How do we handle hypochondria as a Christian?

What's helped me have episodes that were less intense, less often and shorter duration

This is one of a five part series. See other posts here.

I have no idea why God picked us to walk through life with health anxiety, but we aren’t going to waste it. Are you with me? We will allow this to draw us closer to God. Health anxiety can eclipse our days. I get discouraged thinking about how much time I’ve wasted fearing for my life and agonizing over my body.

If I’m honest, it feels unfair, too. But instead of sinking into despair, we’re bringing it to God and asking Him to use every bit of us, heal us, and hold us. 

I’ve shared so many parts of my life online, and this is one of those areas that is so big in my day-to-day life but barely gets airtime. It’s time, though. 

So, let me introduce myself by sharing some things I thought I’d had before. 

• A headache could only be a brain aneurysm. 

• Eye pain that was for sure a detached retina. (total coincidence my mom just had that at the time).

• Rapid heartbeat was a heart attack. 

• Breast pain could only be cancer. 

• Stomach pain that was surely an erupting kidney, spleen, or liver. 

• Swollen feet meant I must be diabetic. 

• Spasms for a year pointed to multiple sclerosis.

• And most recently, an ulcer on my tongue that would eventually turn into a tongue-eating disease.

And these are just some that I remember. I’ve had it all. Scratch that. I have only thought I’ve had them all. And scratch that, I didn’t just think it. I believed, to the depths of my core, that the only possible answer was a terrible diagnosis. 

And it feels so counter to my faith in Jesus. Shouldn’t I have a better handle this? And that’s kind of the million-dollar question for those of us bombarded by hypochondriac thoughts.

How do we handle hypochondria as a Christian?

If you struggle with hypochondria or its more politically correct name, health anxiety, you’re in the right place. The Lord has used my own struggle to teach me so much about how to walk through it in a healthier way. I had plans to write a book, but it turns out it was waiting to become a Substack series instead.

It all started when I came across an interesting quote that has guided my search for how best to handle it (more on that in a second). 

My goal with hypochondria is much like my goal was with being a grumpy mom (as documented here): to have episodes that were less intense, less often and shorter duration. This might be my thorn for life and something I’ll always deal with, but I have seen that it doesn’t have to be as debilitating as it has in the past. 

After digging into things with a counselor, it looks like my hypochondria all started at the Lamb Family Reunion in Corpus Christi, Texas. To clarify, Lamb is my mom’s maiden name. This was not a reunion for actual lambs, but how cute. After about 8 hours in the car, my head felt like it was going to explode. Throughout the day, I remember feeling lots of pressure in my ear and even my jaw. 

I distinctly remember not being able to eat a carrot because it hurt my jaw too much. By nighttime, I was in so much pain. My mom suggested I lay down on a soft pillow (again, how cute), so I did, but at some point, it became excruciating, and she decided to take me to the ER. 

Standing in the hallway of the hotel around midnight, I let out a chilling scream as my ear drum burst. I still remember the yellow Psalty, the Psalmbook church camp shirt that was now blood-stained. I remember feeling bad for waking up anyone in our hall that night. 

From that moment on, I learned to be hyper-vigilant about any ache or sensation I felt. I learned to be a bit more dramatic with my mom, too, so she’d know I was serious. The birth of that memory and the number of times I’ve told myself I must be vigilant or the worst would happen gave root to health anxiety that has overwhelmed me much of my life. 

Maybe that’s you, too. When I first shared my interest in writing a book on hypochondria I was surprised how many people felt the same way! I have felt like the only hypochondriac in most groups. Research shows about 4-5 % of people have been diagnosed but it’s likely more than 10% who are affected by it. Perhaps COVID, more specifically all the news and information out there about it, did a number on our approach to our bodies and health. 

And if you have someone with it or if you suffer with it, you know how all-consuming it can be! I’ve always said my worries about other things, I tend to be able to pause if I can distract myself from it or get some distance, but how do you get distance from feeling or sensation in your body that you can’t escape?

What if our peace of mind wasn’t held hostage by every sensation in our body? 

What if we knew we could find a sense of peace no matter what came our way? 

This is my attempt to help us find out! 

And when I read this quote from Elton Trublood, my “get out of symptom jail” plan started to take shape:

“No vital Christianity is possible unless at least 3 aspects of it are developed...the inner life of devotion, the outer life of service and the intellectual life of rationality.”

I started asking how to tend to my struggle in all three areas, and I honestly can’t imagine tackling it any other way. Often, we think we solve something by faith or rationality as if they are at odds, and we don’t even see how an outer life of service fits in when we’re trying to solve the problem that’s deep inside us.

But I think these three aspects (and perhaps a bonus one we will cover at the end of the series?) are key to us finding freedom from hypochondria. 

We’ll kick things off with this introduction and then dive into the inner, outer, and intellectual. But stay with me. You’ll have some homework and takeaways from today, too. 

We need to lay a good foundation for where we’re going, starting with getting to know your particular bent on health anxiety. 

Do you know the root cause of your health anxiety? 

Did something happen in your past to cause it? 

Did you lose a loved one that could have been saved if someone had been hyper-vigilant, and now you’re on guard for even the smallest anomaly? 

Do you suffer from trust issues? Control issues? Or fear of death? 

Today, let’s pray to the Lord and ask Him these questions. These might be good questions to ask a loved one, too:

• Is there a memory in my childhood that I’ve been preserving and is now maintaining my health anxiety?

• What does my health anxiety look like? 

• What areas do I notice it most? 

If you know someone who struggles with health anxiety, send this to them! This content has been a labor, not to write but because every time I come to write, I face more bouts of health anxiety. I knew this was something God was asking me to share, though. To get to use my own struggles to comfort as many others would be the biggest blessing!