How I am managing my health anxiety by Charlie Winton

I think in some form we are all anxious about our health. Whether it is the big picture of death and the anxiety of when that day comes or what (if anything) comes after or ongoing daily reminders about diet, sleep exercise and enough vitamin D, it can be an incredibly anxiety-inducing topic to think about. Then you add the pressures of other areas of life into the mix and it can be quite an overwhelming situation.

I can be somewhat of a hypochondriac. I am relatively young as a thirty-year-old but I have become more aware of the choices I am making each day and how that impacts my long-term health. Am I eating the right foods, am I exercising enough and limiting things like alcohol? Being afraid of the negative impacts of these things can take a large toll on your mental health.

I often find myself over-analysing joint pains, headaches, moles, lumps or bruises and we all know heading to "doctor google" will lead you down a rabbit hole of anxiety and stress. Then there is the public healthcare system, under pressure trying to meet the needs of the population and I often find myself not wanting to add myself to the queue if I don't deem my ailment serious enough for treatment.

All of these worries can take it out of you. The stress has led to me struggling with sleep and panicking about what the future holds when it comes to my own health. For others struggling with this topic, you are not alone. I know how debilitating it can be.

I have found it is the small things that make a difference, particularly what I can control myself. I cannot control if this lump is serious or this persistent headache is a sign of something to worry about. I can control how I exercise, educate myself on healthy habits and book an appointment with a doctor if it continues.

The issue with health anxiety is that the anxiety itself can be more damaging to us than the actual symptoms we are experiencing. I always tend to make things worse in my head and constantly thinking about what could happen.

For those who are also experiencing health anxiety, know there are great resources and that relying on the internet is not always the best way to ease these concerns. We have input all of the NHS inform resources into our free OK+ app and it will tailor the information based on your situation. This has been a massive help to me personally as I navigate the panic around bouts of health anxiety.

Hopefully raising more awareness on this topic will resonate with you. Sharing experiences and resources is something that helps me to better understand it and I hope this blog has been helpful in some way.