{"id":152227,"date":"2024-03-03T15:02:34","date_gmt":"2024-03-03T20:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/archives\/152227"},"modified":"2024-03-03T15:02:34","modified_gmt":"2024-03-03T20:02:34","slug":"escaping-the-health-anxiety-attention-trap-dr-rami-nader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/archives\/152227","title":{"rendered":"Escaping the Health Anxiety Attention Trap | Dr. Rami Nader"},"content":{"rendered":"
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xTojOzXTxig<\/div>Hi everyone in today’s video we’re going to be\u00a0 talking about ways of managing persistent and\u00a0\u00a0 pesky worries about health that people often\u00a0 experience in health anxiety and I’ve talked\u00a0\u00a0 in previous videos about how much how we pay too\u00a0 much attention to physical health symptoms and\u00a0\u00a000:00:19<\/a>how by focusing too much on those symptoms it\u00a0 actually makes the symptoms feel more intense\u00a0\u00a0 kind of like a sneaky trap you know the tricky\u00a0 part is that when those symptoms feel worse it’s\u00a0\u00a0 natural to start to worry even more about them\u00a0 and this triggers even more anxiety and it becomes\u00a0\u00a000:00:42<\/a>this self-fulfilling cycle that keeps dragging the\u00a0 person down into worse and worse health anxiety\u00a0\u00a0 the more anxious we become the\u00a0 more we feel the need to focus\u00a0\u00a0 on our health symptoms because we’re\u00a0 genuinely concerned about them which\u00a0\u00a000:00:59<\/a>just makes us feel even more anxious\u00a0 and it becomes this frustrating spiral\u00a0\u00a0 so in today’s video we’re going to be talking\u00a0 about some strategies that you can use to help\u00a0\u00a0 break you out of this health anxiety spiral\u00a0 and gain some control over your health worries\u00a0\u00a000:01:18<\/a>now people who struggle with health anxiety often\u00a0 find themselves meticulously examining their\u00a0\u00a0 bodies for any signs of illness which inevitably\u00a0 leads to worry about these bodily Sensations\u00a0\u00a0 now being aware of bodily changes and potential\u00a0 health issues is normal that everybody does it\u00a0\u00a000:01:41<\/a>to some extent however if you’re spending\u00a0 excessive time fixating on your physical\u00a0\u00a0 symptoms or struggling to break free from the\u00a0 thoughts about your health or potential illness\u00a0\u00a0 it can be helpful to direct your\u00a0 attention away from those symptoms\u00a0\u00a000:02:02<\/a>too much into that I want you to think about what\u00a0 you tend to focus on when you’re feeling anxious\u00a0\u00a0 about your health I often encourage my clients\u00a0 to make a list of the particular Sensations or\u00a0\u00a0 areas of their body that tend to consume their\u00a0 attention during these health anxiety episodes\u00a0\u00a000:02:22<\/a>and once you have this list of Sensations\u00a0 or health worries this becomes the list\u00a0\u00a0 of symptoms or health thoughts that we\u00a0 want to redirect our attention away from\u00a0\u00a0 but why is redirecting attention so important\u00a0 why is it so critical well as I mentioned earlier\u00a0\u00a000:02:43<\/a>fixating on physical symptoms can intensify their\u00a0 impact and fuel high levels of worry and anxiety\u00a0\u00a0 additionally when our attention is fixated on\u00a0 these physical symptoms it prevents us from\u00a0\u00a0 engaging in everyday activities and fulfilling\u00a0 other important tasks have you ever found it\u00a0\u00a000:03:05<\/a>challenging to concentrate on doing your household\u00a0 chores a work project or simply being present with\u00a0\u00a0 your loved ones because your mind is constantly\u00a0 wandering back to a specific area of your body\u00a0\u00a0 or particular Health concern that you’re\u00a0 focused on this symptom focused attention\u00a0\u00a000:03:25<\/a>and health anxiety makes it really difficult\u00a0 for us to focus on any other aspects of life\u00a0\u00a0 so by learning to retain your attention learning\u00a0 to retain your attention is a critical initial\u00a0\u00a0 step in managing and addressing health anxiety\u00a0 not only does it reduce the amount of focus on\u00a0\u00a000:03:47<\/a>the physical Sensations but it also frees up your\u00a0 attention allowing you to more fully engage in\u00a0\u00a0 other activities and experiences that life has to\u00a0 offer so how do we do this how can we shift our\u00a0\u00a0 Focus away from worrying about physical symptoms\u00a0 and bring our attention back to the present moment\u00a0\u00a000:04:10<\/a>one way to approach it