1 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Psychology of Your Twenties, 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: the podcast where we talk through some of the big 3 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: life changes and transitions of our twenties and what they 4 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: mean for our psychology. Hello everybody, Welcome back to the show. 5 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the podcast. New listeners, old listeners. Wherever 6 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: you are in the world, it is so great to 7 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,560 Speaker 1: have you here. Back for another episode as we break 8 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: down the Psychology of our twenties. Today, we're going to 9 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 1: talk about a topic that I don't think is spoken 10 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 1: about nearly enough, particularly amongst those in our twenties or 11 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: really at any age, despite it being so much more 12 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: common than I think we recognize, and that is health anxiety, 13 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 1: the fear or preoccupation with the belief that we are 14 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: currently or our risk of developing a serious illness, that 15 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,759 Speaker 1: our death or some kind of serious harm is either 16 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: inevitable or currently occurring somewhere in our bodies, even if 17 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 1: we don't have symptoms. We misinterpret normal bodily sensations as dangerous, 18 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: and it's that very fear that we may secretly have 19 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: a condition like cancer, or that we're having a heart 20 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 1: attack or something else that can actually produce feelings that 21 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,480 Speaker 1: are similar to those conditions that we expect that we 22 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:37,759 Speaker 1: have because it activates our anxiety and a fear response 23 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: such that we no longer really feel in touch with 24 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:45,399 Speaker 1: our bodies. This cycle can mean that we need constant 25 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: reassurance from doctors. We're always scheduling appointments, searching for answers 26 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 1: on the internet, and we are constantly coming up with 27 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: this new explanation for a sensation or feeling that is 28 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 1: either not that serious or may need you know, may 29 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: not even exist. The thing is, though, is that it's 30 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: our anxiety that triggers our imagination to go to the 31 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: worst possible outcome, and that is where we land, and 32 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: that is where we stay. On a personal note, health 33 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: anxiety is something I've dealt with on and off for 34 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: the greater part of my twenties, I would say even 35 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 1: my teen years as well before that, and I want 36 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: to really speak about that experience today for others who 37 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 1: might be able to relate, but also just kind of 38 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,679 Speaker 1: sharing what I've learned and how I have come to 39 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: manage the times real chronic anxiety that something in my 40 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: body is not quite right, but also where this unique 41 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: type of anxiety or set of fears comes from whether 42 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: it is hypervigilant parents, catastrophic thinking, our intolerance for uncertainty, 43 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 1: fear mongering. There is so much to be said for 44 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: the origins of this kind of unique type of anxiety. 45 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: There is actually a term for the fact that a 46 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: lot of us believe that we have certain conditions because 47 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: of our exposure to the Internet. It's called cyberchondria, where 48 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,959 Speaker 1: we repeatedly google our symptoms and look for examples that 49 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: kind of justify our own explanations to ourselves. Honestly, I 50 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 1: think talking about this in the aftermath of a global 51 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: pandemic is also so important because I think COVID and 52 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: the changes that brought to the world around us have 53 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: been such a huge catalyst for so many people when 54 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: it comes to health fears and health worries. I think 55 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: when we are in our twenties, we're expected to feel 56 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: very invincible because we are young. This is normally when 57 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: we are our healthiest, our fittest, our immune system is strong. 58 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: We think we're going to live forever. But we also 59 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: have this very instinctual urge to want to stay alive 60 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: for as long as possible, and that means worrying about 61 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: our health, especially if you're an especially anxious person. Our 62 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: minds like to find anything in our environment, external or internal, 63 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: to be hyper vigilant towards, so that we are aware 64 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 1: of any threats. I remember vividly when the embola virus 65 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:17,480 Speaker 1: was making like international headlines back in twenty fourteen twenty fifteen, 66 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: and I was so scared. I was terrified that my 67 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 1: entire family was going to be infected with this rare 68 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: disease and die. I would google survival rates and symptoms. 