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The Essential Guide To Health Anxiety
Discover The Secrets to Putting Health Anxiety Behind You for Good!
Do you wake up every day and fixate on your bodily anxiety symptoms?
Is your mental chatter causing you to question your overall physical health?
Has worry become a safety net you just can’t seem to move beyond?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, The Essential Guide to Healing Health Anxiety will show you the formula to ending the cycle of worry, fear, and distrust - for good. There’s a big difference between coping with your anxiety symptoms and true healing.True healing is found the moment you realize that what you once feared greatly no longer has the same powerful control over you. How great would it feel to no longer be led by irrational fear, but rather instantaneously see through the thoughts and feelings that once led you to spiral into a world of inner chaos, confusion, frustration, and anxiety about your health?
In this book, you will learn how to build on the important lessons from your past, to gain mastery over your subconscious mind and no longer allow yourself to be controlled by your health anxiety.
It’s time to break free from health anxiety, and we’ll do it together, one step at a time, one win at a time.
Dennis Simsek
Do you wake up every day and fixate on your bodily anxiety symptoms?
Is your mental chatter causing you to question your overall physical health?
Has worry become a safety net you just can’t seem to move beyond?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, The Essential Guide to Healing Health Anxiety will show you the formula to ending the cycle of worry, fear, and distrust - for good. There’s a big difference between coping with your anxiety symptoms and true healing.True healing is found the moment you realize that what you once feared greatly no longer has the same powerful control over you. How great would it feel to no longer be led by irrational fear, but rather instantaneously see through the thoughts and feelings that once led you to spiral into a world of inner chaos, confusion, frustration, and anxiety about your health?
In this book, you will learn how to build on the important lessons from your past, to gain mastery over your subconscious mind and no longer allow yourself to be controlled by your health anxiety.
It’s time to break free from health anxiety, and we’ll do it together, one step at a time, one win at a time.
Dennis Simsek
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2022
56 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 6, 2023
Love Dennis and his podcasts. Always good to read a new book by him, as well.
January 24, 2023
“My name is Dennis Simsek and I am healed from health anxiety.”
This powerful statement begins The Essential Guide to Health Anxiety, which is, as the title promises, far more than just Simsek’s story, but a truly essential guide to what can be a stepping stone on the path to a full life, rather than an identity or a life sentence.
Simsek theorises that the pain and suffering of health anxiety is linked to our inability to connect our feelings and beliefs with our conscious perceptions. We stand permanently on guard, identifying the threat in all things – what Simsek calls “preventititis”. Stuck in this survival mode, “our mind, body and spirit never get the chance to see things as they really are.” Working with this book will change all that.
The Essential Guide consists of 19 chapters, throughout which Simsek gently guides the reader to view terrifying reactions to symptoms and panic attacks not as a catastrophe, a mental illness, or an identity, but to dismiss them as merely a bundle of habits – habits which are changeable, using the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and neurolinguistic programming (NLP) inspired concepts introduced in his guide.
From reframing, changing our mental, verbal, behavioural, and physiological habits, to mapping meditation, breathing exercises, and chair coaching, Simsek introduces the reader to a broad toolkit of small ways to make significant difference. Rather than focusing on “fixing” health anxiety, Simsek provides readers with ways become disinterested in symptoms, and reengaged in life. To question why we associate worry with care, desire control, or only hear the one negative thing mentioned among nine positive ones. To recognise that thinking is not the same as overthinking, that our body and mind are in a constant, two-way conversation.
Many “self-help” or “health-related” books are little more than thinly-disguised marketing tools for additional products. Similarly, many books by authors with a large online back catalogue are little more than a hastily thrown-together assemblage of their blog posts or podcast scripts. Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to Simsek’s book. The Essential Guide to Health Anxiety directs the reader to free YouTube resources at every turn (many of which were created by the author), with zero spruiking. Although he does offer training via his website, Simsek truly lives up to his declared goal of helping you “be your own guide”. The best health anxiety support, he assures us “is within your own conscious mind”, and The Essential Guide is truly a stand-alone resource that will help anyone willing to engage with it fully.
Some of the advice in The Essential Guide was new to me, much of it, as I have already done a lot of reading on this topic, was familiar. What was new, however, was Simsek’s explanations about why I should try these techniques. I have always considered myself more of a “words” than a “visual” person, and never really tried visualisation as a result. But, as Simsek explains, visual images are far more potent to our “reptile brain” than words and logic. It makes sense that we cannot “logic” our way out of irrational beliefs – if that were the case, we would never hold these fears after the first time we realise they are irrational. Familiarity, Simsek explains, “often overpowers logic”, and for this reason, we need to change the familiar script, the familiar images, the familiar behaviours.
