6 MYTHS That Maintain Your Health Anxiety | Dr. Rami Nader

[@loriwelch9015]

Constantly taking my pulse, blood pressure has caused so much anxiety for me! My husband finally hid my blood pressure monitor. That has helped to work through this health anxiety. Not saying it’s easy, but I am trying to!! I’m on blood pressure medication because of anxiety when I take my bp! My grandmother had a stroke at 59. That’s why I struggle with this. I exercise 5 days a week and my weight is 125-126. So I realize my high readings are because of my anxiety when I take my blood pressure. Uggg what a fight. But prayer and therapy is helping. Thank you for this video!!

[@foreverhungry84]

I hope you are in a better head space. I am my own worst enemy with my anxiety.

[@dickjohnson7845]

Yeah, you got to stop checking your vitals all the time, it's a viscous cycle. I got sucked into the same behavior. My resting heart rate is around 60 and my BP on average is 110 over 75, with total cholesterol of 124 and perfect blood work otherwise. I work out 5 days a week, heavy free weights/powerlifting and 20 minutes of cardio. Don't smoke, rarely drink anymore and I don't eat junk, fast-food, processed foods. My trigger is my father. He died of a heart attack at 57. But, his lifestyle is very different from mine. He was about 20lbs overweight, not a lot by todays standards. He had high blood pressure and I believe elevated cholesterol. The biggest factor was he smoked from about the age of 14-15 all his life. All those factors put him at high risk. I've never been a smoker, aside from maybe 1 cigar a year. As I have entered my 50s, now being 54, I have this health anxiety about the age my dad died, 57. I feel as if the clock is ticking down to that age and I will meet a similar fate as my father, although that fear is totally irrational and unsupported considering the vast differences in our lifestyles and the advancement in preventative care.

[@dickjohnson7845]

@@foreverhungry84 We are ALL our own worst enemies in regard to Anxiety. It's internally fueled by out own minds.

[@Greatxz2007]

It’s a problem for me too! It’s very EXTREME! Currently I think I have cancer & then I thought I had lost weight, & then I thought I had a Tumor, then it was meningitis… It’s absolutely horrible & hope to go back here shortly & share my recovery process….

[@Q1nt0]

Managed to get over it ?

[@Greatxz2007]

@@Q1nt0 oh yes that was all gone within a few weeks & completely forgot about it!! Thank you for asking 😊

[@tinajohnson5685]

Oh my gosh you hit the nail on the head. Thank you for your videos. I fall prey to all 6 of these lies from anxiety.

[@DrRamiNader]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@OptimusRon23]

Had left side chest pain for 13 years…. Got every test possible and all came back negative. I can’t get my mind to accept that I don’t have a heart problem…. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

[@zachleaf5811]

I really mean this I'm in the exact same boat. Any tingle, palpitation, chest pain, ect... All make me spiral. You have to trust and remember how long it's happened. Health conditions are progressive. Something would have happened by now. Don't forget that.

[@daniellenunez185]

Thank you for sharing. I understand how you feel.

[@OptimusRon23]

@@zachleaf5811 appreciate that!

[@evagabrysova8871]

I've found my people...

[@antoniopavicevac-ortiz8886]

Hopefully you have found a resolution...Have you?

[@marylenahan8332]

So accurate, this help me make sense of the insanity of anxiety attacks. Thank you 🐛🦋🐦

[@DrRamiNader]

You're very welcome. Glad it was helpful.

[@gilliangirl1]

My problem is I WAS diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer 12 years ago. I can't stop worrying about its recurrence. I have pain right now in the same place, the doctor told me it's probably a muscle pull, mammogram and ultrasound came back normal. But here I am, completely freaking out.

[@casario2808]

You had the test so know that you are fine. I dont know if you have heard of "mind body syndrome" or "TMS", but its pretty well known now that when people get an injury/illness and then recover from it, the brain still "remembers" everything (especially when there was high emotional stress involved in original issue) and does its best to fire off neurotransmitters that trick us into thinking the pain/symptom still there and is important. This happens to me with my back. Had a bad injury, recovered, the test show there is structurally nothing wrong, but wow the pain can come up and be overbearing, trigging huge HA. This is not saying "its just in my head", its a real physical sensation, but its created by a misunderstanding in the brain. Its not the only way TMS works, but seems very common when people get pain "in the same spot" of a previous condition, even though there is nothing medically wrong. Sounds a bit woo-woo I know, but there is a strong body of evidence on this. Most doctors however are not trained or aware on how to address it (though things are changing) Or...maybe it was just a muscle pull. Either way, you are fine, and you can look after your health without having to freak out 24/7. Wishing you freedom from the HA nightmare , it really sucks

[@nickmasters8474]

Great video. Very helpful. I'm particularly guilty of 1,2,3, and 6. And most especially 1 and 6: (1) Focusing on my symptoms will help me determine the severity and danger, and (6) help me solve health problems. It can sometimes feel like anxiety is a being that is distinct from ourselves - sort of an evil being, or trickster, or that sort of thing (I don't literally believe this, but it FEELS this way). I watched your other video that explained how to learn to refocus attention away from troubling symptoms (in my case, a mild twitch/tremor in my index finger and thumb - a condition that my doctors say is benign). I tried to put it into practice, and actually found that trying not to focus on the symptoms was very distressing to me. It made me feel worse to not focus on it. But when I go through your suggested thought process, it is highly evident to me that my life has taken on a very unpleasant turn since I started hyper focusing on my symptoms and possible causes (dangers), and the worrying has very much negatively impacted my quality of life. I'm not solving my problem by focusing on it. It's not getting better, and I'm no more comfortable with the condition (it's very mild, too... I know other friends/acquaintances that have the same thing). I only continue to focus on how I may have some scary condition like Parkinson's disease or that even a benign condition that affects the stability of my hands may hurt my career as a music teacher. But worrying about it isn't protecting me... it's just making me anxious and upset. So it's ironic that trying not to focus on it would make me more upset. But I think that is the "trickster" or "demonic" nature of anxiety; the anxiety wants me to focus on danger, and tells me that doing so will keep me safe. It seems that anxiety is something that must be dealt with obliquely. You can't fight it head on (it almost wants that! "ENGAGE WITH ME, I DARE YOU!!!"). And you can't let it rule you; running away from your fears will make the anxiety more powerful. You have to learn to live WITH the anxiety... not fighting it, not running from it, but simply getting on with life. It's a very difficult balance... a balance I need to work at much more. I can only hope that us anxiety sufferers can learn powerful and useful lessons from this process, and that our difficult experiences now will make us stronger, and better in the long run.

[@taylormartin3613]

Thank you so much for all your health anxiety videos.❤ They are so comforting and have really helped me when I am spiraling over little things.

[@DrRamiNader]

You're very welcome. Glad you have found them helpful!

[@evagabrysova8871]

You are amazing.

[@emmacooper498]

I started feeling so anxious about my health 2 years ago and kept getting left side chest pain I thought I had a serious heart condition had every test imaginable everything came back negative no heart problems nothing and my anxiety has come back again recently and I feel the exact same way as I did before but this time I keep thinking I have sleep apnea it’s something different every time I think I have but this video helped me a lot to understand it thank you

[@DrRamiNader]

Glad it was helpful.

[@dswabis]

This is one of your most important videos in my opinion.

[@DrRamiNader]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@maguifreitas]

Can anxiety cause physical symptoms that remain 24/7? I don't know what it's like to wake up without thinking that I'm going to face another day with anxiety

[@loriwelch9015]

Yes. You can have stomach issues, heart palpitations, tightness in chest, numbness, burning sensation, nausea and many more. I have anxiety, I know how you feel. Just remember, it’s just anxiety. You have gone through the entire day and nothing happened because it was just anxiety.❤ what he said about focusing on the feeling makes it worse. That’s a good point.

[@maguifreitas]

@@loriwelch9015 In the last few months I have only been able to cry because I feel tingling sensations that appear and disappear and I have felt almost like muscle weakness in my right leg and arm. I hold things well, I've never dropped anything, but it's been a struggle living like this...

[@anushabokam7973]

​@@loriwelch9015 I also go through all of those you mentioned on and off on somedays😢😢😢😢how much ever i try to stay strong sometimes I become weak when the symptoms show up 😭😭

[@casario2808]

A doctor once told me that there were very few medical conditions she's encountered where the physical symptoms could also not in principle be 100% mimicked through stress/anxiety. I've had cluster headaches, IBS, chronic back and pelvic pain, long period of weird constant twitches and tingling, hyperacusis (sound sensitivity), throat reflux and a few other "conditions" , often 24/7, that had no structural issue at all....completely anxiety. It sucks, and I know what you mean about almost forgetting what its like to not have anxiety, but we can unlearn anxiety and its symptoms, bit by bit, day by day, and meanwhile remember you are fine.

[@casario2808]

@@maguifreitas BTW as someone who has looked into HA resources online for many years, this channel is really the best IMO. Also, if things appear and then disappear, that is one (of many) signals that its rooted in anxiety and not a structural problem.

[@burpbo2043]

Hiya Dr Rami Nader Your video's are excellent and you explain in great depth and breaking it down which is greatly appreciated. I have tried corresponding via your website email. Kindest regards

[@BrendaNoon]

Your videos about this topic have helped me a lot, thank you. But I have a question, what if my concerns about my health turn real and it turns out I do have some medical issue? How to deal with that double anxiety? The health anxiety and the actual anxiety for my health status? Hope you can make a video about it

[@thomasyarbrough1381]

Hi, I can relate, as I had to work through this duality with my COPD vs Anxiety, both cause shortness of breath or sensation of shortness of breath. I found the more I worked on my health anxiety the easier it was to understand and cope with anxiety over my real medical condition. If you eliminate/minimize anxiety over perceived outcomes, all you are left with are the real here and now knowables, so the duality fades/disappears. That is what has helped me. I can now easily determine what is my panic and what is a COPD flareup, because of that I can turn my attention to do what is best to treat either situation. Best to you, hope this helped.

[@DrRamiNader]

This is great insight. Thank you for sharing your experiences!

[@BrendaNoon]

@@thomasyarbrough1381 thanks so much for sharing, I will definitely try this out.

[@hushboi4671]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@DrRamiNader]

You're welcome!

[@hemalpatelm]

For the last 7 years, I've been experiencing health anxiety about different diseases. Recently, I feel like I'm having trouble speaking, but no one around me, including my wife, notices anything different. I'm convinced I have ALS and have started showing symptoms. Seven months ago, I thought I had a brain tumor and got an MRI, which was normal. I keep searching online about ALS and now genuinely feel I have it. I've had similar anxieties about other diseases over the years and have seen many doctors with normal reports. I'm 40 years old and from India. What should I do? Please help me.

[@yumeiye9517]

Another believe is I do not trust my body can its own course and I can save my body from danger using my mind.