69 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure I ordered one of those like protective 70 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:35,919 Speaker 1: suits on Amazon using my mum's credit card. Anytime I 71 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:39,359 Speaker 1: had a cough, the smallest pain, even the hiccups, I 72 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:41,839 Speaker 1: would go into a state of panic. And I didn't 73 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,840 Speaker 1: really have a term for what that feeling was. The 74 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: constant googling, the anxiety, the endless doctor's appointments for symptoms 75 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:52,479 Speaker 1: that would disappear as soon as they told me I 76 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: was fine. But it was when I was in my 77 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: twenties that someone finally said to me, like, hey, look, 78 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: it it's unlikely that you are suffering from every rare 79 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: disease on the planet and that you're still alive. I 80 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 1: think the underlying condition here is really health anxiety. This 81 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: was after I had been experiencing headaches for a few 82 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:17,359 Speaker 1: weeks and I had my friend Kate, God bless her, 83 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 1: an actual angel, but she drove me to get an 84 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:25,559 Speaker 1: emergency MRI because I was convinced, convinced to the point 85 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 1: of thinking I would need to write my will that 86 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: I had a serious brain clot or terminal cancer. Spoiler alert, 87 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: it was neither. I had just become so hyper vigilant 88 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:39,040 Speaker 1: towards any abnormalities and how I was feeling so alert 89 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,839 Speaker 1: to my body, so consumed with my worry and my 90 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: stress that I was experiencing these phantom symptoms, or I 91 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:49,839 Speaker 1: was applying unreasonable, irrational explanations to things that are just 92 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 1: normal to experience as a human being that is going 93 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: through life. That explanation actually brought me a lot of peace, 94 00:05:58,000 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: even if at times I still feel a lot of 95 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: my anxiety spike. I understand it now, I can apply 96 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 1: logic and understanding to my need to go searching for answers. 97 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: And you know what it really all comes down to. 98 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: It feels terrible to not be in control of your body. 99 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,359 Speaker 1: It is scary to feel like you are out of touch, 100 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 1: which with what's going on inside of you, and to 101 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: realize and recognize your vulnerability as a human. That is 102 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: the origin of the fear. Understanding that although illness and 103 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: sickness is a part of life, we want to be 104 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 1: prepared for whatever is possible. We want to be able 105 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:43,360 Speaker 1: to avoid anything that might happen, so we experience a 106 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 1: lot of false alarms. I would always rationalize it that 107 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: it was better safe than sorry, but I think I 108 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,359 Speaker 1: actually wasn't being safe. I was just creating more stress 109 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: for myself. So what are some of the roots, the 110 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: root causes of our health anxiety, because I think being 111 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,919 Speaker 1: aware of those first allows us to actually gain the 112 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 1: control that we feel or sense that we lack. To 113 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 1: understand health anxiety, we firstly have to really consider our 114 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: evolutionary history and the fact that we all are, at 115 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: the end of the day, just animals, just another species 116 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 1: whose primary goal is survival. Anxiety is a protective mechanism 117 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 1: that serves that purpose, and it allows us to scan 118 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 1: the body for an illness that we might need to 119 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: protect ourselves from. Our ancestors really relied on that keen 120 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: sense of hypervigilance to survive in a hostile environment, one 121 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 1: that they couldn't always predict, So those of us who 122 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:46,679 Speaker 1: are more cautious about potential threats were more likely to survive, 123 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 1: more likely to pass in our genes. Normally, we would 124 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: interpret that as being threats in our environment, like