Some people cannot imagine it, but there are people who think that they have a serious tumor whenever they feel pain. We call this psychological condition: hypochondria. In practice, it does not necessarily mean that someone has a fear of illness and is often accompanied by an anxiety disorder. Yet the hypochondriac is also often mocked. What exactly is it and how can you give it a positive twist in your life?

What is it?

Hypochondriasis is a morbid fear of illness and is categorized as a psychological disorder, the cause of which often lies in the consequences of unprocessed emotions. The condition requires professional guidance to control it. What is typical of the condition is that these people can have physical complaints without actually being able to trace it back to anything. Even if it has been proven that they do not have the disease they think they have, they still have a perfect explanation as to why they think it is the case. In addition, constantly working with your body is also very strenuous. It therefore takes a lot of energy to live with hypochondria.In addition to the unexplained complaints, the hypochondriac can rightly develop complaints that are related to the high stress level in which he/she is continuously exposed. Both men and women can develop it and in practice the numbers are fairly equal.

How do you approach it?

It starts like any mental illness, recognize it and acknowledge it. That is a first and very important step. From that point you can start talking to your doctor. If he/she shares the same opinion, he/she will refer you to the psychologist.In consultation with your doctor, if the stress is very high, you can temporarily take medication to reduce the stress. But this is nothing more than a symptom reliever and does not actually solve anything other than reducing stress during medication use. A real reduction in stress only works if you get started with professional help and your own resources.

Tackle it yourself

In addition to the guidance of a psychologist, you can also do the necessary yourself.

• Tackling your body is important and you can do this by looking carefully at your diet. Make sure you treat your body well and that also means avoiding fast food and other prepared foods (with many E numbers on the packaging). A fresh fruit, vegetables and limited meat.
• Make a list of your positive aspects and what you are good at. Above all, be kind to yourself and carefully review this list regularly.
• Relax with simple exercises that focus on your breathing. Yoga is an option for this, but you can also take a walk in the woods or take a stretch of coastline. It is important that you can relax. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes and focus your thoughts on deep breathing as the oxygen-rich blood flows through your veins to the corners of your body. Feel it, experience it and maintain focus.
• Tunnel vision is an important item for the hypochondriac and you can try to let go of this, for example by going for a walk in a beautiful environment and looking around and really experiencing what you see. Do this with some regularity.
• Try to see the hypochondriac in yourself as someone else, the third person. A difficult third person, with whom you should not argue, because for every answer she has a (difficult) question.
• Look for moments that can relax and where you are not concerned with aches and pains that you can feel. For example, music that you get absorbed in or if you meditate, regularly seek that moment of relaxation in a meditation moment.

Finally

An absolutely underestimated psychological condition and sometimes even trivialized, but that does not alter the fact that it is a condition that can and should be tackled seriously. In addition, tackle what can be tackled yourself and the first important steps have been taken.