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Improve Health Anxiety by Examining the Evidence for Your Thoughts

Dec 18, 2023 Posted by: Brittney Chesworth biased information processing, cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive restructuring, examine the evidence, overestimating threat, underestimating coping

With health anxiety, we tend to overestimate the likelihood and severity of getting a disease as well as underestimate our ability to cope with disease. We want to use cognitive strategies in order to help challenge biased assumptions. One CBT strategy is called "examine the evidence" and allows you to challenge to distorted or biased thoughts.

Health Anxiety & the Black-or-White Thinking Error

Dec 01, 2023 Posted by: Brittney Chesworth all or nothing thinking error, anxiety, biased information processing, cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive restructuring, fear of disease, health anxiety, hypochondria, socratic dialogue, thinking errors

People with health anxiety tend to engage in thinking errors when it comes to their health. One type of thinking error is black-or-white thinking or seeing health as dichotomous instead of on a spectrum. You can improve dysfunctional thinking patterns through challenging thoughts through socratic questioning.

Safety Behaviors to Cope with Health Anxiety

Nov 09, 2023 Posted by: Brittney Chesworth anxiety, cognitive behavioral therapy, coping mechanisms, cycle of health anxiety, excessive checking, fear of disease, health anxiety, hypochondria, preventive behaviors, reassurance-seeking, safety behaviors, socratic dialogue, symptoms, thinking errors

There are 3 common safety behaviors that people with health anxiety engage in. It is important to identify these unhelpful behaviors in order to learn how to refrain from them. One can learn to not refrain from these behaviors through CBT, including exposure and response prevention.

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