I’ve realized over time that the intensity of my hypochondria directly correlates with the stress I experience. Not necessarily everyday stress, but larger stressful events.
I was so close to getting over my hypochondria during my first year of university. During that year, I tried all sorts of techniques to curb my anxiety, for example, I started wearing an elastic around my wrist and I would snap it every time I felt an unwanted thought; it actually started to work. I felt pretty excited about the thought that I was curing myself.
What may seem absent from one’s conscious however, may really just be hiding out in the subconscious part of one’s brain.
In the spring of that year a close family member passed away. It was a very sudden and unexpected death and I was incredibly close to that person. Among all the grief, I seemed to ‘relapse’ back into my health anxiety. This family member passed away due to Type 1 Diabetes. Frustratingly enough, having that condition became another one of my main fears.
We can try to control our own brains (as difficult as it is to do this) but it’s the uncontrollable outside factors that make recovering from anxiety difficult. At least in my opinion.
Anxiety is really just our brain’s way of coping. Some people cope with life physically, through aggression. Some people (like me) seem to cope with things mentally. It’s really just an unlucky draw when you realize you have to learn to ‘cope’ with your coping mechanism. Isn’t it?
July 28, 2013 at 3:45 pm
Very interesting! Great writing!
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