The impact that social media has on health anxiety explained

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[@lynnback2194]

I have anxiety/health anxiety. Honestly I blame all the commercials, news articles, and symptoms radio commercials on every little symptom you have could be this or that. Its sad because they are making people ill by trying to warn people.

[@jasmine8583]

Discovering your page was one of the best things that happened to my healthy anxiety. The fact that someone went through the same things as me and can relate makes me feel sane and less alarmed about my irrational thoughts and false alarms. Also, I was wondering if you could make a video and share some tips about health anxiety sufferers who are scared of medical setting and doctors. I myself suffer from this. You’d think that someone who had health anxiety would not be scared of the doctor but for me it’s a whole different story. I am terrified yet I drive myself insane worrying about my health at the same time. What can I do to make regular doctor visits something pleasant? I always go in thinking I will be delivered horrible news about my health. Thank you for everything you do! 💕

[@monicateo9452]

I’m the same , I’m horrified OCD about taking médication :(( and i do have a lot of anxiety

[@paromitabose2376]

I've been avoiding doctor visits for years. And that too has added to my anxieties. But I just can't stop panicking whenever it comes to doc visits, so much that I avoid going to the doc chamber. But I want to face this. It's getting worse. I do have health issues which actually get aggravated when I'm with any medical professional, because of my extreme anxieties and panic. I just don't know how to cope with this

[@crazybanana331]

It’s scary how accurate this is

[@sarahanne5403]

Tik tok started my health anxiety. It’s the absolute worst app for this.

[@ChitChatGaming]

It is! Because the algorithm gets you, always videos coming up of stuff you search ugh.

[@ashleighflood6262]

Tick tock convinced me I had colon cancer for the last 1.5 years do to constipation i had most my life and odd time mucus..which I had only when I'm constipated. If I have water and fiber I'm good. Nothing is getting worse in the area. My dr says very very likely IBS-C. Sometimes I go back to it but I realize if I did have colon cancer I would likely have positive fit test by now(I done 3 so far) and symptoms would of got worse. I'm now obsessing over lymphoma...I hope I'm wrong again 🤞

[@marissa762]

It made me terribly scared of rabies 😢

[@mswhittaker231]

Agree. I do love TikTok, and I’m addicted to it, but it isn’t good for my health anxiety at all. I hear about health issues I’ve never heard of and they might have a symptom in common of what I feel and instantly I wonder if that is what I have.

[@VeronicaE1987]

I just closed my TikTok account and deleted the app. It was driving me crazy😢

[@jessicafenton9599]

Thank you so much for this video. I’m currently in a downward spiral so afraid because I am constantly seeing almost a ton of cancer videos and I can’t help but feel it’s a sign.

[@elizabethmiracle9361]

It’s not. it’s KZbin Algorithm and your brain looking for it.

[@jingyii95]

I'm ashamed ro admit that I joined a sudden cardiac arrest survivors fb page. Since then I have learned more than I should and my life has become hell. I can't even get off of bed sometimes

[@cherellethinks]

I totally understand this. I joined so many Facebook groups when I was struggling. I’m so sorry to hear you’re struggling. Sending a virtual hug. ❤

[@peterwu8471]

So true! I have noticed recently that Facebook just makes me feel stressed for no reason - so strange. I have been thinking about just using social media less.

[@Alicepicklesandpop]

I suffered a medical emergency earlier this year and afterwards I joined several survivor support groups - and started following the hashtags. well, that threw my health anxiety into the stratosphere! Everyone discussing how they had it occur again or talking about a loved one dying from it, etc. Thank God I found your videos. I left those groups, stopped searching hashtags, and I’m slowly, very slowly getting better about not googling or calling the ER with every little new bodily sensation. Google: “Feeling impending doom is a symptom.” My brain: “Omg. We’re feeling impending doom! Do you feel that?!!!” So tiring. You’re a God send, Cherelle.

