefore, when it comes to understanding how to control hypochondriac thoughts, we have to get one aspect: studies such as those carried out at the University of Valencia by Gemma García and Amparo Benlloch highlight the importance of focusing on intrusive ideas and dysfunctional beliefs to address this problem. Disorder.
Let’s look at some keys
Hypochondria is not a disease, it is not only the fear of contracting certain diseases, if we want to control hypochondriatic thoughts it is necessary to know what motivates this condition, so we must take into account that what we are suffering, in fact, is an anxiety disorder.
Define, understand, rationalize, and remember that your anguish is the result of your emotions and a mind that anticipates things that are not true.
Is it true that your body experiences infinite sensations, is it also true that you suffer from headaches, throat pain, chest pressure?But don’t worry, anxiety and stress have symptoms as broad as limiting, as long as you feel a new sensation or discomfort. , do not look for possible cause on the Internet.
Remember the real cause: your thoughts, your anxiety, so don’t fear how your body feels, learn to accept them without worrying about them, and you’ll find that it reduces your suffering.
“It’s hard to swallow, I think my throat is swollen. Could it be cancer? To control hypochondriac thoughts, it is essential that you understand one aspect. Behind these beliefs about what is happening, there are a number of emotions that orchestrate the fact that we have one type of thinking and not others.
Fear, insecurity, anxiety, sadness, frustration? Many of these emotional realities stick to the mind, changing what we think, so whenever we think about what we can suffer is better to stop, later we will try to clarify what emotion lives in us, we will name and work on it.
Why do I feel this insecurity? What can I do to reduce its presence?
Are you afraid of developing cancer?Does having a chronic illness cause you distress? These are all normal and understandable fears. We all have them, fear is a normal emotion that has a specific purpose: if something scares you, act, but do it rationally, taking care of you, leading a healthy life.
Now, the last thing we have to do is feed it, make it excessive and let it invade our minds, feeding terrifying ideas will only increase anxiety and fear of disease.
You wake up in the morning and feel dizzy. Am I sick? What is the cause of this discomfort? The first thing we do is search the Internet. Well, to control hypochondriac thoughts, we need to apply small daily strategies.
For example, if I feel dizzy, I can sit down, wait for it to happen, and remind myself (rationally) that it’s a symptom of my anxiety Will I do something that makes me feel better: walking, taking a shower, relaxing with a book?With this I avoid fueling fear when entering the Internet. This, in itself, is already a very good thing, a big step and, therefore, I have to reward myself because I reacted well.
Finally, it should be noted that sometimes, even if these strategies are implemented, the desired results are not achieved, at our disposal we can count on the help of professionals and techniques of cognitive restructuring suitable to achieve improvements. Mind.