Can't stop worrying about my health...

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I worry about my health all the time. I have a lot of trouble telling "normal" body feelings apart from the symptoms of a real illness. Almost everyday I feel some kind of pain or discomfort and I worry. Then I worry that I will get sick from worrying too much. In fact I think it's happening now. Last night I couldn't fall asleep and I had gas pains, nausea and other..."digestive problems" Maybe it was a bug or something I ate. Or maybe I've got IBS or even colon cancer. So I've been home all day, worrying about it. I've been like this for years. I can't stand it when an illness prevents me from doing everyday things and robs me of my independance. I'm highly sensitive to changes to my body and even a cold can make me feel very anxious and mentally detatched. People like me are usually forced to live in shame and are laughed at or insulted, but it's a real problem. How can I learn to stop being anxious about my health?

You show classic signs of hypochondria. And I empathize with you, I feel the same way. I'm super sensitive to any little changes in how my body feels, and I always worry that I might have some serious deadly terminal scary disease. One little symptom can launch me into full blown panic, jumping to all sorts of conclusions, with words like "cancer" and "auto-immune" flashing in my mind like crazy for hours, even days and weeks if the symptom doesn't go away quick. The thing is, the anxiety that stems from those symptoms creates new symptoms to freak out about, and also freaking out that all that stress and fear is doing you in, it's vicious circles inside vicious circles.

Here are some ways I stop (or try to) the fear/anxiety/worry:

-I tell myself "Whatever I have, I have, and worrying about it will only make it worse."

-Read literature on hypochondria, and link it to my specific mental symptoms. Being convinced that you're suffering from a mental illness like hypochondria instead of something else is half the battle.

-Do not read about the conditions you think you have, don't consult any diagnostic sites, stop feeling for the symptom that bothers you. Really apply cold-hard conditioning, "I am not sick, I just think I am."

-When you are ill enough to prevent you from going on with your normal routine, meditate, drink lots of water, sleep. This is the hardest part, you NEED to KNOW that your immune system and your body is doing everything it can and you WILL feel better soon enough.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is of great help if you can get it from a good psychologist/psychiatrist.