If you’re struggling with Health OCD, I want you to know you are not alone. Millions of people across the globe experience health-related obsessive thoughts, and it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed by these fears. The intrusive thoughts that make you believe something is terribly wrong with your body, even though there’s no real evidence to support it, can be paralyzing. I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed by the constant worry and to wonder if this fear is going to take over your life.

What Is Health OCD?

Health OCD is a type of OCD where you obsessively worry about your physical health. This could involve fears of having a serious illness like cancer, heart disease, or a chronic condition, despite clear medical reassurance. These intrusive thoughts and worries often feel incredibly real and can lead to constant checking, researching, or seeking medical attention.

In the case of one of my coaching clients, she was fixated on different sensations in her body and believed that each sensation was a sign of some life-threatening disease. For example, she felt a pain in her stomach and immediately assumed it was a symptom of a severe digestive issue or something more serious. The more she focused on this pain, the more her anxiety grew, and the more she felt trapped in the cycle of fear. Despite multiple doctor visits and reassurances from medical professionals, she couldn’t stop the intrusive thoughts. It felt like her body was betraying her.

Examples of Thoughts People with Health OCD Experience:“What if this headache is a sign of a brain tumor?”“I’m feeling a tightness in my chest—what if it’s a heart attack?”“I have this pain in my side, and it could be a serious disease, like cancer.”“What if the tiredness I’m feeling is more than just exhaustion, and it’s something life-threatening?”“That strange feeling in my stomach could mean I have a digestive disorder, or even worse, something fatal.”Common Compulsions with Health OCD

Just like other forms of OCD, Health OCD often comes with compulsions—actions you take to try and alleviate the anxiety caused by the obsessive thoughts. These compulsions may give you temporary relief but ultimately feed the OCD cycle. Here are some common compulsions:

Checking your body: Constantly feeling or checking certain areas of your body, like taking your temperature, checking for lumps, or feeling for signs of illness.Seeking reassurance: Asking doctors, family members, or friends repeatedly whether your symptoms are normal, or visiting multiple healthcare professionals to get a second, third, or fourth opinion.Researching symptoms online: Spending hours searching for information about your symptoms and potential diagnoses, trying to find an answer that reassures you, only to spiral further into uncertainty.Avoiding situations: Avoiding activities that might trigger fear about your health, such as avoiding exercise because you worry it might cause a heart attack, or not going out in public because you’re concerned about exposure to germs or viruses.The Cycle of Doubt and Anxiety

Living with Health OCD is exhausting because it creates a cycle of doubt that’s hard to break. For example, in my client’s case, when she would feel a pain in her stomach, her mind would immediately connect that sensation to a serious condition. The more she focused on these feelings, the more her anxiety grew, and she would become fixated on the possibility of a severe illness. The fear made her engage in compulsions like checking, researching, and seeking reassurance, which only temporarily alleviated her anxiety, and then the cycle started all over again.

What I learned in my own experience is that trying to “solve” the doubts or find answers is exactly what feeds the OCD. The more you try to confirm or deny the fear, the deeper you get stuck in the cycle. The key is not to find the answer, but to learn how to tolerate uncertainty and live with the discomfort of not knowing.

The Importance of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

The most important tool in breaking free from Health OCD is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). ERP is a proven technique in which you deliberately expose yourself to the feared sensation (e.g., the pain in your stomach) and then resist the compulsion to check or reassure yourself. By repeatedly facing the fear and resisting the compulsion to seek reassurance, your brain learns that the feared outcome is unlikely and that you can live with the discomfort without acting on it.

In my client’s case, we worked together using ERP to face her fears directly. When she felt a sensation in her body, we would expose her to that sensation, but instead of checking, researching, or seeking reassurance, she would simply observe the sensation and allow the anxiety to be there without engaging with it. Over time, this allowed her to see that the fears were exaggerated, and the anxiety gradually decreased.

Learning to Let Go

In addition to ERP, another important tool in my recovery journey and for many of my clients is the Letting Go technique. This involves allowing the thoughts and feelings of fear to be present without trying to control or suppress them. It’s about accepting that the discomfort of not knowing is part of the process and living your life in spite of it. With Letting Go, you stop giving power to the thoughts by not responding to them. Instead, you allow them to float by, just like any other thought, without attaching meaning to them.

You’re Not Alone

If you’re struggling with Health OCD, please know that these thoughts and fears do not define you. The intrusive thoughts, doubts, and compulsions are products of OCD, not a reflection of your health. You can learn to live with uncertainty, tolerate the discomfort, and reclaim control over your life.

Recovery takes time, patience, and a lot of self-compassion. If you’re ready to take the next step in your recovery and break free from Health OCD, I invite you to apply for our hands-on OCD coaching program. This program offers personalized support to help you overcome the compulsions and fears that are keeping you stuck and empowers you to live a life filled with peace and clarity.

Click here to apply now and start your journey to a life free from Health OCD.

Take care,
Zach W.

Founder, OCD Coaching Services