How to Deal with Thoughts

Hypochondria is a condition in which people believe they have a serious illness because they mistake common bodily discomforts for the real problem. This disease is no longer a formal diagnosis in the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for mental disorders. Instead, those presenting with “mythology” were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or a somatic disorder. ^{[1] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source} If left undetected and treated, this condition can have a negative impact on quality of life, but you can avoid it if you know how to take care of it. self.

Table of Contents

Change your way of thinking

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Find a treatment. Find a mental health professional to help you work through the problems. People with delusional disorder sometimes have problems such as anxiety or depression that, if treated, can help them overcome their fear of getting sick. ^{[2] X Research Resources} A therapist will help you find the causes of your fears and overcome them in a safe environment.

To find a licensed psychologist, check out specialized medical or hospital websites.
A therapist can guide you through different therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy.

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Examine the subconscious. One cause of delusional disorder is a misunderstanding of how the body’s sensations and/or pain signals work. This misunderstanding or lack of understanding leads them to mistake sensory cues and think they are more serious than they really are. ^{[3] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

So you need to ask yourself how much you’ve learned about your body and brain. If you haven’t learned much about these things, one way to get over your delusion is to learn more about the basic bodily sensations.

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Educate yourself about common sense. Know what feelings are normal so you don’t become afraid of being seriously ill when they appear. You should ask friends and family about the experiences they feel at times.

For example, you should ask if they’ve ever felt a pounding heartbeat (heart palpitations like it missed a beat). Chances are you’ll find out friends and family have had this feeling before as palpitations are quite common. ^{[4] X Harvard Medical Schop Trusted Source Go to Source}
You can also use the resource below to learn about the feelings people often experience when they experience different emotions: http://www.pnas.org/content/111/2/646 .full

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Limit thinking about feelings. People with delusional disorder often think a lot about how they feel to detect illness. Plan for a week to slowly reduce the number of sensations you think about each day, so that by the end of the week you’re thinking about them only a few times a day. ^{[5] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

For example, the first day you allow yourself to think about the sensation 30 times, the second day you reduce it to 22 times, the third day to 14 times, and continue to reduce the number of times until the end of the week.

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Stop looking for reassurance. If you want family and friends reassurance that you don’t have an illness and that doesn’t rule out your concerns, it’s best to stop. The reason is because it can backfire and make you more anxious. ^{[6] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

The reason is that more and more you desire reassurance, in order to reduce anxiety, which is a problem that often occupies the center of your mind.
If your loved one is constantly asking about your health and it’s hindering your efforts to get the anxiety out of your mind, you should let them know.
You can say, “I’m so grateful you’re always concerned and worried about me, but I’m trying to forget about my illness so it’s best if you just check in with me once a week.”

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Apply the method of dynamic relaxation, stretch – relax muscles. An effective way to reduce stress and promote general well-being is dynamic relaxation techniques. This approach helps reduce anxiety levels overall and specifically, anxiety about illness. ^{[7] X Research Sources} The procedure is as follows: ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Take 15 minutes of quiet time for yourself.
Close your eyes and relax your body.
Apply tension to a specific muscle group by squeezing the stretch for about 5 seconds, being careful not to overtighten it; otherwise, you may get hurt.
Quickly release the tense muscle group while exhaling.
It’s important that you focus intensely on the difference between feeling a stretch and a relaxed muscle.
After about 15 seconds in a relaxed state, you repeat the whole process with other muscle groups.

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Consider taking medication. Although doctors do not directly prescribe medication to treat hypochondria, it is often associated with depression and/or anxiety disorders, which are medical conditions that can be treated with medication. Thus, these drugs may indirectly improve the symptoms of hypochondria. ^{[9] X Research Source} If you think treatment for depression and/or anxiety is helpful, explain it to your doctor.

Your doctor may prescribe a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).
You should consult your doctor before starting, stopping, or changing the way you take your medicine.

Lifestyle change

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Make life busier. If you are prone to dementia, don’t give yourself time to think about whether you have a serious illness. Instead, you should keep your mind busy with many tasks and goals set for yourself. In fact, many studies show that busy people tend to be happier than free people of the same age. ^{[10] X Trusted Source Greater Good Magazine Go to Source} If you can’t find a job you should:

Dedicate time to charity.
Find a new hobby like painting or sewing.
Play video games or watch your favorite TV shows.
Find part-time jobs.