is by considering your\u00a0 attention kind of like a muscle and just like\u00a0\u00a0 any muscle if we don’t exercise our attention\u00a0 regularly it becomes weaker and less effective\u00a0\u00a0 so the key is to strengthen our attention and our\u00a0 ability to focus by giving it a regular workout\u00a0\u00a000:04:32<\/a>and one way of doing this is to consciously\u00a0 sustain your attention during everyday tasks\u00a0\u00a0 you see when we’re engaging in mundane\u00a0 day-to-day activities like washing dishes\u00a0\u00a0 folding laundry or driving to pick up the kids\u00a0 from soccer practice it’s natural for our minds\u00a0\u00a000:04:52<\/a>to often wander off we start thinking about\u00a0 other things like work uh what the weather\u00a0\u00a0 is going to be like tomorrow the argument I\u00a0 had with my wife all sorts of other things\u00a0\u00a0 we rarely take the time to fully focus on the\u00a0 experience of our day-to-day tasks like washing\u00a0\u00a000:05:12<\/a>the dishes the activity of folding laundry or\u00a0 the actual route we take to the soccer field\u00a0\u00a0 it’s during these types of activities that\u00a0 our minds tend to drift we lose touch with the\u00a0\u00a0 present moment and we become disconnected from\u00a0 what we’re actually doing and what’s actually\u00a0\u00a000:05:33<\/a>going on around us but the thing is these everyday\u00a0 tasks present a wonderful opportunity to practice\u00a0\u00a0 strengthening our attention and the idea is to\u00a0 gradually train yourself to sustain focus on\u00a0\u00a0 these ordinary activities for longer and longer\u00a0 periods giving your attention a solid workout\u00a0\u00a000:05:58<\/a>so what I encourage my clients to do is to think\u00a0 about those everyday mundane tasks those household\u00a0\u00a0 chores that you frequently engage in where your\u00a0 mind tends to wander it could be anything from\u00a0\u00a0 doing the dishes taking a shower ironing gardening\u00a0 cooking eating walking driving anything you do on\u00a0\u00a000:06:20<\/a>a day-to-day basis spend some time and write down\u00a0 as many of these activities that you can think of\u00a0\u00a0 and once you have your list of potential\u00a0 activities to practice building your attention\u00a0\u00a0 muscle the next step is to select one and\u00a0 plan when and where you’ll intentionally\u00a0\u00a000:06:41<\/a>practice focusing your attention with that\u00a0 task this intentional practice gradually\u00a0\u00a0 strengthens your ability to keep your attention\u00a0 centered which enhances your overall focus and\u00a0\u00a0 a presence in the Here and Now so let’s take\u00a0 the example of washing dishes to illustrate\u00a0\u00a000:07:03<\/a>this practice you make a conscious decision to\u00a0 focus your attention while washing the dishes\u00a0\u00a0 initially people are usually quite good at\u00a0 directing their attention to the task at hand\u00a0\u00a0 however after a minute or two their minds\u00a0 often start wandering off to something else\u00a0\u00a000:07:22<\/a>and the Key Practice here is to notice when\u00a0 your mind has wandered and to gently bring\u00a0\u00a0 your attention back to washing the dishes\u00a0 so in a way the muscle that we’re working\u00a0\u00a0 on is more about the bringing the attention\u00a0 back rather than solely keeping it focused\u00a0\u00a000:07:43<\/a>and to assist with bringing your attention back to\u00a0 the present moment I encourage you to engage your\u00a0\u00a0 senses and to be mindful of the sensory experience\u00a0 you’re having while washing the dishes or whatever\u00a0\u00a0 the task is so let’s think about the five\u00a0 senses the touch science sound smell and taste\u00a0\u00a000:08:05<\/a>first pay attention to the sense of touch what\u00a0 does it actually feel like to wash the dishes\u00a0\u00a0 take note of the texture and the temperature\u00a0 of the water and The Sensation of the soap in\u00a0\u00a0 your hands notice which parts of your body\u00a0 are in contact with the dishwashing process\u00a0\u00a000:08:26<\/a>next consider the sense of sight what catches\u00a0 your eye as you’re washing the dishes observe the\u00a0\u00a0 interplay of light and shadows Contours and colors\u00a0 that unfold before you while you’re washing your\u00a0\u00a0 spaghetti meal off the dishes moving on to sound\u00a0 listen closely to the different sounds associated\u00a0\u00a000:08:49<\/a>with washing dishes pay attention to the sound of\u00a0 water pouring into the sink and the sound of the\u00a0\u00a0 sponge scrubbing away the food particles take a\u00a0 moment to