Hypochondria

[needtogetwell]

So, there's a challenge for you. Why don't you learn to cook? Some of the best cooks and chefs are men!

Start small and easy. Google something like " cooking 101 or cooking for dummies. ( please don't think I'm referring to you as a dummy, I'm not, it's just a series of books and things even websites that are for people just learning.) you can manage your way around a computer, you can easily manage the kitchen! It's not hard.

I'm just curious, are you done high school yet or are you going into your senior year?

[TrueTimmy]

I'm going into my senior year of High School.

[needtogetwell]

That's so exciting! But I guess it's a bit stressful too. Time to start thinking about what you want to do with your life. Argggghhhh! Decisions decisions!

Anyway, I've given you quite a bit of food for thought. Take each day at a time. If a whole day is tough break it down to hour by hour. Every day or hour you get through without being too anxious treat it as a huge success! Bit by bit you will have more hours and days that are better than before!

Cheers Timothy! Enjoy the rest of your day.

I'm around most of the time if you have any more questions.

Pam

[TrueTimmy]

Do you have any advice for me about my fear of unhealthy food? I cannot seem to get enjoyment out of all the foods I used to love. I'm just frighted of them ever since I learned the amounts of saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Like, I'm 17, I shouldn't be worrying about these things but I cannot help it. How can I enjoy eating these foods again? Yesterday, I got home from Florida, on the way home we stopped at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. I got a cheeseburger and fries because I really used to love them. But, I just had anxiety while eating it. 130% of the daily recommended amount of saturated fat. I just couldn't stop worrying about how unhealthy this is and its going to kill me. Then I start to think, but I've ate like this all my life? Oh god, I'm going to have a heart attack. I just wanna get over this. I wanna be able to eat foods I used to love, and incorporate healthier foods into my diet. I've always felt pretty good until recently when I got this anxiety. Which was sometime in the last two months. I just never did notice it until I started worrying about the harsh physical symptoms it was giving me. Anxiety is tough, it's like being teased with a sickness for a long time, and you have to slowly suffer through it hoping you make it to the next day.

[TrueTimmy]

Did you get notified about my question/venting paragraph? Lol.

[TrueTimmy]

That's so exciting! But I guess it's a bit stressful too. Time to start thinking about what you want to do with your life. Argggghhhh! Decisions decisions!

Anyway, I've given you quite a bit of food for thought. Take each day at a time. If a whole day is tough break it down to hour by hour. Every day or hour you get through without being too anxious treat it as a huge success! Bit by bit you will have more hours and days that are better than before!

Cheers Timothy! Enjoy the rest of your day.

I'm around most of the time if you have any more questions.

Pam

So, I'm trying my first salad today. But my main meal isn't healthy really. Should I be worried?

[needtogetwell]

Don't be worried at all. Adding a salad is a huge step in the right direction.

Slowly but surely, add something new or at least try. Dealing with the anxiety is just the same, one step at a time. Consider it a huge win if you eat the salad with whatever else.

If you drink soda, trade 1soda a day for a bottle or a glass of water. Slowly try to eliminate soda for healthier options.

You aren't going to change your eating habits over night. You would be miserable if you did.

Now, about the saturated fats and cholesterol. Don't go nuts trying to avoid them all together right away. Heart disease doesn't happen over night. Slowly make better choices.

Being aware of these things at your age is HUGE! It will set you up for a lifetime of healthy living. As you make better choices, and eat less packaged chemical Kaiden foods, your body will thank you. It will likely help a bit with your anxiety too.

The theme for this post is this, take it all slowly, one step, one hour, one meal at a time. It all adds up.

[needtogetwell]

One other really important.

You can not change what happened yesterday. It is over and done with. The only thing you can control is YOUR actions right now. Forget about the future, it will be right now soon enough and then you can deal with it.

What if thinking is just your anxious mind trying to get you to play the what if game. Refuse to play.

[TrueTimmy]

Thank you!! So, I have a weird symptom. Whenever I make a noise vocally or laugh, SOMETIMES my chest gets a weird feeling. Like, not hurting. But, just like maybe popping in my chest. It's like radiating popping. I don't know, it worries me some. It seems to only happen when I don't laugh or make a sound for a while but then I laugh or make a sound for the first time in a while. Oh, and I know heart disease doesn't develop overnight, but I'm afraid it has developed over my teen years of living off junk food.

[needtogetwell]

Right now you are just over sensitive to every little normal sensation in your chest. Don't worry about it. It is all good and if you weren't in this anxious state you wouldn't give it a second thought.

As for food in your teen years, again, don't worry about it. The male teenage body has a remarkable ability to chew through any form of calories it is given without any lasting damage. I know this because my son is almost 16 and could eat a mountain of chicken nuggets and fries, drink a gallon of Pepsi, then go for the cookies, cakes or whatever sweet stuff he can find. I'm not worried about it, he eats the odd bit oh apple or celery.

The best thing is you are aware of this now and can make good choices, just don't entirely give up on what you really like, your tastes will come back.