I’ve always been drawn to science, particularly physiology and how God designed our bodies to work. I was the weird kid who loved dissections in school, and who had no problem discussing my vet clinic work experiences in graphic detail at the dinner table (to my mother’s shock and horror – and maybe mild amusement).
I’m in my forties, so there was no internet in my early years, but I loved thumbing through my dad’s medical encyclopedia, reading about every disease known to man – literally from A to Z! I was convinced I had appendicitis at one point, and to this day whenever my kids complain of neck pain I make sure they can touch their chin to their chest (checking for meningitis, of course). But all of this was relatively mild and went away as quickly as it came.
But we live in a very different time. My dad’s medical encyclopedias were finite; I wasn’t going to obsess and read the same articles over and over again. But the internet? It’s virtually limitless.
The Internet and Health Anxiety
So fast forward thirty years or so, and here I am with three kids, an aging body… and let’s just say it, ladies:
Google.
Having children heightens your anxiety by a factor of a thousand – per kid (no, I can’t actually back up that statistic). When my daughter was diagnosed with a tree nut allergy, I Googled like crazy, and my heart dropped as I read stories of children dying from accidental exposure to allergens.
A seed of fear was planted and grew and grew.
One of my other children, and then I, myself, had some issues that I felt the need to “research” to the point of becoming almost obsessive. I don’t even want to know the number of hours I spent searching for answers and reading alarming stories that caused the fear to grow.
Google vs the Gospel
It all really came to a head about a year and a half ago. I have shared some of those struggles (you can read one of my posts here). I had some worrisome symptoms that escalated exponentially the more I worried about them (I made no connection at first to anxiety driving the symptoms), and when I Googled the symptoms, the words that kept coming up were “colon cancer.”
For whatever reason, my mind latched onto that “diagnosis” and I read more and more stories of women whose symptoms were exactly like mine who had colon cancer. Some of these stories almost seemed fabricated to be sensational or to evoke emotion, now that I look back more objectively. I wasn’t discerning about where I got my information, I just Googled away, my anxiety growing by the click.
She Googled away, her anxiety growing by the click… Click To TweetI finally went to the doctor (yes – I went for weeks without even going to the doctor because I felt silly for feeling so anxious) and scheduled some tests. As I waited for tests and results, I had to put on a mask for my kids. I felt scared and hopeless inside, and found myself acting super upbeat for them, joking like everything was great, just so they wouldn’t know I was struggling. I was having full blown panic attacks daily where my heart rate would surge over 100bpm and wouldn’t go down, where I could literally feel the adrenaline surging in my chest over and over again. I’d never, ever experienced anything like this.
We were in a life group meeting at church and a dear friend’s husband was sharing about his battle with cancer, and I couldn’t breathe. I had to leave – I went outside after it was safe not to look rude leaving, and walked around the church in the freezing cold, just to be able to function around people and catch my breath.
Recovery and Restoration
That night was the turning point.
I remember being in the kitchen after our life group meeting, talking with my husband and asking him to pray for me. I told him that I believed he had spiritual authority over me, and that I needed him to pray for God to give me release from the bondage of this anxiety. He placed his hands on my shoulders and prayed a very simple, straight-to-the-point prayer. I felt a shift. I wasn’t a different person, and the anxiety wasn’t completely gone, but I felt like my surrender and his prayer had done something in me. Whether it was spiritual or mental or emotional or chemical, I have no idea, but I give God all the glory.
It was months before I felt “normal,” and I want to take a moment and let you know that I don’t believe that anxiety can always be overcome through prayer alone. God is good. He is great! He is the Great Physician. Jehovah Jireh, Almighty God who Provides. But there are times when God works through doctors, counselors, husbands and friends… all sorts of ways. While I probably should have sought medical attention sooner, in my case, my husband’s prayer shifted the balance and God began a work of recovery and restoration.
Fast Forward…
A little over a year later, I had a dream that there was a lump in my breast. I did a self-exam the next morning when I woke up, and there really, truly was a lump in my breast! It seemed reasonable that God was warning me that I had breast cancer and bringing it to light so that I could receive treatment. I had multiple tests done, and while I’m scheduled for a six month follow-up, the conclusion was that they were benign cysts, and today I can’t feel the lump that sent me to the doctor in the first place.
But during that time, I had a completely different experience. I had learned some things about myself, and set some boundaries that made this health issue so very much different than the last. I felt like this time, I had so many more reasons to think I could have cancer, but I walked through this health journey in a very different way, and experienced virtually no anxiety. In fact, I felt joy.
