Overcoming Health Anxiety and A Fear of Death | Mental Health Webinar

Do you have health anxiety? In part two of his webinar Ken Goodman, LCSW shares the treatments and approaches to addressing health anxiety.

If you or a loved one is seeking more information on anxiety:

If you or a loved one is experiencing a crisis, please call or text 988, available 24/7

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The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), a non-profit organization, leads in education, training, and research for anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, OCD, and co-occurring disorders. ADAA also provides free evidence-based mental health information and resources to the public.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
7:02 Overcoming Illness Anxiety Overview
15:12 Demand Reality
29:41 Exposures for Illness Anxiety
30:55 Blood Pressure Exposure Example
34:03 Mindset for Exposures
44:00 Relaxation Breathing
47:52 Exposure Therapy Example
58:39 Q&A

[dillondonnelly]

I never comment on videos, but I have been going through extreme health anxiety for the past month, and both parts of these videos have helped tremendously. Thank you guys for doing what you do!

[rothschildianum]

How do we know if we REALLY health anxiety? 1. Check your heartbeat, it will be high 2. You will have hard time to sleep and stay asleep, and 3. Muscle pains. These are the three main symptoms for those who really have severe health anxiety. From this stage, it will get worse. You will have gut problem, then skin problem, GERD, etc. Unless, you are able to extinguish your fear, you will never get out from this situation. It took me about 2 years to finally get out.

[angel.heart]

Hearing this helps, but as I listen to this video, my anxiety is through the roof at the moment. I don’t check/google anymore. I talk to and tell my anxiety “okay do what you need to do and hurry up” I tell myself I’m fine. BUT it’s still here. I’ve been fighting anxiety for over 11 years. I’ve had so many tests done and I know I’m okay. But I do have some health issues and when I feel the symptoms related to those issues my anxiety is triggered then immediately I go straight to thinking I’m dying. With that I head straight to go use the bathroom. Never fails. Breathing techniques make me lightheaded most of the time. What helps me calm down is typing my thoughts in a forum or comment here to help feel better. Sometime I get better but then I fall back into the anxiety loop. The techniques I’ve learned through therapy helps but I’m still fighting. I can’t even take my prescribed medication as I feel the medication does more harm to my organs than calms my anxiety. And YES I can’t stand taking my BP. I purchased a home one and I hate looking at it. It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one who has these crazy thoughts, behaviors and extreme worries. Ugh.

[angel.heart]

Im here again. This is the worst. This anxiety has pretty much ruined my life. I’ve had therapist and my doctor check for all my symptoms. Most things I thought I had I didn’t. Thankfully.
BUT I did find out I had fatty liver, a gallstone and a kidney stone. I have GERD and I have a slight issue with my thyroid. I don’t google much anymore unless it’s a new symptom. Mostly I talk to my Dr right away. Also my anxiety is worst at night. Causes me insomnia, like right now. I’m still overly hyper aware. I feel the tightness in my chest. I feel the tightness in my throat. I feel palpitations. I feel faint and sick to my stomach. And I’m back at step one. I doze off and my body won’t let me sleep. Affirmations and breathing techniques haven’t helped.
I’m lost and feeling hopeless. I know my actual health issues and it still causes me to spiral into fight or flight, or panic attacks. This is horrible. And you speak on everything I deal with.! My Dr had me buy a blood pressure machine so I’d get comfortable with it. But noooo my BP is high then comes down at my visits. This has been the roughest few years. Ever.

[yasrugg]

This is amazing, both videos helped a lot, anxiety level decreased! Huge thank you for your time and advices!! We need more people like you. I cant imagine how many people you impacted positively especially during the pandemic. I will forever remember to just be certain enough. Thanks again!!!

[AnkitRaj-bduw]

I had my first panic attack in Dec 2021. I am experiencing all kind of physical symptoms now (acid reflux, indigestion, bad skin, shortness of breath, bloating chest tightness, light headedness). Whenever I hear the news or read the word heart attack or cardiac arrest I get very anxious. To make the case worst I hear the news of heart attacks daily among young people as well and then there is vaccine conspiracy . I am 25 and do not want to live like this man . slowly I have accepted the fact that Death is the only truth about life . Cardiophobia sucks man as no amount of tests can guarantee about heart health.

[thequeenofcydonia]

This is very helpful and since i'm really struggling at the moment i plan to come back several times to thise video as well as part one. Thank you so much for sharing.

[casario]

For me the Health Anxiety often leads me into depression, which on top of the anxiety makes things even worse. All the more reason to try to look at HA as an "opponent" as Part 1 talks about and recognizing the lies etc. at the source

[AyushiAgrawalYT]

I can't tell how much grateful i am for having watched these sessions. every concept every detail every slide every word of yours was exactly what i was searching. i feel very relieved. i hope i am able to apply all the methods and deal with my anxiety soon.

[Amy-tlxe]

Here is a great example of health anxiety. My sister-in-law was diagnosed with ALS when she was 58. I became terrified and convinced that I had it. I was having all kinds of muscle twitches in my legs. It is amazing what the creative mind can conjure up! Naturally it was a terrible time for us all, but I certainly did not help the situation with my fears (which I shared only with my husband who reassure me - now we know better about that!) Thanks so much for this wonderful presentation.

[shahidmasud]

I am paramedic working in poor and rural community. Got so many answers from your ADDAA webinar. I am very thankful and grateful to you.

[jMOPS]

These videos about health anxiety have been very helpful and enlightening. I’m almost thirty and had a back injury a few months ago that have left me with bad pain and numbness in my fingers on my left hand. I have been out of work and under a lot of stress not knowing when I will be pain free or if I ever will be. Since then I’ve had bouts of other symptoms like feeling dizzy and more tingling in my hands and feet and I now realized that it’s anxiety, which has been hard for me to understand since I’ve never had anxiety before. But thanks to these videos it’s helping me get a grip on what these other symptoms are and in turn not stressing myself out even more.

[carolwhelihan]

my health anxiety is anxious obsession about having Gen. anxiety disorder and fearing the symptoms mean i am "crazy" and that the anxiety will never go away. I focus on my feelings of hyper vigilance and can't seem to accept those hyped up feelings. I have rushes of adrenaline, cortisol, etc many times a day and these are the symptoms I fear. I know what I should be doing, ... I fear the "fearful feeling".

[riosmoodie]

I used Weedborn CBD products and healed without any problems.

[wallyrbc]

Thank you SO much! By far, the most helpful resource I’ve found.

[michaelanthony]

Great word activity. Makes me feel better about doing these myself. One reason why I never considered it was because I always was conditioned to believe and I should feel bad when I read stories with those words there, I would feel major guilt. However, I'm now realizing that I could be compassionate for the person who has it, but not for the thing itself. Removing the power from the word/illness does not remove the compassion for the person who has it. Thank you!

[valerie]

This has been an extremely 2 part series. Thank you so much for sharing it and continuing to share it! The exposure treatment at the end was extremely helpful too!

[CheekyMama]

It's too bad that the sound quality of this is so horrible. I was so excited to hear part 2.

[JanaeJohnson]

Both part one and two have helped me so much!!😢❤ Thanks guys! I'm getting so much better!❤

[sunset]

Thanks. I also found the small book "30 Days to Reduce Anxiety", by Harper Daniels, to be a good resource.