In his podcasts, Simsek mentions that he was aided in his own journey by the work of Dr. Claire Weekes, and although not explicitly mentioned here, that influence is evident in The Essential Guide. Something both authors have in common, aside from their emphasis on being gentle to oneself, and having patience, is the fact that both have themselves recovered from health anxiety. Or, as Simsek phrases it “growing out of anxiety”. I see that these two authors’ books appear as frequently bought together on Amazon, and I would heartily recommend both. Weekes provides a doctor’s perspective, and has more of a focus on what causes physiological symptoms, while Simsek provides a professional athlete’s perspective, and has more of a focus on developing the tools to dismiss the symptoms once we understand them. (As a side note, I have never considered myself anything close to an athlete, so it was a surprise to discover how much I related to Simsek’s story. Perfectionism, over-achievement, and immense pressure – self-imposed and/or internalised from others – are essentially the same, no matter the field.)
Simsek knows first-hand how unhelpful it is to be given “advice” such as “stop worrying” - even though that’s exactly when anxiety sufferers need to do. Many people with anxiety lament the fact that they simply don’t know how to stop worrying. “People use the word ‘how’ to justify not knowing what to do to heal when, in fact, they simply don’t trust deeply enough in what they already know”. By implementing the simple, achievable morning and evening routines Simsek suggests, not knowing what to do can no longer be an excuse. Aligned once more with Weekes, Simsek also cautions against trying too hard, fighting, or doing too many things at once. The most important message I took away from this book was to focus on the 10-second window between experiencing a negative feeling or symptom, and placing a new meaning behind it or reaction to it.
Additionally, Simsek explains why it is important to be open to learning from unexpected sources. I’ve experimented with mantras before and found them the opposite of helpful. Having read The Essential Guide, I can now identify why – the language I was using focused too much on what I hoped for, on feelings I wasn’t feeling. The suggested “Here, now” is much more neutral. Prior to reading this book, I am certain I would have dismissed ideas like “color breathing” out of hand. But because Simsek provides all of the necessary groundwork for my logical “monkey” brain to give these techniques a chance, my “lizard” brain is now experiencing forms of reprogramming I wouldn’t have attempted before.
Although the steps Simsek recommends are straightforward, well-justified, and well-explained, simple does not mean easy. The journey is, necessarily, emotional. But as he explains, in order to truly deal with anxiety, to ensure our anxiety about health doesn’t disappear, only to pop up as a different form of anxiety, we need to stop just “coping” with it. Coping, he says, is like shoving all of the clothes and other things scattered around your house into the cupboard to give the outward appearance of organisation, when you know, in the back of your mind, as soon as you reopen the closet, the mess will fall out again.
Over and over, Simsek emphasises having patience with yourself, and patience with the process of healing. “When I plant a seed (new direction) and water it often,” he says “I don’t sit next to the flower to see if its growing”. The process, he acknowledges, is a frustrating one. Healing is not linear, and setbacks are inevitable. But when we understand these “setbacks” as opportunities to practice what we have learnt, when we have patience, the glimpses of what Simsek calls the “After Life” - a life post-anxiety – make it all worthwhile. After all, anxiety does not protect us “it just gives the illusion”.
The Essential Guide to Health Anxiety does not have a reference list. Usually, this is something I would look for, but, given Simsek’s plausible claims that we cannot logic our way out of anxiety, I wonder if this was, in fact, a deliberate choice. A list of recommended readings might become yet another excuse to feel as if I need to do more research before implementing anything. It does contain an extensive glossary to help the reader make sense of the terms used in the book, though I found it largely unnecessary as every concept was explained so well in the text (the only one I wanted to see more clarification of was “alpha/theta brainwave state”).
Dennis Simsek’s The Essential Guide to Health Anxiety is, hands down, the best book on health anxiety I have read. But I suspect it will be useful for people with many kinds of anxiety – general anxiety, dental anxiety, social anxiety – and parts of it may be useful for people with psychosomatic conditions. As the author acknowledges, many forms of health anxiety begin with oversensitisation due to actual pain from illness or injury.