a 125 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: massive tiger coming to eat us or predators, and in 126 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: many ways that is true. That is what ancient hypervigilance 127 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 1: was normally directed towards outside threats. But as we've evolved 128 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 1: as a species, this hypervigilance has now turned inward. We 129 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: are now on hilt for science of illness because that 130 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: illness is just as dangerous as something external or in 131 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: our environment, and we now have the knowledge to treat 132 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: and eliminate the threat. Therefore, if we catch something early enough, 133 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: maybe we'll be okay. So we start looking for signs 134 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: that what we are experiencing is a larger problem to 135 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 1: get that diagnostic care. Another part of our programming or 136 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:37,679 Speaker 1: I guess, our basic instincts as humans that has made 137 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 1: us more aware of potential sickness or conditions is the 138 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: innate and automatic prioritization of negative information. This is known 139 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: as a negativity bias. So basically, we are more likely 140 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: to attend to learn from focus on negative information more 141 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: than positive information, and that bias, that tendency has been 142 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: with us since infancy. It's something that is so important 143 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 1: to our survival that even as children we do it 144 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 1: because you have to know that if you have a 145 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 1: beautiful rainbow on one side and a terrible storm on 146 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,720 Speaker 1: the other, prioritizing the storm, thinking about how you're going 147 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: to escape or protect yourself was more likely to mean 148 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: that you would survive. So we focus on that negative 149 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 1: information when we think about that. In the context of 150 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,359 Speaker 1: health anxiety, this means that we are hardwired to excessively 151 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:36,840 Speaker 1: focus on the worst possible outcome. We magnify and amplify 152 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 1: the perceived threat or small minor symptoms into a catastrophic illness. 153 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:44,600 Speaker 1: That small pain on your side, that's a heart attack, 154 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 1: that headache, it's a brain tumor. And that catastrophic thinking 155 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: has obviously emerged to help us, but in a modern 156 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: context it actually does more harm than good because we 157 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 1: can't help but think of an explanation first before there 158 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 1: is actually a reason to think that, so it reinforces 159 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: our cycle of anxiety. The next thing we need to 160 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:11,719 Speaker 1: appreciate is that when we are struggling with our health anxiety. 161 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: What we really are struggling with at the end of 162 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 1: the day is our intolerance of uncertainty. A lot of this, 163 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 1: if you haven't realized, is once again coming down to 164 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:26,199 Speaker 1: our innate human nature and our fear of the unknown. 165 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:29,520 Speaker 1: We don't like it as humans when we don't know 166 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: what's going to happen next, when we don't feel a 167 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: sense of control, when we are just uncertain, that leaves 168 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:40,560 Speaker 1: room for danger. Uncertainty is obviously a really normal part 169 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:43,000 Speaker 1: of life. We can never be one hundred percent sure 170 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: about what the future holds, not even fifty percent twenty 171 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:50,079 Speaker 1: percent good and bad. However, if you already have a 172 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: high baseline or high levels of anxiety, you are more 173 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 1: likely to want to plan and prepare for everything as 174 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: a way of eliminating ambigunit or uncertainty because we are 175 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,679 Speaker 1: so fearful of it. It's why we like going to 176 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:08,080 Speaker 1: the same restaurants, where we like watching the same comfort 177 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,760 Speaker 1: TV shows or movies, or only going to parties or 178 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: social events where we know people. It minimizes the things 179 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: that will be out of our control. However, our health 180 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:21,720 Speaker 1: is not something we can always control and realizing that 181 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:26,000 Speaker 1: creates further worry. We can become infected with something from 182 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:30,079 Speaker 1: a thoughtless cough or for pure chance, some genetic mutation 183 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 1: that has just happened, so we overthink every small thing 184 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,280 Speaker 1: in order to mitigate our sense of stress. At that realization, 185 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:40,840 Speaker 1: it's where a lot of those symptoms are coming from, 186 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:45,320 Speaker 1: the fear of uncertainty. There's a lot of reasons why 187 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: we do that, but it normally comes down to two 188 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:53,320 Speaker 1: main sources. Firstly is our upbringing and past experiences, and 189 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: second is the Internet. We are going to discuss how 190 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: these two things contribute to our health anxiety, but also 191 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:03,040 Speaker 1: how we can begin to manage these feelings in a 192 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:07,839 Speaker 1: very healthy, sustainable, helpful way after this show of break. 