[@billijoizallmine]

Your videos calm me down so much. I was seeing the word cancer everywhere. Thank you for taking the time! Health anxiety is just awful! I’m going through a flare up after doing so well! Ughh I hate it when it creeps up on you! I think it’s the worst when you have a symptom. For example I had a funny tummy. I see a colon cancer video then an article and boom TRIGGERED

[@GobelZachuration11]

Ever since my 3rd health anxiety episode...I've been watching all your videos. I finally have my FIRST appointment with a therapist tomorrow and I've tried to call 8...with no answer or no return call. I'm 34. I had one small episode in college...my first one last year which left me in a psychosis for a WHOLE WEEK which took MONTHS to recover from...and then now...4 weeks ago I ALMOST slipped into psychosis again just from one WHAT IF thought in my head... not a symptom...just a thought.. And I successfully fought off a full panic attack but man... these past 4 weeks have just beaten me down. I had normal little things like dizziness...weird vision ...but that stuff didnt scare me. I work out very hard so every workout made my body even MORE tense and more sore than ever. My CHEST muscles near my armpit were SORE from sprinting with my high school sports kids. And I was sure it had to be lymph nodes lol... But I've got muscle knots in my back. Constant ringing in ears 24 7...and now...since deadlifting last Friday...my pelvic floor is messed up and super tight. So you can imagine that any pains or sensations near my groin, cash and prizes that it sends me into full alarm. Anyone else got any testicular discomfort and constant bladder pressure? No burning when I pee or anything like that. And see...some of the days I tell myself it's all like last year...just anxiety and 4 weeks of it is breaking me down plus tough workouts... But then I see the commercials...the billboards...actors in movies that make me think of certain diseases....everywhere I look I see certain words than give me jolts of adrenaline so I'm basically not able to go through one day without a jolt of adrenaline I have a childhood fear of a certain disease. My mother used to talk about it all the time. I saw it on TV alot etc...so...it just stuck. Plus I have a fear of dying early...and ALOT of guilt....but it's all because I truly appreciate my life and position as a role model for the kids I work with everyday. And I dont want to lose that. I'm in a tough spot...every trigger makes me believe I deserve to be sick or deserve to die the way I fear. The intrusive thoughts are exhausting And the fear is so bad...celibacy for the rest of my life literally seems like the only way to avoid the what if thoughts Thank you for what you do. You've made this last week a little easier for me but this anxiety is causing me pains in ways that scare me even more

[@stevelanghorn1407]

You’ve clearly been “through the Mill” and are now using that past suffering & experience in such a positive and helpful way. Your intelligent, articulate information is getting these messages across so clearly and is bound to support many who are currently struggling.

[@cherellethinks]

Thank you so much Steve! That’s such a kind message that made me smile! ❤

[@mattb1022]

This makes sense - the fact that we have access to so many people online that we don't even know, all with illnesses. We simply wouldn't have had this years ago, so it seems like illness blooming everywhere! Same with news online - I can find out about a semi famous person that's ill / dead before I've even made a cup of tea in the morning.

[@roddungan560]

You've helped me out through some dark times. Thank you.

[@lauradegelia5110]

Cherelle, thank you for your videos! You are helping me and many others! ❤

[@cedriccaunan434]

I felt that my submandibular gland is swelling and immediately I went online and look for answers. then I found out that it could be saliva stones stuck in my saliva gland or it's a salivary gland cancer. I went into full panic mode and keeps researching more. I feel more anxious day by day to the point it's debilitating. I can't properly think and my wife is getting pissed about my constant fear and research. Then, we went to the ENT to get checked. She checked under my jawline because that's where the glands are located. she didn't feel anything something swelling. She told me that if you felt a lump somewhere in your body and it disappears the next hour or day, you don't have to think it's cancerous. That right there, when she said it, it gave me peace for a while. I felt my gland swelling again and back to my old disgusting habit of googling info on what was really happening. My fear got so bad that even when I'm about to sleep I'm thinking about it, after I woke up that was the first thought in my mind. I keep on googling to the point I've managed to connect my swollen gland to different types of diseases. Due to this fear, my anxiety worsens and my jaw is now getting numb when I start to think about my health. You know the funny part? I know its health anxiety because when I exercise I don't feel anything, when I'm doing something I don't feel my symptoms, when I drink water my swollen salivary gland comes back to normal, when I do deep breathing exercises numbness will immediately go away, even now writing this comment I feel relaxed and no swelling or something. This health anxiety is just a brain thing, I need to be mentally strong to protect myself from myself. I'm hoping I can overcome it fast because it destroys life.