If you have never come across Dennis’ work before, I highly recommend you listen to a few episodes of his podcast or watch a few episodes of his YouTube channel and get to know him. This helped me greatly in trusting Dennis as an author to guide me on this journey. If you are already a fan of his work, I recommend The Essential Guide to Health Anxiety without hesitation. This is a well-organised, enlightening, and invigorating book which adds so much value to the wealth of information Dennis has already put out there. This will be a book worth reading more than once. Thank you Dennis!
This powerful statement begins The Essential Guide to Health Anxiety, which is, as the title promises, far more than just Simsek’s story, but a truly essential guide to what can be a stepping stone on the path to a full life, rather than an identity or a life sentence.
Simsek theorises that the pain and suffering of health anxiety is linked to our inability to connect our feelings and beliefs with our conscious perceptions. We stand permanently on guard, identifying the threat in all things – what Simsek calls “preventititis”. Stuck in this survival mode, “our mind, body and spirit never get the chance to see things as they really are.” Working with this book will change all that.
The Essential Guide consists of 19 chapters, throughout which Simsek gently guides the reader to view terrifying reactions to symptoms and panic attacks not as a catastrophe, a mental illness, or an identity, but to dismiss them as merely a bundle of habits – habits which are changeable, using the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and neurolinguistic programming (NLP) inspired concepts introduced in his guide.
From reframing, changing our mental, verbal, behavioural, and physiological habits, to mapping meditation, breathing exercises, and chair coaching, Simsek introduces the reader to a broad toolkit of small ways to make significant difference. Rather than focusing on “fixing” health anxiety, Simsek provides readers with ways become disinterested in symptoms, and reengaged in life. To question why we associate worry with care, desire control, or only hear the one negative thing mentioned among nine positive ones. To recognise that thinking is not the same as overthinking, that our body and mind are in a constant, two-way conversation.
Many “self-help” or “health-related” books are little more than thinly-disguised marketing tools for additional products. Similarly, many books by authors with a large online back catalogue are little more than a hastily thrown-together assemblage of their blog posts or podcast scripts. Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to Simsek’s book. The Essential Guide to Health Anxiety directs the reader to free YouTube resources at every turn (many of which were created by the author), with zero spruiking. Although he does offer training via his website, Simsek truly lives up to his declared goal of helping you “be your own guide”. The best health anxiety support, he assures us “is within your own conscious mind”, and The Essential Guide is truly a stand-alone resource that will help anyone willing to engage with it fully.
Some of the advice in The Essential Guide was new to me, much of it, as I have already done a lot of reading on this topic, was familiar. What was new, however, was Simsek’s explanations about why I should try these techniques. I have always considered myself more of a “words” than a “visual” person, and never really tried visualisation as a result. But, as Simsek explains, visual images are far more potent to our “reptile brain” than words and logic. It makes sense that we cannot “logic” our way out of irrational beliefs – if that were the case, we would never hold these fears after the first time we realise they are irrational. Familiarity, Simsek explains, “often overpowers logic”, and for this reason, we need to change the familiar script, the familiar images, the familiar behaviours.
In his podcasts, Simsek mentions that he was aided in his own journey by the work of Dr. Claire Weekes, and although not explicitly mentioned here, that influence is evident in The Essential Guide. Something both authors have in common, aside from their emphasis on being gentle to oneself, and having patience, is the fact that both have themselves recovered from health anxiety. Or, as Simsek phrases it “growing out of anxiety”. I see that these two authors’ books appear as frequently bought together on Amazon, and I would heartily recommend both. Weekes provides a doctor’s perspective, and has more of a focus on what causes physiological symptoms, while Simsek provides a professional athlete’s perspective, and has more of a focus on developing the tools to dismiss the symptoms once we understand them. (As a side note, I have never considered myself anything close to an athlete, so it was a surprise to discover how much I related to Simsek’s story. Perfectionism, over-achievement, and immense pressure – self-imposed and/or internalised from others – are essentially the same, no matter the field.)
Simsek knows first-hand how unhelpful it is to be given “advice” such as “stop worrying” - even though that’s exactly when anxiety sufferers need to do. Many people with anxiety lament the fact that they simply don’t know how to stop worrying. “People use the word ‘how’ to justify not knowing what to do to heal when, in fact, they simply don’t trust deeply enough in what they already know”. By implementing the simple, achievable morning and evening routines Simsek suggests, not knowing what to do can no longer be an excuse. Aligned once more with Weekes, Simsek also cautions against trying too hard, fighting, or doing too many things at once. The most important message I took away from this book was to focus on the 10-second window between experiencing a negative feeling or symptom, and placing a new meaning behind it or reaction to it.