193 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,160 Speaker 1: When I was a child, I used to get these really, 194 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,840 Speaker 1: really terrible stomach pains, like the worst pain that you 195 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 1: have ever experienced. It felt like someone was ripping out 196 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 1: my organs, and I would complain about this to my 197 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,440 Speaker 1: parents all the time. It would come on randomly when 198 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:32,200 Speaker 1: I was at school, when I was with my friends, 199 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 1: when I was playing basketball, and my parents would always 200 00:12:35,559 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: dismiss it. They'd be like, no, you're just overreacting. It 201 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: took over a year for them to realize that something 202 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 1: was actually wrong, and when we went to the doctor, 203 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: they found out that I had this really random condition, 204 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:53,680 Speaker 1: especially for people like under the age of forty. I'm 205 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:56,319 Speaker 1: not going to go into what it is, but basically 206 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:59,960 Speaker 1: this condition is super super rare unless you're like over 207 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: and you're suffering from obesity and like high blood pressure 208 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 1: and a poor diet. And it's also really really painful. 209 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 1: And you know, my parents never could have known that 210 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 1: this is what was going on, because who is going 211 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:16,080 Speaker 1: to think that their twelve year old daughter has a 212 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:22,080 Speaker 1: condition that mostly impacts sedentary, pregnant adult women with high cholesterol. 213 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 1: That memory, though, of knowing for a while I that 214 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:31,480 Speaker 1: something was wrong, trying to communicate that not being believed 215 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 1: that really stuck with me. We think that those memories, 216 00:13:35,559 --> 00:13:39,600 Speaker 1: those childhood experiences aren't important, and we think that we 217 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: don't subliminally learn from them, But those are teachable moments, 218 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:47,320 Speaker 1: and our brain takes those times when we were in 219 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 1: pain or experiencing hurt or something damaging and holds onto 220 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: those memories really tightly because they might be useful in 221 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,199 Speaker 1: the future. So I look at that experience as being 222 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:01,760 Speaker 1: a big origin point for me, because whilst my rational 223 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: brain can see that this was really rare, this was 224 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: really out of the blue, it wasn't life threatening, it 225 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 1: was managed. All that that situation taught me was just 226 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 1: how little control that we have, how little we know 227 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 1: about what our bodies are doing. And I'm not trying 228 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: to use that example to like fearmonger. I'm just more 229 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: so using it to illustrate my point that childhood experiences 230 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 1: and moments from our upbringing play a really pivotal role 231 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:35,240 Speaker 1: in the development of health anxiety. Individuals who maybe experienced 232 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 1: frequent illness when they were children or had a significant 233 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:42,760 Speaker 1: loss in childhood, grow up associating health related issues with 234 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 1: deep emotional pain. These unresolved emotions can resurface in the 235 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:53,160 Speaker 1: form of this health anxiety, where the fear of illness 236 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:57,360 Speaker 1: becomes intertwined with this unresolved trauma. Further to that, some 237 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:59,760 Speaker 1: of us have also been raised with parents or family 238 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 1: mene members who themselves are hypochondriacs, and they project their 239 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: fears onto us as a way of coping with their 240 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: own personal anxiety. It might have been a mother who 241 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: was always sanitizing things, taking you to the doctor, keeping 242 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: you home from school. These experiences imprint on us. They 243 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 