Health Anxiety: The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety (Episode 136)

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Drew and Josh announce the release of their first co-written book, The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety (disordered.fm/bluebook), and dive deep into the many faces of health anxiety. From the resource gatherer constantly Googling symptoms to the optimizer obsessing over perfect health metrics, they explore how health anxiety shows up differently for different people - and why it's fundamentally about the anxiety, not the health itself.
You'll hear real stories from listeners navigating health anxiety, including someone who faced their driving fears while expecting a second child, and discussions about the difference between panic disorder's health fixation and health anxiety disorder. Drew and Josh tackle tough questions about managing anxiety while waiting for actual medical test results, explaining why the emotions are justified but the compulsions aren't helpful.

The episode covers the compulsive behaviors that keep health anxiety alive - from fitness watch monitoring to constant symptom checking - and why overcoming health anxiety doesn't mean achieving certainty about your health. It means learning to respond differently when those fears arise. The guys also discuss the role of courage in recovery and why turning your back on health-based compulsions can feel reckless and irresponsible, even when it's the right move.

Whether you're the person who can't stop researching symptoms or the one too terrified to see a doctor, this episode offers a realistic look at what health anxiety actually is and how people move forward with it.

Get The Disordered Guide To Health Anxiety:
disordered.fm/bluebook

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The Disordered Guide to Health Anxiety is available now:
⁠disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-a… (disordered.fm/the-disordered-guide-to-health-a…)
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Struggling with worry and rumination that you feel you can't stop or control? Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Worry and Rumination Explained (learn.theanxioustruth.com/worry-and-rumination…)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a two hour pre-recorded workshop produced by Josh and Drew.
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Got questions or did it anyways to share? ⁠Send us an email or voicemail on our website⁠.
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Disclaimer: Disordered is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. Listening to Disordered does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and the hosts or guests of the podcast. Information here is provided for psychoeducational purposes. As always, please consult your mental health and/or medical care providers. If you are having a mental health crisis, always reach out immediately for in-person help.