totally lost

[larmer]

Im 26 years age im suffering from anxiety all time. I worry about my health that im going to get this and that. id get a slight pain and i think the worst. im miserable. I cry a lot at times and just my life has never been the same since my mam got cancer last year. it all started then. im going to counseling it helps a bit but not fully. I just want to be back to normal cant remember what that feels like. My husband does not understand at all. One thing after another goes wrong. Both myself and my husband are unemployed and it make things 10 times worse. Im totally lost and so unhappy. :(

[bhamlaxy]

Medication can help get you on track. I know you are unemployed, but do you have health insurance? I'd highly recommend seeing a psychiatrist. Look for ones that offer a "sliding scale" in your area. It can help balance things out while you work out the issues in therapy.

I would also recommend looking for some highly reviewed books (specific to health anxiety) on a site like Amazon. Also, I'd highly recommend the book here- http://www.tao3.com/ . It's cheap, ships fast, and you can read it in an hour or two.

The book teaches you a simple writing exercise that you should do every day. You examine a negative thought you have constantly, explain why it's flawed, and answer it in a positive way.

For example, the negative thought could be "I have a slight pain in my stomach, I must have cancer", the flaw would be one of the several flaws he lists, and the positive response would be "I am 26 and relatively healthy. The body gets aches and pains all the time. There is nothing wrong with me, and it will go away."

You do this for each type of negative thought you persistently get, and you slowly teach yourself to understand how your health concerns are irrational.