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One moment, you’re fine—maybe even enjoying your day—and the next, you’re hyper-focused on a bodily sensation that feels off. Suddenly you’re spiraling through WebMD, convinced you have a rare condition that requires immediate attention. Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. Health anxiety affects millions of people, and it can be incredibly distressing. Whether it shows up as persistent worry about developing a serious illness or constant checking and reassurance-seeking, health anxiety is exhausting—and it can take over your life if left unchecked.
But there’s good news: you don’t have to stay stuck in the anxiety loop. While long-term recovery often requires professional support, there are steps you can start taking today. Here are three foundational strategies to begin shifting your relationship with health anxiety.
Connect with Your “Why” for Change
Overcoming health anxiety takes effort, so it helps to stay motivated. Ask yourself: Why do I want to make this change? What has health anxiety cost you?
Maybe it’s time spent scouring symptom forums at 2 a.m., or the strain it’s placed on your relationships. Perhaps you’ve skipped social events or avoided travel due to fear of being too far from a hospital. Naming these costs–and envisioning what life could look like without anxiety in the driver’s seat–helps anchor your motivation.
Take a few minutes to write down what health anxiety is stealing from you. Revisit this list when you need a reminder of why you’re making a change.
Train Your Attention
Health anxiety feeds on your focus. The more you scan your body for signs of illness or hyper-fixate on a specific sensation, the more heightened those sensations become. This is part of a very normal brain process: what we attend to gets amplified.
The antidote? Practice shifting your attention on purpose.
You can start small. Set a timer for five minutes and focus on something external—like listening to ambient sounds, watching a tree outside your window, or engaging in a task with full presence. When your mind inevitably drifts back to your body or health worries (and it will), gently notice it and return to the external focus.
This isn’t about ignoring your body. It’s about retraining your attention so that health concerns don’t automatically dominate your mental space. Over time, this builds cognitive flexibility—an essential skill for managing anxiety.
Reduce Symptom-Checking and Reassurance-Seeking
Googling your symptoms or asking loved ones, “Do you think this is serious?” feels good in the moment. It offers a hit of temporary relief—but it also teaches your brain that you need to check or ask in order to feel safe. The more you do it, the more anxious you feel when you don’t do it. That’s the trap.
The way out? Start tracking how often you engage in these behaviors. You don’t need to quit cold turkey—but aim to gradually reduce the frequency. Set “reassurance-free” periods during the day. When you feel the urge to check, delay it by 10 minutes and do something else instead.
This may feel incredibly uncomfortable at first. That’s okay. It’s not a sign you’re doing something wrong—it’s a sign you’re breaking a well-worn habit loop.
When You Need Extra Support
These steps are a great starting point, but they’re not a substitute for therapy—especially if health anxiety is significantly affecting your quality of life.
A therapist trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can help you identify the specific thought patterns and behaviors that keep your anxiety going. They’ll work with you to develop a personalized, evidence-based plan to reduce your symptoms, increase your tolerance for uncertainty, and reconnect with the things that matter most to you.
Both CBT and ACT emphasize facing your fears instead of avoiding them, building new patterns of response, and learning to live a full life—even with uncertainty.
Final Thoughts
Health anxiety thrives in silence and avoidance—but it loses power when you face it head-on. By connecting with your motivation, practicing attention-shifting, and reducing checking behaviors, you start laying the groundwork for real change.