Ultrasound for sore jaw, swollen lymph nodes and my HA

[pulisa]

So would you say that you "need" HA to fill that void when you have unstructured spare time to ruminate and subsequently "research" online?

Is there anything that you would actually like to do in terms of having fun that wouldn't be forced or scary or wouldn't be an effort?

[ErinKC]

So would you say that you "need" HA to fill that void when you have unstructured spare time to ruminate and subsequently "research" online?

Is there anything that you would actually like to do in terms of having fun that wouldn't be forced or scary or wouldn't be an effort?

This is definitely how my anxiety works. It's not been terrible in a long time, but any time it does crop up is usually down time. I finished all my school stuff in February and since then I worried about anxiety with so much less to occupy my brain. But, soon after I started really diving into my home/family and it's been amazing. I've been working on slowly redecorating my house with a more old fashion/vintage fell, I've been managing household chores more (my husband had basically taken over all of them when I was in school), I've been reading for pleasure, staying off my phone, listening to music, etc... and I've been in the best place mentally that I've been in ages! I think it's because I've begun to feel so grounded and present in my life.

Thinking about fun and relaxing ways to spend your free time is such a good way to try and mitigate the anxiety from creeping in.

[pulisa]

I completely agree, Erin and good to hear that your quality of life is so much better now that you've been saying no to all potential triggers and occupying yourself productively and positively.

HA can easily become a toxic "hobby" but all you have to show for it is fear caused by excessive "research" in a bid to keep yourself "safe". It just doesn't work if you want to be able to manage your anxiety. You're just self-sabotaging.

[carriewriting]

A toxic hobby is such a good way to describe health anxiety. There are things I could do to make myself happy but I haven't been doing them because I let health anxiety suck up the time and energy I could be spending doing that instead.


I just listened to Stop Worrying, Start Living again. It's a very old book and lots of it is outdated, but he writes about how self care and changing your habits is the key to managing anxiety. I think in my case it is also about building up my self-esteem. Things he writes about that I am working on are:

• Engaging in activities and tasks to distract from worries and give a sense of accomplishment and purpose.
• Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep contribute to physical and mental well-being, which in turn helps in managing worries.
• Pay attention to thought patterns. When you catch yourself worrying, try to redirect your focus to more productive or calming thoughts.
• Identify and challenge the habits that contribute to worry. Replace them with more constructive routines or behaviors.