Hypochondria is a discomfort that leads a person to believe that they have a serious illness due to a misinterpretation of their normal bodily sensations or any minor physical alterations. Officially it is no longer mentioned among the diagnoses included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (also known as DSM, now in its fifth edition). Rather, a "hypochondriac" person can be diagnosed with an anxiety or somatoform disorder. If left untreated, hypochondria can compromise a person's quality of life. However, with proper planning and proper care, you can avoid suffering from this discomfort.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Change Your Thinking
Step 1. Resort to psychotherapy
Talk to a knowledgeable and trained mental health professional who can help you solve your problems. Hypochondriacs sometimes suffer from latent anxiety or depression, disorders which, once cured, allow the individual to overcome the fear of disease. The intervention of the psychotherapist can also be useful in determining the cause of fears and defeating them in a safe and secure environment.
- To find a valid and qualified psychologist, consult this site:
- The therapist can help you by using different types of therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Step 2. Recognize your beliefs
One of the causes of hypochondria is the misinterpretation of how bodily sensations and / or physical symptoms work. Such a mistake, but also the lack of medical knowledge, can lead people to misinterpret the body's signals, considering them more serious than they really are.
Therefore, ask yourself how much you know about the human body and brain. If you do not have a strong medical background, in order to overcome hypochondria, try to find out about the simplest body sensations
Step 3. Learn about the most common bodily sensations
Learn more about the bodily sensations that usually occur, so that you don't fear being seriously ill when they occur. It can be helpful to ask friends and loved ones how they sometimes feel.
- For example, you could ask a friend if they have ever had heart palpitations (that is, if they have the impression that their heart stops beating temporarily). Since this is a fairly common heart beat abnormality, you will probably find that many of the people you know have experienced this kind of sensation.
- Also, try to consult the following article, which shows you the physical sensations usually perceived when you experience various types of emotion: https://www.lescienze.it/news/2014/01/02/news/mappa_corporea_emozioni_percezione-1945453/? refresh_ce
Step 4. Moderate your attention to bodily sensations
Probably, to be able to understand if you are suffering from a certain pathology you tend to give a lot of weight to physical sensations. Therefore, work out a weekly plan to gradually reduce the number of times you check yourself so that you can examine your physical condition a couple of times a day, or even less, by the end of the week.
For example, you could give yourself the option to do a physical checkup 30 times on the first day, reduce it to 22 times on the second day, to 14 times on the third day, and continue decreasing the number during the rest of the week
Step 5. Stop looking for reassurance
If, despite constant reassurance from friends and family about your health, you are unable to alleviate your worries, perhaps you would be better off asking nothing. This behavior could be counterproductive and worry you even more.
- Such an attitude may lead you to seek additional reassurance in an attempt to obtain some benefit to reduce anxiety, but it does not actually eliminate worries.
- If people who love you are constantly asking you how you are doing and their meddling is detrimental to your efforts to get rid of anxiety about some disease from your mind, kindly make this situation clear.
- You might say, "I really appreciate you being worried and showing your concern for my health condition, but I'm trying not to be tormented by the thought of some illness, so it would be really helpful if you ask me how I feel only once a week. ".
Step 6. Try progressive muscle relaxation
An effective way to reduce stress and improve psychophysical well-being is to resort to progressive muscle relaxation. It can help, in general, to calm the state of anxiety and, more specifically, to relieve the anxiety of being suffering from some pathology. To practice progressive muscle relaxation:
- Dedicate 15 minutes to yourself in complete peace of mind.
- Close your eyes and relax your body.
- Try to squeeze one muscle group at a time, flexing or stiffening it for about five seconds. Be careful not to exert too much tension or hurt yourself.
- Quickly relax the contracted muscle group as you exhale.
- It is very important to focus intensely on the perceived difference between tense and relaxed muscles.
- Once you have relaxed for about 15 seconds, repeat the same exercise with the other muscle groups.
Step 7. Consider medications
Although the doctor does not prescribe anything to treat hypochondria directly, it is usually associated with depression and / or anxiety disorders, for which there are drug therapies that can indirectly relieve the symptoms of hypochondria. If you think you can benefit from treating depression and / or anxiety, explain the situation to your doctor.
- They may decide to prescribe a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) to help you.
- Be sure to always consult with your primary care physician before starting, stopping, or changing taking a medication.