1: stay with us. We begin to mimic it through observation 244 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:23,880 Speaker 1: or learning, and then when we become adults who have 245 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:27,520 Speaker 1: been raised in this way, where those behaviors we thought 246 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 1: kept us safe and provided a sense of false sense 247 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 1: of security, we begin to take those on ourselves. It 248 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:40,880 Speaker 1: may also be that someone in your family has unfortunately 249 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 1: suffered from a really terrible disease or condition, and so 250 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 1: you know firsthand what that looks like and you want 251 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,240 Speaker 1: to avoid it at all costs. A family member with 252 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 1: a condition also creates a predisposition, which may give you 253 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 1: more reason and justification for your excess of worry, because 254 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:05,080 Speaker 1: now you feel more at risk, you feel more in danger. 255 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:10,080 Speaker 1: It also creates what we call a frequency illusion or 256 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: a frequency bias, where we tend to notice something more 257 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:17,120 Speaker 1: after we notice it for the first time, leading to 258 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 1: the belief that it is more common than it is. 259 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 1: An example is that if your family member has Parkinson's, 260 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: the more you're going to start seeing Parkinson's in the 261 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:32,320 Speaker 1: news in the media overhearing it on the street in conversations, 262 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 1: leading to the belief that you should actually be more 263 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: afraid when really It's just an illusion created by where 264 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 1: your brain is deciding to direct attention. This is really 265 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:45,800 Speaker 1: only aided by the fact that most of us belong 266 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 1: to the first ever generation that grew up on the Internet, 267 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: and we know that the Internet loves fear mongering. It 268 00:16:55,520 --> 00:17:00,280 Speaker 1: loves clickbait novel stories that capture our attention, that get 269 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:04,040 Speaker 1: more likes, that get more views, because people are naturally 270 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:07,560 Speaker 1: drawn to information that is more emotionally charged. So those 271 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:13,120 Speaker 1: stories of cancer, patience and rare diseases and infections, they 272 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: become more salient, especially once again in the minds of 273 00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: anxious people who are already on high alert for this information. 274 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 1: The Internet is very quick to give you the worst 275 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:28,040 Speaker 1: possible answer to any question that you ask it. I 276 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:31,159 Speaker 1: think this is a common experience to be like googling 277 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:33,800 Speaker 1: your minors stomach pains at two am, and the first 278 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: response is that you have some uncurable infection and you'll 279 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:39,639 Speaker 1: be like dead in three weeks. That is what we 280 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 1: were talking about before hypochondria. Even if we are googling 281 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 1: our symptoms in the first place as a way to 282 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: seek reassurance, suddenly you're given this like unexpected answer and 283 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 1: you're thinking, oh yeah, I fit the profile for all 284 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 1: of these things because you have this bias, right, you 285 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 1: want to meet this profile. You've been told the answer, 286 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:04,520 Speaker 1: so you want to make sure that you are part 287 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 1: of the answer because doctor Google has told you so, 288 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,960 Speaker 1: and you trust that information. So how do we counteract 289 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:15,679 Speaker 1: that if we know we have this tendency, if it 290 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:19,159 Speaker 1: is creating concern for us, meaning that we are in 291 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 1: that constant state of panic. What are our strategies here? 292 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:27,639 Speaker 1: Because I think the most important thing to remember is 293 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 1: that when you have anxiety of any sort, your thoughts 294 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:36,400 Speaker 1: are still within your control. They originate from you, Your anxieties, 295 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:39,679 Speaker 1: your worries, they come from you. They can be controlled 296 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:44,120 Speaker 1: by you, even if it seems hard. So there's three 297 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,680 Speaker 1: main strategies here that I want to talk about. Firstly, 298 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:54,160 Speaker 1: get comfortable with uncomfortable feelings. A lot of our health 299 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:59,119 Speaker 1: anxiety comes from feeling disconnected with our bodies and experiencing 300 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:02,720 Speaker 1: phantom symptoms which we know are actually the result of 301 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:07,240 Speaker 1: our anxiety. These feelings