Health Anxiety and Relationships
What is health anxiety? How do you know you have it? What does having health anxiety mean? Understanding how health anxiety can arise is important and how it can spread to different facets of your daily living. Health anxiety displays itself in a constant worry about medical or health concerns. Health anxiety can impact your relationship negatively if you do not get help.
The past year has seen a rise in anxiety-related mental health issues. Anxiety counselors in Orlando have seen relationships being negatively impacted by worry and concern for health issues. When this happens, one or the other partner may be isolating or limiting their interactions, activities, or mindset. You may not realize how important a relationship is to you until it is limited or you are unable to be proactive in your life. When this is combined with anxious tendencies surrounding your health and wellbeing, you may experience feelings of loneliness or relationship dissatisfaction.
STAYING CONNECTED WHILE BEING ANXIOUS
Health anxiety symptoms can prevent you from reaching out to others for support. Health anxiety can also cause you to want to avoid places, activities you used to enjoy, or people who you love. Losing your connection to others can further feed negative emotions and anxiety-related fears. If you are unable to get past the wall of maladaptive cognitive thought processes, speaking to a professional anxiety counselor is the right thing to do. This will help you learn to overcome health anxiety so you can maintain, improve, or develop relationships again.
STAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM
Anxiety tends to make you feel as though everything is out of your control and you begin to spiral into a patterned mindset. Health anxiety amplifies this. Relationships are about finding a middle ground and connecting to individuals that you want to have in your life. Try making these relationships a priority. You live in the technological age, implement video chat, phone calls, and text messages daily to maintain the feeling of connection to the individuals in your life. Health anxiety experts stress the importance your support system plays in your recovery. In terms of physical contact, put yourself first, not with the anxiety, but focus on engaging and not engaging because you want to. This either looks like you wanting to engage in physical activity with your friends or family or you don’t simply because you are tired, have a long day of work, have to get up early, etc. Challenge the mindset of health anxiety to reorient yourself to do things for yourself and put yourself first. Health anxiety only gains power over your relationships if you allow it to. Take the power back, and place the focus on what you need to live your best life!
Be proud of yourself!
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