[@gabrielametodieva8360]

For us it’s so easy to focus on the one negative comment in the sea of positive/neutral and to get it into our heads. Even under your video the other day there was someone talking about the covid vax and it almost retriggered by anxiety because I had that same one some time ago. There is always this one person who wasn’t diagnosed with the illness I think I have which pops up just as I’ve forgotten about it and here we go again. I’m trying to tell myself what you always say “I’m sad this happened to you but this is not my story” and I’ve been improving my reactions lately and I manage to stop myself from catastrophising at least. It all calms down eventually when I don’t. Also so true about the algorithm, I deleted my whole Google history which was good but then I started googling again. Now I Google “goosebumps” and I get an article about MS right on top lol.

[@AdventureGameFan8]

This was very relatable! I've been dealing with health anxiety for almost 3 years now and am happy to say that I am regaining control over my life, once again focusing on my personal and professional goals and enjoying life more in general. I too followed a bunch of people who were sharing their cancer journeys (not sure why, probably because I wanted to make sure I didn't have the same symptoms, only to start obsessing over some general symptoms that can be caused by 100 things other than what they had). My YT feed was full of such videos. I ended up flagging all of them as "not interested" and "do not recommend this channel" eventually. That was very helpful!

[@KevinCafarella-hw2qv]

I have had GAD since I was 13 and I’m 33 right now and let me tell you since subscribing to your Chanel I have finally have some relief because all the symptoms you’ve discussed and said I got

[@sophiekelly3918]

Loved this video!Thankyou💞

[@osmanisildak2448]

Thank you for the informative and well advised videos! You are the next Doctor Ramani in the making! 🙏🏻

[@ginger1973wine]

Thank you so much for this...I can totally relate to this x Was triggered today by just reading the news...and by my social m feed xx

[@vtc8570]

This resonantes. Thanks for posting.

[@wtbwrites1806]

So glad we have you

[@xahra4846]

Thank you for everything.

[@cmhermes819]

I wish I could get my kid to watch more of your videos. She was happy to find the why it's not a tumor one and felt relief, but she refuses to believe that social media and googling is hurting her.

[@ariannesmakman5639]

Cherelle, love your videos!!! Watched the 1 about blurry vision. How long did it take for you to see "normal" again? Once you found out it was just anxiety caused?

[@dreamcatcher880]

I am going through HA and i am working on my anixtey every day i wanted to get out from this

[@droses6458]

Please please do a video for constant checking for moles/lumps/bumps please thank you!!!

[@raymarriss2440]

Thank you for your videos. I too have health anxiety. I have a pea lump on the side of my neck that's mobile since February. I asked a ENT specialist and just by touching it he said chances of it being bad is slim. However Google almost always reads pea size or bean size is swollen which I believe it is not..? Am I correct isn't that normal size? Actually, at times it gets smaller than a pea and then feels pea size. So it hasn't gotten larger but Size does fluctuates

[@odalesaylor]

Cherelle, how about the impact that constant health advertisements have on all of us. I find it quite depressing at times. Wish I knew a way to minimize their impact. I don't watch a lot of TV, but I still feel those effects.