make us very aware of our 302 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:10,879 Speaker 1: bodies and also very aware of the stress response that 303 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,959 Speaker 1: we're going through. And so if we're not comfortable with 304 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:18,119 Speaker 1: that discomfort and cannot identify the true origin, which is 305 00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:21,359 Speaker 1: a false alarm or a fear response. We're going to 306 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,919 Speaker 1: read further into that, and the next thing you know, 307 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:26,360 Speaker 1: we're in the doctor's office. If you think about it, 308 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 1: a lot of the symptoms of anxiety also mimic a 309 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,359 Speaker 1: lot of the symptoms of more serious illnesses, so we 310 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 1: can't tell the difference, and we're not we don't feel 311 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 1: safe in those feelings. A lot of these sensations we 312 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:43,080 Speaker 1: can actually bring back into our control using methods associated 313 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: with this idea called biofeedback. So biofeedback is this idea 314 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 1: in psychology that we can actually train our minds to 315 00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 1: influence what we typically see is automatic bodily functions as 316 00:19:55,840 --> 00:20:00,400 Speaker 1: a way to restore a sense of mental stability. There's 317 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:04,000 Speaker 1: the things like using like breathing patterns to control heart 318 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:08,800 Speaker 1: rate or meditation to control racing thoughts. The easiest way 319 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:11,159 Speaker 1: to tell whether your racing heartbeat is a heart attack 320 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:15,480 Speaker 1: or just anxiety is to stop for a second, take 321 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:22,560 Speaker 1: eight really deep breaths, let your arms float, lie down flat, 322 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,960 Speaker 1: continue to breathe, and I want you to think of 323 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:31,280 Speaker 1: your anxiety as a bubble slowly flowing past you, or 324 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:34,280 Speaker 1: like a shell in the waves that are slowly getting 325 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: swept out. Picture the most beautiful place you've ever been. 326 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 1: Focus on that anxiety floating away, moving out of your 327 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:46,000 Speaker 1: line of sight, and start focusing on the environment that 328 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:50,440 Speaker 1: you're imagining around you. Identify five things you can see 329 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 1: in that place. What are you smelling, what are you hearing, 330 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:58,479 Speaker 1: what are you feeling? And has your heart rate dropped? 331 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: Is your breathing more in your control? That is a 332 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,879 Speaker 1: sign that this is a symptom of anxiety, not a 333 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:08,720 Speaker 1: real illness. I also do this thing where, when I'm 334 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 1: like getting those racing thoughts that we all are so 335 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:15,800 Speaker 1: so so familiar with, I visualize all of my anxiety 336 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:19,600 Speaker 1: resting in the palm of my hand, and I concentrate 337 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: all of my worries onto that area. They're just in 338 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:26,639 Speaker 1: my hand. They're not anywhere else in my body. I 339 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:30,040 Speaker 1: hold onto them tightly and then slowly I let them go, 340 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 1: but only when I'm ready to, And until that point 341 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:36,359 Speaker 1: they stay right there in the palm of my hand. 342 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:38,919 Speaker 1: They're not in my mind, They're not anywhere else in 343 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:41,400 Speaker 1: my body. I can see them. I know where they're 344 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:44,359 Speaker 1: going to go, and they're not going to hurt me, 345 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:48,440 Speaker 1: and I slowly release them. That is a really important 346 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:50,879 Speaker 1: tactic for me because it stops me from feeling like 347 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,960 Speaker 1: my anxiety is this thing that has control over me, 348 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:57,680 Speaker 1: and I actually have control of it. Yet I also 349 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:00,400 Speaker 1: would say begin to notice when you experience it's these 350 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 1: phantom symptoms as a way to rationalize them and better 351 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:09,280 Speaker 1: understand your triggers. Is it that you often start to 352 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:12,240 Speaker 1: feel like you have a sickness or an illness or 353 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:16,400 Speaker 1: a condition during periods of really high stress, after you've 354 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 1: had a really tough conversation with your partner, when you've 355 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:23,200 Speaker 1: had a really busy day. Often there is an environmental catalyst, 356 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:26,919 Speaker 1: and our health. Anxiety is really just us projecting a 357 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,920 Speaker 1: sense of uncertainty in our lives onto uncertainty around our 358 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 1: health because that feels more serious and valid to worry about. 