Dr Kirren - Psychologist

Has this happened to you?

Here’s why it happens:

✨When you have health anxiety and see information about cancer, it can trigger intense fear and hypervigilance. You start personalising what you’ve seen, whether it’s a video or a news story, it feels like it was meant for you. This then makes you imagine the absolute worst-case scenario for example: ”This definitely means I have cancer, or I will get it.” ✨This can put you in a much higher state of anxiety, with your mind and body on high alert. The mind-body connection is so powerful that when you believe you're feeling a symptom in a certain part of your body, your body can amplify normal sensations in that area, making them feel more intense. It can also amplify anxiety sensations, and both of these can be misinterpreted. It’s similar to the placebo effect. On top of that, when your fears intensify, it makes it easy to ignore any contradictory information that proves you’re safe and well. If you'd like a comprehensive guide on dealing with health anxiety, see my book 📚Ten Times Calmer. Information for general educational purposes in relation to anxiety. Always see your own doctor for advice specific to your situation.

Does checking resolve your anxiety problem, or does it keep it going? ✨ Health anxiety checking doesn't help because the more you check, the more you believe it's the only way to keep yourself reassured. So you get hooked on checking, and you never learn that you'd be fine without checking so much. Checking also means you're constantly focusing on your body, which makes you notice sensations that can fuel even more anxiety. Checking can feel reassuring for a moment but ultimately keeps the fear alive. The real solution is gradually stopping and eliminating this kind of checking. ✨ If you'd like comprehensive, practical advice on how to stop checking, including how to deal with the urges, the thoughts that come with them, and the distress you feel when you try to ignore the urge to check - you'll find it all in my book, Ten Times Calmer 📚 This information is for general educational purposes only and is intended for health anxiety. Always see your doctor for advice specific to your situation. #healthanxiety #healthanxietyrelief #hypochondriac #hypochondria #healthanxietytips #illnessanxietydisorder

👇WHY THIS WORKS👇 
✨Brushing your teeth with a minty toothpaste might seem like a small thing, but it can actually bring relief from the anxiety lump. The coolness of the mint, the texture of the toothpaste, the cold water, the motion of brushing, all create sensations that can compete with the hyperfocus you have on your throat. As you move the muscles in your mouth, tongue, and throat, you can also release some of the built-up tension in that area, which can also help.
 ✨And there’s something else happening too! When you brush your teeth, you're telling your brain something: I’m doing something normal. Everything’s okay. That message matters, because anxiety thrives on signs of danger, but a normal everyday action can help counter that.
 ✨This simple act can interrupt the cycle of anxiety that keeps the sensation going. You feel anxious, you get the anxiety throat lump/tightness, this makes you hyperfocus on it, which then causes you even more anxiety, the sensation worsens, and round and round the cycle goes.
 ✨Even though this isn’t a cure for anxiety, it’s a small, practical way to help manage this sensation in the moment. And sometimes, those small shifts can make a big difference, especially when you keep doing them. If you’d like a comprehensive programme for dealing with anxiety, you’ll find it in my book 📚 Ten Times Calmer. Information for general educational purposes in relation to anxiety. Always see your own doctor for advice specific to your situation. ##anxietytips##anxietyrelief##anxietyhelp##healthanxiety##panicattackhelp

Which sensations cause you anxiety? ✨ Resisting anxiety sensations only makes them stronger and keeps them going, but accepting them breaks the cycle Learn more practical ways to overcome anxiety in my book Ten Times Calmer 📚! Information for general educational purposes in relation to anxiety. Always see your own doctor for advice specific to your situation. #anxietyrelief #anxietytips #anxietyhelp

Has this happened to you?

✨When you have health anxiety, your worries don’t just go away once you’ve ruled out one illness, they often jump to another. ✨That’s because health anxiety isn’t just about the fear of one specific disease. It’s about the thinking patterns that come with it. Mainly catastrophizing, where you assume the worst, and hyper-focusing on bodily sensations. Over time, these patterns train your brain to believe that this is the only way to stay safe. So it keeps scanning for the next thing to worry about… and the next. ✨So, how do you break free from this? It starts with changing your relationship with catastrophic thoughts by accepting them without reacting and approaching them with curiosity. You also need to shift your focus away from bodily sensations by intentionally redirecting your attention elsewhere. The more you do this, the more you teach your brain that it doesn’t need to stay on high alert all the time.
 If you want a full guide on how to do these things, plus many more tools for dealing with health anxiety see my book 📚 Ten Times Calmer. Information for general educational purposes in relation to anxiety. Always see your own doctor for advice specific to your situation. #healthanxiety #healthanxietyrelief #hypochondria #hypochondriac

Learn how to stop these symptoms and hundreds of others in my book 📚 Ten Times Calmer, which is a comprehensive guide to dealing with anxiety. Information for general educational purposes in relation to anxiety. Always see your own doctor for advice specific to your situation. #anxiety #healthanxiety #anxietytips #anxietysymptoms #healthanxietyrelief #hypochondria #hypochondriac #healthanxietyrelief #panicattackhelp

Which of these thoughts have you had? 
 ✨ 📚 Ten Times Calmer is out in paperback this Thursday! 📚✨ 

Get your copy now, via the link in my bio! #anxietytips #anxietyrelief #anxietyhelp #anxiety #healthanxiety #panicattackhelp

Why It Happens & What to Do Below ⬇️ 
 ✨Anxiety can have a profound effect on your body, causing all kinds of strange symptoms that can also be long-lasting. ✨Long-term anxiety can put increased stress on your body, which can cause these symptoms to persist. Your body can remain in a state of fight-or-flight, continuing to react in these ways until you find effective strategies for managing the anxiety. ✨When people experience these symptoms, they often become frightened, which is entirely understandable. But that fear can also worsen the symptoms, creating a cycle that can be difficult to break. See my book 📚Ten Times Calmer for tons of strategies to help break this cycle and deal with these symptoms more effectively.  Information for general educational purposes only. See your own doctor for advice specific to your situation. #anxietysymptoms #anxietycheck #anxietyawareness #anxiety #anxietyhelp #healthanxiety

What anxiety symptoms do you have that seem never-ending? ✨You’ve probably heard people say, “Just accept the symptoms,” but how? Acceptance is a powerful tool for dealing with anxiety symptoms, but it’s not as simple as just saying, "Okay, I accept it.” Some people might be able to do that, but for most people, it can be much harder. ✨That’s why, in Ten Times Calmer, I’ve laid out step-by-step instructions to make acceptance doable so you can take that important step toward overcoming these persistent symptoms. Information for general educational purposes in relation to anxiety. Always see your own doctor for advice specific to your situation. #anxiety #healthanxiety #anxietytips #anxietyrelief #anxietyhelp #anxietybook