Health Anxiety and How to Overcome It

We all want to be in the best possible health, and taking care of our bodies and minds with regular exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy eating are all part of that.

Unfortunately anyone can fall prey to health-related anxiety, even people who are in excellent health. Headlines about outbreaks, cancer rates, and drug-resistant viruses can make us feel helpless and worried about our health.

Worrying excessively certainly does nothing to improve general health. In fact, worrying too much can make you feel much worse by causing headaches, back pain, or stomach-aches.

This is why it is important to deal with health-related anxiety in a way that is efficient. People who have anxiety related to their health may continue to feel worried and nervous even after being reassured by a health professional that they are healthy. They may constantly think small physical complaints are a sign of an underlying disease or serious illness.

A recent study examines the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on people who have health-related anxiety. The study involved over four hundred participants who had some kind of anxiety and fear over their health. CBT is considered one of the most “cost-effective” forms of treatment for people with mental health conditions ranging from anxiety disorders to to eating disorders to depression.

If you want to know how the participants in the study were affected by CBT, you can read more about the research by following the link just below.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/25/us-talk-therapy-idUSBRE99O12E20131025

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