Over the years, health anxiety has been growing, but as the BBC notes, it’s absolutely soared during the Covid era.
If you’re unfamiliar with health anxiety, I’d recommend reading their report, because it really gets at the heart of a growing problem we need to empathize with.
And if you experience health anxiety yourself, read the BBC’s piece, because there’s always comfort in knowing you’re not alone.
I never had health anxiety until four years ago. Never even crossed my mind. But in one year, we had our first child and I lost my own dad, and suddenly, the thought hit me, “What happens if I die on my son?” Of course, I’d hope my wife would remarry someone better than myself and there are plenty out there. But a child losing their biological dad?
I still remember the moment it hit, and I’ll soon repost a piece I wrote about it, but believe me, it is extraordinarily intense when it hits. Especially if you have OCD. You don’t know until you know, and then you’ll wish you never knew. Ignorance is bliss. And you don’t even know what “ignorance is bliss” means until you experience the horrible thing.
The BBC accurately notes that one of the vexing things about the condition is that anxiety can mimic so many other diseases or illnesses.
Stroke. Heart attack. Anxiety attack. There’s overlap among all three (click here for some ways to distinguish between a heart attack and anxiety attack).
In fact, more people visit the ER every year for anxiety attacks that they think are heart attacks, but aren’t. (Still, always go in if you feel the symptoms).
I would recommend — not only therapy and talking to your doctor about medication — but also some really good discussion boards from people who get it.
No More Panic is a particularly good, supportive spot. Beyond Blue has some good stuff, as well. And you will never know the power of meeting people who share this disease.
Finally, I’d like to add a note about Christianity and health anxiety.
This is particularly stigmatizing to Christians because we’re supposed to overlook our physical bodies and shrug off suffering because as Paul says, we’re buried in brokenness but raised in glory.
True, but when Jesus was in Gethsemane, he knew he was just a few days away from heaven. He knew its wonders far more than we do. And yet, he was in total agony over his upcoming suffering.
Don’t hold yourself to a higher standard than Jesus.
Christians who don’t struggle with health anxiety or any other kind often use verses like “strengthen each other” to bludgeon the struggling. The Greek for “strengthen” is actually much better translated “have compassion.” Changes the meaning quite a bit, doesn’t it?
So, once again, if you’re a Christian and deal with health anxiety, don’t tell yourself that you should “know better” and feel guilty that you can’t shrug off the idea of a few years or a few decades of bodily suffering. Jesus himself agonized over his suffering.
And again I say: Don’t hold yourself to a higher standard than Jesus.
[Painting: Munch, Self-Portrait after Spanish Influenza]
