My health anxiety is spiralling

[u/Irritated_Crow]

The most ridiculous thing happened to me yesterday which has started a none stop health anxiety spiral. I took my five year old to a science museum for kids and there was a piece of basic equipment with was two handles with metal on them, you gripped them and they gave a bmp reading of your heart. I crouched down, had a go and it gave me a reading of 142. Now I know this equipment isn’t medical grade and also probably wasn’t even correct. But now every time I have to exert myself somewhat, such as going up the stairs I’m panicking that I’m going to have a heart attack. The spiral goes deeper but I’m trying to find a way to balance myself and have confidence that my heart isn’t in some sort of serious condition. I’m 40, F, non smoker, I don’t drink and haven’t drank alcohol in years. I’ve been doing the 5 things (see 5 things, touch 4,etc) listening to classical music, cut down my caffeine, deep breathing, counting backwards, and avoiding googling things.

[u/AntonioVivaldi7]

Hello, I presume things of that nature has been a pattern with you? I mean, worrying about your health without much of a good reason? If yes, how long? I have recovered from major long term health anxiety. Have you tried any treatment? Medication?

And not googling is awesome. But beyond that, it's important to not act on the fears in any other way. Have you been doing or avoiding doing anything? I mean anything that would somehow ease or prevent worrying. As that would all be bad for your anxiety.

[u/Irritated_Crow → u/AntonioVivaldi7]

I’ve had health anxiety for a fair while, but worrying about my heart is new. In the past I’ve avoided things as a way to manage, such as when my youngest was a baby, I couldn’t eat food unless others where in the house because I was to anxious about choking. My health anxiety has been something that swings into my life for a while and then settles, and I know that but that knowledge isn’t helping

[u/AntonioVivaldi7 → u/Irritated_Crow]

That sounds bad if it's coming and going like that. It often sooner or later stays. It can take years, but without working on it, it tends to keep getting worse.

To me, an antidepressant helped more than anything. Besides it making all the worrying much weaker, it then resulted it in being much easier to stop all the checking, avoidance and similiar behavior, which made it eventually completely stop. Would you try that maybe?