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Avoid searching for symptoms on the internet. Learning about symptoms on the internet only makes you more fearful. Symptoms are often described in very general terms and a great deal can be inferred from them; The most common cause of the symptom you are having is usually itself, as statistically that is the most likely. However, if you spend time searching the internet for the causes of mild headaches, you may get the wrong conclusion.

For example, there are several causes of headaches, and in general most are harmless. But if you read an article about brain tumors and headaches, chances are you’re scaring yourself. The chance of developing a brain tumor that leads to a headache is extremely low. ^{[11] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

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Schedule anxiety. Don’t try to “no” think about anything. The more you try not to think about something, the more you will think about it. Instead, take 30 minutes each day when you are in a good and relaxed mood to go through all the symptoms and analyze both the possible and the unfeasible. ^{[12] X Research Source}

You may have to experiment to find the anxiety schedule that works best for you. For example, for you, the best time to worry may be in the morning so that you can rest assured to work during the day, or if anxious thoughts accumulate during the day, you find the end of the day is the right time to let go. all worries.

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Follow up with a good doctor. Constantly changing doctors only yields different diagnoses, different tests, and different responses. ^{[13] X Trusted Source Cleveland Clinic Go to Source} You should find a trusted doctor who has a track record of both your friends and family or has good articles online.

Tell your doctor if you tend to fear bad things happening every time you get sick or injured, whether real or believed.
Ask your doctor whether to see a specialist and get a referral instead of looking for a specialist yourself. A doctor is someone who has the expertise to decide if you need to see a specialist. ^{[14] X Cleveland Clinic Trusted Source Go to Source}
Schedule a medical appointment if needed. You must describe your symptoms and concerns to your doctor, then ask them if they need to see a doctor.

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Maintain a healthy life. Don’t give yourself any reason to think that you might get sick or will get very sick in the near future. In addition, if you lead an unhealthy lifestyle, you often feel that your general health is not good and misinterpret these emotions as signs of serious illness. So you must take care of your body by:

Get as much sleep as 7-9 hours a day, or as needed, to feel fully recovered. ^{[15] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}
Exercise regularly, aim for about 30 minutes a day and a minimum of a few days per week. ^{[16] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}
Have a well-balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables, bread, pasta or potatoes, protein such as meat, fish, eggs, beans, some dairy products, and only a small amount of foods high in fat and/or fat. or road. ^{[17] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}
Avoid unhealthy habits like drinking too much alcohol or caffeine.
- Try to have no more than 6 drinks a week and spread your alcohol intake evenly throughout the week. ^{[18] X Research Sources}
- Do not drink more than four cups of coffee per day. ^{[19] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}
Avoid smoking, this is a very bad habit. ^{[20] X Research Source}

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Gradually increase the behaviors you previously avoided. There are certain behaviors you want to avoid because you think they make you sick or potentially fatal. For example, if you’re too worried about having a heart attack, you’re more likely to think about avoiding exercise or sex. To overcome illness anxiety you should engage more in behaviors that you used to avoid. Participating like this without any negative consequences will help you realize that there is really nothing to worry about. ^{[21] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

Start slow so you only face the slightest risk, so the quest won’t be so scary. For example, if you’re afraid of exercising because you think it’s going to give you a heart attack, you could start by going for a light walk. The next day you walk a little faster, the next day jog for 3 minutes. The next day you start running at a moderate pace for 5 minutes, and so on.

Advice

Try to do things you enjoy to keep your mind busy, so you don’t think too much about illness.
If the illness is affecting your life too much, you should let your doctor know. They may suggest that you see a psychologist or psychiatrist, or will prescribe medication for anxiety.
Sometimes it’s thought to be just the result of another problem, such as depression or anxiety, so you should let your doctor know if you think you’re experiencing this.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There’s nothing wrong with seeing a psychologist or taking medication if it helps you live a better life without having to worry about illness.

Steps

Change your way of thinking

Lifestyle change

Advice

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