explore the sense of smell notice any\u00a0\u00a0 distinct smells that arise do the smells change\u00a0 as the dishwasher because the dish water becomes\u00a0\u00a000:09:10<\/a>dirtier what does the dish soap smell like see\u00a0 if you can detect multiple scents or changing\u00a0\u00a0 scents as you do it and lastly consider taste\u00a0 now you may not necessarily taste anything if\u00a0\u00a0 there’s nothing in your mouth but perhaps you’re\u00a0 chewing gum while you’re doing the dishes what\u00a0\u00a000:09:29<\/a>do you know what do you notice about the act of\u00a0 chewing gum so you see by bringing your attention\u00a0\u00a0 to these sensory aspects you’re anchoring\u00a0 yourself in the present moment and you’re\u00a0\u00a0 cultivating a greater sense of the task at hand\u00a0 which is washing the dishes it’s through this\u00a0\u00a000:09:51<\/a>deliberate practice of engaging your senses\u00a0 that you strengthen your ability to redirect\u00a0\u00a0 your attention back to the present ultimately\u00a0 enhancing your overall focus and mindfulness\u00a0\u00a0 now the nice thing about this type of attention\u00a0 practice is that you can do it almost any time\u00a0\u00a000:10:13<\/a>because it typically involves things that we do\u00a0 every day anyway so I encourage people to practice\u00a0\u00a0 attention on these mundane tasks at least two or\u00a0 three times a day you’re not doing anything extra\u00a0\u00a0 by doing these exercises all you’re really doing\u00a0 is paying attention to stuff that you do anyway\u00a0\u00a000:10:36<\/a>so it’s not like it’s going to take up any more\u00a0 time in your day now you might be wondering okay\u00a0\u00a0 this makes sense I can use this approach to\u00a0 maintain my focus on mundane tasks such as\u00a0\u00a0 folding laundry or mowing the lawn or doing dishes\u00a0 but how does this help with my health anxiety\u00a0\u00a000:10:59<\/a>well the idea is when you notice yourself getting\u00a0 preoccupied with a physical sensation or a worry\u00a0\u00a0 about a particular physical symptom what’s\u00a0 happening with your attention in that situation\u00a0\u00a0 well your attention is focused on the\u00a0 physical symptom or the physical sensation\u00a0\u00a000:11:18<\/a>and your worry and negative interpretation of\u00a0 what that physical sensation actually means\u00a0\u00a0 so when you catch yourself focusing your attention\u00a0 all these physical Sensations the idea is to work\u00a0\u00a0 on redirecting your attention to something else\u00a0 bringing your attention back in the Here and Now\u00a0\u00a000:11:38<\/a>so for example if I notice that while I’m\u00a0 cooking dinner I notice some numbness in my\u00a0\u00a0 fingers and start to worry about what does that\u00a0 mean if I’ve practiced this mundane task focusing\u00a0\u00a0 what it can do is pull my attention away from the\u00a0 worry about the numbness in my fingers and put my\u00a0\u00a000:11:57<\/a>attention more fully into what I’m doing while I’m\u00a0 cooking dinner it interrupts that negative spiral\u00a0\u00a0 that happens in health anxiety where I focus on\u00a0 the sensation I notice it more intensely it makes\u00a0\u00a0 me more anxious so I have to focus on it more by\u00a0 removing the focus on the physical sensation I’m\u00a0\u00a000:12:18<\/a>interrupting this cycle and not getting so anxious\u00a0 or so worked up by it in that moment and if you’re\u00a0\u00a0 interested in learning more ways of interrupting\u00a0 these worry Spirals and health anxiety or worry\u00a0\u00a0 more generally I encourage you to check out this\u00a0 video so that’s all for today’s video as always\u00a0\u00a0
Source : Youtube<\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xTojOzXTxigHi everyone in today’s video we’re going to be\u00a0 talking about ways of managing persistent and\u00a0\u00a0 pesky worries about health that people often\u00a0 experience in health anxiety and I’ve talked\u00a0\u00a0 in previous videos about how much how we pay too\u00a0 much attention to physical health symptoms and\u00a0\u00a000:00:19how by focusing too much on those symptoms it\u00a0 … Continue reading Escaping the Health Anxiety Attention Trap | Dr. Rami Nader<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":152228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[132],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weird-stuff"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/1709496155-maxresdefault.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/effectsofanxiety.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}