3 Brain Training Techniques for Health Anxiety

If you struggle with health anxiety, it’s time to retrain your brain to manage your anxiety before it gets out of hand. 

Constant worry and stress about chronic symptoms can be overwhelming and debilitating. For many people living with chronic illness, health anxiety is often a significant part of their life. However, it is possible to break free from the grip of anxious thoughts and retrain your brain to find peace and calm. 

In this blog post, we will explore three powerful techniques to help you manage health anxiety and regain control over your thoughts and emotions. By practicing these brain training techniques consistently, you can reduce anxiety symptoms and cultivate a more resilient mindset.

What is Health Anxiety?

In case you’re not familiar with health anxiety, I have a full blog post diving into it that you can read here. But a quick summary would be that health anxiety is a type of anxiety disorder that is characterized by excessive worry and fear about one's health. 

Now that you know what health anxiety is, here are 3 techniques you can use to retrain your brain and manage it!

Know Your Thoughts Are Not Reality:

Anxious thoughts can feel all-encompassing and real, leading us to believe that they are our current reality. 

It's important to recognize that your thoughts are not always accurate representations of the present moment. They can be influenced by old belief systems, emotional memories, and distorted thinking patterns. 

When you find yourself consumed by anxious thoughts, remind yourself that thoughts are not facts. Challenge their validity by providing proof of why what you’re currently thinking isn’t true. For example, next time you have a headache/migraine and think you won’t be able to survive the pain, remind yourself that you’ve been through this pain before, and you will make it out the other side. Changing your thoughts in the moment will empower you to break free from anxious thought patterns and create space for peace of mind.

Visualize Calming the Amygdala:

The amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for your fight-flight-freeze response, can become overactive in response to anxiety. Through the power of imagination, you can learn to regulate its response. 

Close your eyes and visualize a soothing blue color washing over your amygdala, indicating that it is cooling off and calming down. This visualization technique helps signal to your brain that it's safe to relax, reducing the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as rapid heartbeat and sweating. If you practice this visualization on a regular basis, you can train your brain to respond more calmly to anxiety triggers and prevent full-blown anxiety attacks in the future.

Rock Back and Forth While Deep Breathing:

Anxiety can put your nervous system into overdrive, leaving you feeling restless and ungrounded. 

To counteract this, try a simple yet effective technique: rock back and forth while taking deep, intentional breaths. If you're sitting in a chair, place your feet flat on the floor and gently rock your body forward and backward. As you rock, focus on your breath, taking slow, deep inhales through your nose and exhaling fully through your mouth. 

This rhythmic movement, coupled with deep breathing, helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting a sense of calm, stability, and control.

By incorporating these brain training techniques into your daily routine, you can retrain your brain to manage health anxiety and reduce its impact on your well-being. 

Remember, progress takes time, so be patient with yourself and celebrate even the smallest victories along the way. With dedication and practice, you can cultivate a more resilient mindset and regain control over your thoughts and emotions. You have the power to break free from the grip of health anxiety and embrace a more calm and balanced life.

Living with health anxiety can be challenging, but when you take the time to retrain your brain, you can reduce its impact on your daily life. 

Remember that your thoughts are not always an accurate reflection of reality and challenge their validity. Visualize calming your amygdala to signal relaxation, and practice rocking back and forth while deep breathing to soothe your nervous system. 

By consistently practicing these techniques, you can cultivate resilience, manage health anxiety, and regain control over your well-being. Embrace the journey of retraining your brain, and celebrate each step forward along the way to a more calm and empowered mindset

Introducing the Mindbody Healing Method:

These 3 techniques are just the tip of the iceberg of what I teach my clients in my signature program, the Mindbody Healing Method.

This is a unique, one-of-a-kind approach to healing the root cause of chronic pain, fatigue, anxiety, and other illnesses. We focus on healing the root cause of your pain by regulating your nervous system and working to retrain your brain.

You may constantly feel worried about your health and know there’s got to be a better way to heal, not just “manage” your symptoms. If that sounds like you, then apply here to see if MHM is right for you!

And don’t forget to save this blog for when you need it most!