[@gabrielametodieva8360]

I’ve stopped watching tv recently but since I developed health anxiety 2.5 years ago, the health ads have been multiplying by the day. It’s really disturbing. There was one where people are choosing what to order for dinner from an app and they were scrolling through different cancers instead of restaurant options. I got really mad honestly, next ad is for some fast food chain. It’s ridiculous and stressful for people like us to be exposed constantly to this kind of advertising. Not sure it achieves anything positive. I complained to some doctors and my therapist and they said I was too sensitive right now and that other people don’t see it this way and they are probably right.

[@lildipper5307]

I mute tv commercials now. I can't believe that every commercial is about some disease.

[@lukemurphy199]

Hi cherelle, did you ever get dizziness/balance issues that were always present ive had them over 4 months now along with muscle twitches and muscles spasms pain trying to work out if its caused by anxiety?

[@pedrofalcon2971]

Hello I have a question!I I wanted to know are you still expericening the muscle twitches?

[@lukemurphy199]

When you had twitches was it constant? I'm getting them everywhere I can't tell if it's anxiety/stress or something else I've been getting dizziness too for over 3 months😕 it's horrible

[@nektariosandmagdalena4985]

Some forums have scared me, saying my symtoomd arec lyme or problem with my autonomic nervous system 😢

[@ashleighflood6262]

I have swollen painless lymphnode in my neck near my thyroid for 1.5 weeks. I was told by one dr it probably my thyroid. Get tests right away. That was it for me, i freaked out. Another doctor said its likely due to infection to stop googling. She isn't concerned for thyroid or cancer.(even though thyroid disease runs in the family). My thyroid blood test came negative. I am waiting on ultrasound appointment. I did notice a canker sore thats making my neck, jaw and ear feels sore/achy but pushing on lymphnode doesn’t hurt. Not sure if lymphnode and canker sore is related🤔. They are all on the same side on the left. My mind is going crazy. I'm terrified its lymphoma. I'm in therapy for health anxiety but when you have lumps and symptoms nothing helps.(I also had fear of stomach cancer,colon uterus, uterine cancer over the years. Health anxiety is torture). I had a few breaks downs this past week over the lymph node wondering all worse case stuff. Picturing myself dying leaving my kids and husband 😢 You sound exactly like how I am with googling and obsessing online. My husband keeps telling me to stop it but it is hard though. Very scary. Anyone have issue like mine with a lymphnode in their neck?

[@LLuna95]

For like 3/4 months I’m having these muscle fasciculations in my legs, this only happens when I’m lying down on bed ( when I’m standing I don’t feel them ) I’m having this day in day out even when I wake up I feel them. It’s like my legs are constantly vibrating. I never had this before but I’m so scared im having MS or ALS. I only feel them in my legs! Did you ever had that? And if so, for how long? It doesn’t come and go it stays with me.

[@astrovedics]

Hi Cherell- I am in continuous fear. How can i consult you directly?

[@birdboxmecca]

i am about to hit a year with a burner phone... i am not ready to go ack and reconnect yet.

[@doris1986]

Hello, thank you for putting out this content for us! I am currently working with a therapist who just diagnosed me with this and I wanted to ask if you still do sessions on Patreon? I need some extra support and motivation from someone who's had a similar story to mine. Thank you!

[@brittanysacco2335]

Cherelle, how do you get a therapist session with you?

[@surbhichandnafever6066]

Did you take antidepressants during pregnancy??

[@Albyy75]

Thank you Cherelle, you always help me when I need your advice most, healthy anxiety for me goes away then comes back then goes away and comes back. I know I need consistency and balance but I can't seem to get it right.

[@Albyy75]

You deal with a lot as well :( I have the utmost respect for you!

[@ashleythomas5250]

Just don't know how to cope with these feelings anymore. My arms feel weak tight and cramp constantly. Go to bed and my one shoulder starts jumping and jerking it's always not just now and again surely it can't just be anxiety I just want to be happy and enjoy my family life the fatigue is so debilitating:/. Just can't sit and relax or enjoy life anymore.

[@katelyngreller]

You have no idea how much it means to hear that someone else has done the full detective work on people's social media to figure out when their illness started and try to find a nugget of information that would make it sound better?!

[@khushijain4708]

I'm so convinced that i have ALS... I have been twitching for 3 months and twitching came after i was going through a lot of stress about having brain tumor which turned out to be just a migrane!..i can hop on my one leg..i have climbed a mountain recently but i am still twitching widespread so is this enough for me to reassure myself that i don't have ALS

[@Trinityyyy777]

Me too this one for me is the scariest for me this time in terms of health anxiety as it feels different this time and there’s no cure. How you feeling right now

[@khushijain4708]

@@Trinityyyy777 i can walk but i feel uncomfortable + stiffness in my left leg

[@peterwu8471]

Did you have pain... I have so much pain at the moment - how did you handle it, if you did.

[@sweetie1208]

How can we have a 1:1 session with you?

[@wtbwrites1806]

Social media made me sad today. So many people excited that people are going to die on a submarine. Just because they are rich. People can be so cruel. Human life is still valuable. No matter how much wealth you possess

[@jago7467]

I haven’t slept cause I’m so scared I’ve been crying for a couple days cause I have small lymph nodes in my head neck and collar bone; It’s been 8 years and I have a son I’m just not ready to lose my life

[@tomsale5142]

Any pain

[@gaytrikumari7549]

Hey friend olss eeply ,i m from india ,when u wre in anxiety u also felt like light is dim,and there is less brightness in room

[@goofyguy6954]

Lol me too and become sleepy

[@jasonseifried7192]

I seen you stumble. Just joking. Awesome job thank you for sharing

[@pathyal489]

👇 *Promosm*

[@peterwu8471]

No sign of brain fog :)

[@roxannem2208]

I guarantee you have Lyme disease.

[@cherellethinks]

This comment has frustrated me. Firstly.. No.. I do not have Lyme disease. Secondly, if you were familiar with my channel you’ll know that I’ve been recovered for 3 years hence why I’m talking in the past tense. I got better not because I had Lyme disease but because I fully accepted that it was all my anxiety and my symptoms went away. You can’t just go around throwing comments like “I guarantee you have Lyme disease” when you clearly have little to NO context.

[@hk-nm8ox]

I hope you never struggle with health anxiety because this comment is just so insensitive

[@roxannem2208]

@@hk-nm8ox blunt maybe, but not insensitive. If you research it, you’ll see anxiety and panic attacks are one of the most common symptoms of Lyme disease. It’s one of the most commonly missed root causes of mental health illnesses. And since regular Lyme and Bartonella tests have a 56% false negative rate, many are left with untreated disease. There is no downside to PROPERLY ruling out Lyme disease if you have an anxiety disorder.

[@zayedabdillahaziz3151]

I'm zayed,17 years old.i'm much better now trust me with less obsession with your health get better don't go to google and you will get better Trust me when you look for it you will find examples of lymph nodes when you obsess you will find it cut off my ear if you can't find it I Found in the groin, neck, jaw, even the scariest thing on the right collarbone, but I know I'm forced to feel it it's not swollen at all I insist on feeling it if you look in the mirror and there's no visible swelling it's not swollen plus I'm a very thin person that's the reason I feel it Even if it feels it's soft and moves very easily under the skin,This started when I had LPR a year ago until now it was acid reflux, but I went to Google, then I was afraid of throat C, mouth C, then lymphoma, leukemia, testis C, stomach C, bowel C,Nose C,Skin C,Eye C,Even HIV iam never had sex my entire life never kiss,never use drugs,Also not to be left behind is my esophageal cancer scare Because I read that long-term acid reflux can cause it, then I read the lymph nodes on my right collarbone. I was scared, even though I didn't have any symptoms. Crazy story,and painful journey we can Through this, it sucks but we can't continue like this, start thinking positively, avoid Google, and excessive obsession.

[@LovelyArmadillo-cc1vr]

Same 😢😢are you OK know