3 Steps You Can Take to Combat Health Anxiety
More disclaimers: if you are suffering from clinical anxiety, I am in no way suggesting that I’m more spiritual than you because I didn’t during this most recent experience. If you experience chronic health anxiety, whether you’re on medication or not, I’m not suggesting you can always pray it away, or take these steps I’m about to share and be free from it. In my case, for my body and brain chemistry, these steps kept me from spiraling into the same frame of mind I had been in before. If you suspect you suffer from anxiety, please schedule an appointment to see your doctor immediately.
So what was the difference between my two experiences? Here’s what changed with my second “health scare”:
1.) I refused to Google.
I just didn’t do it. I was tempted – oh how I was tempted!! But I did not. When I had my first mammogram I asked for the CD ROM so I could view the images myself, and it didn’t work on my computer. I am convinced even that was by the grace of God to keep my mind clear.
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” – Colossians 3:1-3 (NIV)
2.) I praised God constantly.
I listened to praise music instead of Googling. I spoke praises out loud like “Thank you God for this health scare. Thank you for the opportunity to praise you no matter what the outcome!” And the more I said it, the more I really, truly believed it. I pictured my praises being like an atomic bomb going off – you know the movie scenes where the explosion begins and spreads out destroying everything in its path? I pictured my praises demolishing any seeds of fear or anxiety, sending the demons fleeing.
And they fled.
“As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” – 2 Chronicles 20:22 (NIV)
3.) I let others in.
I was really embarrassed about the anxiety I felt during the first health scare. Part of that was that I knew that some of my fears were irrational. But I felt myself shutting everyone out. Only a select few knew the extent of my struggle. When I found the lump in my breast, I was very open about it, about asking others for prayer support, and as I felt the victory over anxiety, I wanted to tell everyone about how good God was and is. It was like instead of spiraling downward in my thinking, I was spiraling up.
I think this is so key: meditating on good begets good thoughts; meditating on bad begets bad thoughts.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Oh, and one more thing…
One last (huge) lesson I learned: In the first case, anxiety actually made me sick. I couldn’t eat. I had to force food down, because I knew if I started losing weight it would make me even more anxious. I had constant abdominal pain, sometimes to the point where I couldn’t stand up straight. At night sometimes when I was sitting down trying to relax, my chest felt heavy, like I couldn’t breathe. I had to consciously pay attention to my breaths and convince myself it wasn’t that I physically couldn’t breathe – it’s that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to. I had tingling in my hands and feet, as well as dizziness.
When I received an “all clear” from some medical tests and began to realize anxiety itself might be the cause of my symptoms, I began to get well.
While I think the internet can be incredibly helpful to giving us tools to become advocates for our own health, and the health of our children and loved ones, I believe there is an epidemic of health anxiety out there and self-diagnosis that we call “research” that can be very, very damaging.
Health Anxiety Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All
Please accept my story as an anecdote – not a one-size-fits-all prescription, and certainly not a lecture. Everyone’s body and brain chemistry is different. Anxiety of any kind shouldn’t be ignored, and prayer alone isn’t always enough. But I believe when we dwell on the negative and “research” our symptoms to death, we are not only doing ourselves a disservice, but we are taking valuable time and energy away from God’s best plans for our lives.
Join The Conversation
So what about you? Have you struggled with health anxiety on any level? Do you agree it’s fueled by Google and “research,” or do you disagree? We’d love to hear your story. May God bless your mind, body and spirit today and always!
Do you struggle with health anxiety? If so, you are not alone. Click To Tweet
I love your insight here. Refuse to google it and give God praise are two of my favorite pieces of advice for anxiety as well!
Thanks so much, Tiffany! ?
Stumbled upon your post while going through a couple weeks of extreme anxiety and depression. Mostly health related (though I know there is more to it).
Health anxiety can make you feel so paralized and hopeless. I’m only 25 and sometimes afraid that I’ll never experience true joy anymore.
Your post did bring me a little bit of comfort and peace.
Alisa, I’m so sorry for your struggles. Please know you aren’t alone, and that you are in my prayers. I’d love to leave you with a written prayer: Lord, we lift Alisa up to you today, asking that you would surround her with your peace. We pray that you would quiet her worries and wrap her in your presence in a tangible way. We ask for you to shed light on any health-related problems that need attention, and to provide her with doctors with supernatural wisdom and discernment to find answers and put her mind at ease. Direct her to people who will encourage and support her, and even counselors or doctors to help her find joy again. You are the Great Physician, and the Giver of Good Gifts. We pray for you to work in Alisa’s life today to bring about healing and peace and joy beyond anything she could have ever asked for or imagined. You are that good. We know you are at work even now in Alisa’s life and pray that you would bless her in every way. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen. ?? God bless you, Alisa.
Anxiety is a real attack on God’s people. I’m so glad so many of us now “battle” it rather than “suffer” it. We’re His children and don’t have to suffer because He’s overcome it all! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Erin!