Additionally, Simsek explains why it is important to be open to learning from unexpected sources. I’ve experimented with mantras before and found them the opposite of helpful. Having read The Essential Guide, I can now identify why – the language I was using focused too much on what I hoped for, on feelings I wasn’t feeling. The suggested “Here, now” is much more neutral. Prior to reading this book, I am certain I would have dismissed ideas like “color breathing” out of hand. But because Simsek provides all of the necessary groundwork for my logical “monkey” brain to give these techniques a chance, my “lizard” brain is now experiencing forms of reprogramming I wouldn’t have attempted before.
Although the steps Simsek recommends are straightforward, well-justified, and well-explained, simple does not mean easy. The journey is, necessarily, emotional. But as he explains, in order to truly deal with anxiety, to ensure our anxiety about health doesn’t disappear, only to pop up as a different form of anxiety, we need to stop just “coping” with it. Coping, he says, is like shoving all of the clothes and other things scattered around your house into the cupboard to give the outward appearance of organisation, when you know, in the back of your mind, as soon as you reopen the closet, the mess will fall out again.
Over and over, Simsek emphasises having patience with yourself, and patience with the process of healing. “When I plant a seed (new direction) and water it often,” he says “I don’t sit next to the flower to see if its growing”. The process, he acknowledges, is a frustrating one. Healing is not linear, and setbacks are inevitable. But when we understand these “setbacks” as opportunities to practice what we have learnt, when we have patience, the glimpses of what Simsek calls the “After Life” - a life post-anxiety – make it all worthwhile. After all, anxiety does not protect us “it just gives the illusion”.
The Essential Guide to Health Anxiety does not have a reference list. Usually, this is something I would look for, but, given Simsek’s plausible claims that we cannot logic our way out of anxiety, I wonder if this was, in fact, a deliberate choice. A list of recommended readings might become yet another excuse to feel as if I need to do more research before implementing anything. It does contain an extensive glossary to help the reader make sense of the terms used in the book, though I found it largely unnecessary as every concept was explained so well in the text (the only one I wanted to see more clarification of was “alpha/theta brainwave state”).
Dennis Simsek’s The Essential Guide to Health Anxiety is, hands down, the best book on health anxiety I have read. But I suspect it will be useful for people with many kinds of anxiety – general anxiety, dental anxiety, social anxiety – and parts of it may be useful for people with psychosomatic conditions. As the author acknowledges, many forms of health anxiety begin with oversensitisation due to actual pain from illness or injury.
If you have never come across Dennis’ work before, I highly recommend you listen to a few episodes of his podcast or watch a few episodes of his YouTube channel and get to know him. This helped me greatly in trusting Dennis as an author to guide me on this journey. If you are already a fan of his work, I recommend The Essential Guide to Health Anxiety without hesitation. This is a well-organised, enlightening, and invigorating book which adds so much value to the wealth of information Dennis has already put out there. This will be a book worth reading more than once. Thank you Dennis!
October 28, 2023
Good info, great context, lacks directed guidance.
I really feel Dennis is very informative and his message about health anxiety speaks truth. I only wish he had included some actual guidance to help begin the journey to let go of the fear, and teach ourselves to self love. I know I can find that in other books, however having it all in one book could help the reader instantly start working on the change they want to see in themselves. I think the reason some people can't get rid of the health anxiety is because they need concrete exercises to begin the process.
I really feel Dennis is very informative and his message about health anxiety speaks truth. I only wish he had included some actual guidance to help begin the journey to let go of the fear, and teach ourselves to self love. I know I can find that in other books, however having it all in one book could help the reader instantly start working on the change they want to see in themselves. I think the reason some people can't get rid of the health anxiety is because they need concrete exercises to begin the process.
April 7, 2024
Anxiety sufferers dream book.
Dennis does a wonderful job guiding anxiety sufferers through step by steps to calming and reprogramming the anxious mind. If you or someone you love suffers from anxiety, I would highly recommend this book. I’m ready to read another one of his!
Dennis does a wonderful job guiding anxiety sufferers through step by steps to calming and reprogramming the anxious mind. If you or someone you love suffers from anxiety, I would highly recommend this book. I’m ready to read another one of his!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews