Ham MS LMFT - The Health Anxiety Workbook: Practical Exercises to Overcome Your Health Worries

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Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64876-930-6 | eBook ISBN: 978-1-64876-931-3
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A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is never on the branch, but on its own wings.

Charlie Wardle, Understanding & Building Confidence

Contents

CHAPTER 1:
Understanding Health Anxiety

CHAPTER 2:
Reducing Your Health Worries

CHAPTER 3:
Examining and Changing Your Thoughts

CHAPTER 4:
Understanding What Your Body Is Telling You

CHAPTER 5:
Overcoming Anxious Behavior Patterns

CHAPTER 6:
Practicing Self-Care

CHAPTER 7:
Keeping Up the Momentum

If youre reading this workbook on a touch-screen device, you can add notes and highlight text just like you would in a physical workbook.

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T he human mind is amazingly complex and powerful. We are blessed with a unique capacity for abstract thought and reasoning, which allows us to conceptualize ourselves as distinct from others. It also gives us the power to envision and draw conclusions about our future based on our knowledge, experiences, and perceptions. This incredible capability can serve as a blessing and a curse: We humans are keenly aware of our potential, but also our vulnerability. In some cases, this awareness creates an ideal environment for anxietywhen we can envision our future, we can imagine the possibility that something bad might happen. For those who experience health anxiety, this might manifest as imagining a devastating health diagnosis or years filled with untreatable chronic pain. When anxiety runs unchecked, these scenarios we worry about can turn into unshakeable beliefs. And once we become convinced that a negative health outcome is inevitable, any physical sensation we perceive can seem indicative of illness and worthy of panic.

This emotional turmoil is the day-to-day reality for many people who struggle with health anxiety. Health anxiety can manifest as frightening, intrusive thoughts and constant worry that mild physical symptoms are life-threatening. Every headache feels like it could be the start of a stroke, and every mole is a malignant tumor. When these nagging thoughts and worries become pervasive, impacting your ability to function or enjoy your life, you may feel frightened, overwhelmed, or stuck with no way out.

If you have found this book, you (or someone you care about) has likely felt the terrible weight of health anxiety. I want you to know that you are not aloneanxiety is one of the most common mental health issues faced by adults worldwide. Thankfully, it is also one of the most treatable, so you dont have to feel this way forever. This workbook is designed to give you practical tools and strategies to work through your health anxiety and find relief and comfort.

In my day-to-day career, I work as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). I am passionate about helping my clients push past their mental barriers, process and let go of their worries, and find constructive, tangible ways to enjoy their lives to the fullest. I have seen firsthand how anxiety can stand in the way of my clients well-being, impacting not only their internal core beliefs but also their ambitions, jobs, and relationships. As COVID-19 spread across the globe in 2020, health anxiety found its way into many of my clients lives as they grappled to cope with the new normal and fought to understand ever-changing, often-conflicting messages about health and safety. Many clients who had never worried about their health suddenly found themselves panic-stricken, while others already familiar with the strain of health anxiety felt their struggle intensify.

I wrote this book with the same structure I would use to guide therapeutic treatment for health anxiety, from the first session to the last. I will introduce you to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)the gold standard for health anxiety treatment, mindfulness practice, and other evidence-based modalities. The anecdotes I share describe real experiences of clients I have seen in my practice. (Names and identifying information have been changed to protect confidentiality.)