359 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: That's okay. Sometimes our mind does what it needs to 360 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:43,240 Speaker 1: do to compartmentalize our stress, but it is about being 361 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 1: aware of that. Secondly, invest in your health as a 362 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:52,320 Speaker 1: way to build your confidence instead of googling or instead 363 00:22:52,359 --> 00:22:54,880 Speaker 1: of searching for answers. At the end of the day, 364 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:57,679 Speaker 1: our health is really precious. Health is wealth. It's so 365 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:00,639 Speaker 1: important That is why we are so pritive of it 366 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 1: and so hyper vigilant towards things that might be going wrong. 367 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:07,199 Speaker 1: But we have to remember that our health anxiety is 368 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:10,400 Speaker 1: really just us unconsciously trying to do what's right by ourselves. 369 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 1: By being overly cautious, our brain just doesn't realize when 370 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:18,040 Speaker 1: it's maybe gone too far. Flip the narrative. Instead of 371 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 1: looking for illness, look for ways to promote wellness. Let 372 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:27,120 Speaker 1: me explain this a little bit more. If you feel healthy, 373 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: if you feel well, if you know that you are fit, 374 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 1: taking care of yourself, that entire bodily sensation is going 375 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 1: to give you peace of mind and a much deeper 376 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 1: sense of confidence that you are in fact totally fine. 377 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:47,879 Speaker 1: You're okay. So instead of overthinking and googling, go for 378 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:51,600 Speaker 1: a walk instead, prioritize exercise, eat foods that make you 379 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 1: feel good, Go and get your regular checkups, take your vitamins, 380 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:58,399 Speaker 1: get eight hours of sleep, Make that your focus instead 381 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:02,760 Speaker 1: of your worries. It's going to have two effects. Number one, 382 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:05,880 Speaker 1: you're just going to feel a lot better, and your 383 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:09,200 Speaker 1: anxiety will actually just be lessened because you're adopting these 384 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:14,360 Speaker 1: healthy habits and Secondly, it brings that sense of control 385 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:18,919 Speaker 1: back into your life. You feel like the control that 386 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:22,399 Speaker 1: you're giving up when you worry about your health, you 387 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:26,920 Speaker 1: are reclaiming by prioritizing your health. If that doesn't work, 388 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:32,919 Speaker 1: you can always challenge these unhelpful thoughts. Anxiety is irrational. 389 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:37,800 Speaker 1: Helpful thoughts are logical. What are the actual prevalence rates 390 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,800 Speaker 1: of what you're worried about here? How common is it really? 391 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 1: What are your chances of surviving? How would doctors treat 392 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,400 Speaker 1: you if this was to happen? Is there a more 393 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:53,760 Speaker 1: rational explanation for your symptoms? You've got to realize that 394 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:57,159 Speaker 1: if something was really wrong, your body is going to 395 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 1: tell you in ways that are very of you would 396 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,359 Speaker 1: not have any doubts, and worst case scenario, you would 397 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:07,199 Speaker 1: still be okay. I promise you you are going to 398 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: be okay. Our medical system is so far advanced often 399 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:12,719 Speaker 1: we forget that. We feel like we have to do 400 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 1: all the work to keep ourselves safe when there are 401 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 1: people who have trained for years to do that for us. 402 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: Sometimes we think that our anxious thoughts are the only 403 00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:25,520 Speaker 1: things protecting us, Like if I can I can outthink 404 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: my anxiety, or if I overthink something enough, I'll jinx 405 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:33,840 Speaker 1: it and it can't possibly come true. But your anxiety 406 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: is lying to you. Your nervous system has developed a 407 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:42,040 Speaker 1: fight or flight response, and sometimes it means it misfires 408 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:45,439 Speaker 1: our health. Anxiety is an instant of that. So my 409 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:48,640 Speaker 1: final tip when you can't escape this spiral or your 410 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:52,119 Speaker 1: thoughts are just really loud today, is to talk it 411 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:54,719 Speaker 1: out with your friends. And I find this really helpful 412 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:58,200 Speaker 1: for two reasons. Firstly, when you verbalize something, you often 413 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:02,320 Speaker 1: realize how silly it sounds. And secondly, you'll be surprised 414 00:26:02,359 --> 00:26:05,199 Speaker 1: how many other people out there have similar thoughts to 415 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:08,359 Speaker 1: you at some time or another. I remember so clearly 416 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 1: sitting down with my friend Kate when she was about 417 