Part 2 of 2: Changing Behavior
Step 1. Keep busy
If you are prone to hypochondria, don't give yourself time to think about whether or not you have a serious illness. Rather, keep your mind busy by setting various kinds of tasks and goals. In fact, according to some studies, busy people tend to be happier than less active ones. If you have a hard time keeping busy with something, you might:
- Spend your time doing charity.
- Cultivate a new hobby, such as painting or sewing.
- Play video games or watch an episode of your favorite TV show.
- Starting a second part-time job.
Step 2. Avoid investigating symptoms using the Internet
Checking the symptoms on the Internet will only increase your fears and further alarm you. Often the symptoms are not so precise and can indicate several things. Generally, the most common causes related to any manifested symptom are related to a particular malaise, or at least it is statistically more likely that they are. However, if you spend your time searching the internet for what each little headache could be, you risk coming to the wrong conclusions.
For example, the headache could break out from a variety of causes, most of which are not dangerous at all. Still, if you research brain tumors and headaches, you may be frightened. Again, the chance of a headache indicating a brain tumor is extremely low
Step 3. Set a certain amount of time to devote to your concerns
Don't force yourself not to think about it: the more you try not to think about something, the more it pests you. Instead, set aside half an hour a day, when you are in a good mood and relaxed enough, to delve into and analyze all the possibilities from a rational and irrational point of view.
You may need to change your daily schedules before finding the right time to fit your needs. For example, it may sometimes be best to reflect on your worries in the morning so that you can return to your usual occupations with a lighter spirit. Or, it may be that the most distressing thoughts accumulate over the course of the day and it may be more liberating to face them in the evening
Step 4. Choose a good primary care physician
By constantly changing the attending physician you will only face different diagnoses, an infinity of examinations and conflicting opinions. Instead, find a doctor you trust, recommended by friends and family, or who gets great reviews online.
- It is best to let him know that you tend to fear the worst whenever you are sick or injured, regardless of whether it is real or just supposed.
- Ask him if you need to see a specialist instead of making this decision on your own. He is the best person to know if it is appropriate to contact a specialized doctor.
- If necessary, schedule appointments with your GP. Try to explain your symptoms and concerns to him and ask him if it would be helpful to establish a series of visits.
Step 5. Stay healthy
Do not think for any reason that you have any pathology, otherwise you will fall ill in a short time. Furthermore, if you follow an unhealthy lifestyle, you risk worsening your physical condition and interpreting your body sensations as symptoms of a serious health problem. So, treat your body well:
- Getting enough sleep for 7-9 hours a day, which is the time it takes to feel completely rested.
- Doing a lot of sport, for about half an hour a day, at least a couple of times a week.
- By following a balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables, bread, pasta or potatoes, proteins from meat, fish, eggs or beans, some dairy products and only a small amount of foods high in fat and / or sugar.
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Avoiding bad habits, such as excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine.
- Try not to drink more than 6 glasses of wine a week, distributing them evenly over the seven days.
- Try not to drink more than four cups of coffee a day.
- Also avoiding smoking, as it is a vice that is harmful to health.
Step 6. Gradually increase the behaviors you usually avoid
You will likely avoid engaging in certain behaviors because you believe them to be harmful to your health or think they can even lead to death. For example, if you are concerned about cardiac arrest, you may be able to avoid playing sports or having sex. To overcome illness-related anxiety, try gradually engaging in the things you normally avoid. Once you realize that they do not have negative consequences, you will understand that you really have nothing to fear.
By starting gradually, you will face very little risk at first, and that way no task will seem overly daunting. For example, if you are concerned about exercising because you think it will cause you a heart attack, you could start by taking a short walk. The next day try to walk faster and the next day try to run slowly for 3 minutes. You could then run for 5 minutes at an even faster pace and so on
Advice
- Try doing something you enjoy to keep your mind busy. This way you will not have the opportunity to ruminate on the diseases.
- If hypochondria is monopolizing your life, talk to your doctor: he can recommend a psychologist or psychiatrist, or prescribe some anxiolytics.
- Sometimes hypochondria can be caused by something else, such as depression or anxiety, so try to let your doctor know if you suspect you have a mood disorder.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. There is nothing wrong with consulting a psychologist or taking medications if these solutions allow you to live without being constantly worried about your health.