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,080 Speaker 1: to take me to get that MRI, and just hearing 418 00:26:14,119 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 1: from her how she felt the same way. Obviously, I 419 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: knew how hard it was, so it wasn't like a 420 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:23,359 Speaker 1: pleasure to hear. It wasn't like happy. But I believe 421 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 1: that seeing our experiences reflected back on us is one 422 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:30,239 Speaker 1: of the most calming, reassuring things we can feel. It 423 00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:32,960 Speaker 1: makes you realize that no one, no feeling that we 424 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:37,720 Speaker 1: experience is felt alone, No human experience is completely unique 425 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: or experienced. In solitude, we operate in the same way 426 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:45,919 Speaker 1: as humans our quirks, our anxieties, our insecurities. That is 427 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:49,439 Speaker 1: a good feeling, that is a comforting feeling. Talk about 428 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:52,680 Speaker 1: it openly, discuss it with your friends and your family, 429 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:55,679 Speaker 1: and they can kind of act as a voice of 430 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: reason in those situations when your logic is failing you. 431 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: They are kind of the rational voice that you need, 432 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:06,439 Speaker 1: because once again, in those moments, your brain is just 433 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:08,920 Speaker 1: looking for a source of fear. It is fear mongering. 434 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:12,480 Speaker 1: It wants answers, it wants certainty, so it's gonna find 435 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: whatever explanation is going to bring it comfort and peace, 436 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:18,720 Speaker 1: even if it's not the right one, even if it's 437 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:23,480 Speaker 1: totally off the mark. I really do have a lot 438 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 1: of sympathy. I feel like, if you can't tell it, 439 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,400 Speaker 1: this is part of my reality, and sometimes it's really 440 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:31,840 Speaker 1: really hard. I've been like traveling a lot recently, and 441 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:34,479 Speaker 1: I think that's a big trigger for me where I 442 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:36,680 Speaker 1: get really worried that I'll get sick when I'm oversee 443 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:39,800 Speaker 1: so I start becoming really hyper vigilant to like any 444 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,439 Speaker 1: small thing as like a reason not to go or 445 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:44,119 Speaker 1: as like a reason to go to the doctor. So 446 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,960 Speaker 1: it's definitely been on my mind, and I want you 447 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:49,679 Speaker 1: to know that you are not alone. Obviously, as I 448 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:53,399 Speaker 1: was saying that about talking to friends and being reassured 449 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:56,159 Speaker 1: by other people's experiences, I hope you can hear my 450 00:27:56,240 --> 00:28:00,000 Speaker 1: experience and realize that you are not the only one 451 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:03,080 Speaker 1: who was conscious of this, who was conscious of these 452 00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 1: worries and these anxieties. You are going to be completely fine. 453 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:11,280 Speaker 1: You are going to be so okay. I'm really rooting 454 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:12,920 Speaker 1: for you. I know it can be hard to feel 455 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,560 Speaker 1: like you are not in control of your body because 456 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:18,960 Speaker 1: of whatever experience in the past, scared for your future, 457 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 1: the future of your health and your well being. But 458 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:23,879 Speaker 1: I'm right there with you, and I really get it. 459 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 1: So I hope this episode has been of some help. 460 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:30,120 Speaker 1: I hope these strategies have been helpful. They personally are 461 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:32,879 Speaker 1: amazing for me. I really do hope you enjoyed this 462 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:36,119 Speaker 1: episode or at least got something out of it. As always, 463 00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: if there is someone who needs to hear this, please 464 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:40,240 Speaker 1: feel free to share it along to share the love, 465 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,320 Speaker 1: and make sure that you leave a five star review 466 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you're listening. I read them all, 467 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 1: I see them all. They make me feel so happy 468 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:52,320 Speaker 1: and I can't believe that we have this beautiful community 469 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 1: of people who care about these things. So thank you 470 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:57,760 Speaker 1: so much for coming along for the ride. If you 471 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 1: have an episode suggestion, you can follow me at that 472 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:04,720 Speaker 1: Psychology podcast and send me a DM. I love hearing 473 00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:06,720 Speaker 1: from you, I love hearing what you're going through and 474 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:11,719 Speaker 1: thinking about the psychology behind it. So once again, thank you, 475 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:16,400 Speaker 1: and we will be back next week with another episode.