Hi Jamie, Your post describes so much of my life to at T. “Becoming informed”, “learning”, and “researching”
about a confirmed diagnosis- a rare, incurable disease contributed to paralyzing anxiety for many years, when my experience turned out to be nothing like all the doom and gloom I read about. Now as I battle breast cancer, I’ve also forced myself to limit research to a a couple minutes on just 2 or 3 of the most reputable .gov sites and I stay off the chat rooms. Christian radio plays at my desk most of the day, and if I turn it off, all the anxiety symptoms become debilitating in just a few hours. I think the whole wide world needs to read your post and learn how to turn to the Gospel rather than to Google! Thank you so much for this post.
Thank you, Valerie. I think your point is so important – reality is more often than not less scary than our anxious thoughts and fears! Please know you have been and continue to be in my prayers as you battle cancer. God bless you and continue to surround you by His peace! ?
Oh, Google. Definitely, not my friend when it comes to medical stuff. Great points, Jaime!
Thanks so much, Ashley!
Thank you so much for this article. I’ve been alive for almost 30 years and have made several ER trips for what ended up being anxiety induced symptoms, or symptoms that I made into something else because of my anxiety. I’m sitting in the ER tonight by myself while my husband waits in the car with our two toddlers and all I want to do is cry. The pain I’m putting myself through, the pain I’m causing my family, I don’t want to do this anymore. But it’s so hard to rest in Jesus. I always feel like I’m battling him for control of my life. Not googling certainly needs to be my first step in fighting this problem. Thank you for being so honest!
Oh, Carolyn, my heart goes out to you! My prayer is that you are well and your family is settling into routine once again after the ER and there was nothing seriously wrong. What I read in your comment is that you are carrying around a heavy burden of guilt about this struggle with anxiety. I can relate. I really think the first step is to release that guilt and affirm the truth that we all have struggles, and there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Any condemnation or guilt or thoughts about yourself that don’t lead to positive change but just make you feel rotten are absolutely not from God. You are loved. You are beautiful. You are a precious Daughter if the King! He sees your struggles and loves you and desires to lift you up – not to see you beat yourself up. Please know that you are in my prayers, and also loved and supported by the women here in this community! God bless you ?
This is a great article Jaime! I am a mom of 4, with one on the way and it seems like these old fears came creeping back in a big way months ago and have tried to get the best of me, (stealing my joy and my energy from my family, basically just walking around looking sad and fearing the worst.) It can be really hard to trust God when we’re afraid for our health and bodies but your blog post is very encouraging about how to overcome that. Thank you for being so detailed about what you hav experienced and doing your best to be sensitive to all levels of health anxieties for Christians. I hope this can become a thing of the past for all of us. Thank you again and God bless you.
Thank you so much for sharing, Erica! God bless you and your family as well ?
Thank you for sharing! I have battled anxiety my whole life, but mostly in the last 5 years has it been so focused on my health. I had to stop googling as well and if I do google, it has to be very specific. God has gotten me through all of it and I continue to have good and bad days, but I know that he will never give up on me!
Amen, Carli! May God bless you and continue to be your rock!
Thank you for this article. Helpful and encouraging. Love the point about praise and visualising the seeds! Believing I’ll be free of this!
Hi, Jo! I’m praying right along with you for victory, peace, and a nearness to God that brings light into even the darkest of days ??
jamie, thanks so uch for this. I GOOGLED christian and health anxiety rather than Googling about my diagnosis. I have been diagnosed with interstitial cystiis and have been getting increasingly anxious and truely belive that they exasperate my symptoms etc.. i really need a breakthrough on this x
Corinna, God bless you! May the God of Breakthrough give you peace and confidence and rest for your mind, body and spirit ?? And if you find yourself continuing to struggle there is no shame in seeking help from a Christian counselor who might be able to point you to some practical (or even pharmaceutical) tools to help take those thoughts captive. God is doing a work in your life through this, and this is just a chapter of your story. He knows the beginning, the end and all the pages in between. You will continue to be in my prayers, Corinna!
I am panicking I have ALS. It comes and goes all the time… Years. Christ is my savior, please give me Christian conversation to help me.
Joan, please know our prayers are with you! I want to leave you with a written prayer: Loving Father, we lift Joan up to you today, thanking you that she has the gift of salvation and hope in Jesus! We ask that you would wash over her at this very moment with your peace that transcends all understanding, to guard her heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). We pray that you would surround her with believers who would be aware when she is struggling, either physically, emotionally or spiritually, and would be at the ready with powerful prayers and practical encouragement when she needs it most. We pray that you would take her anxiety and worry and transform it into confidence in You as her Rock (Psalm 18), and joy that can only come from you (Nehemiah 8:10)! Direct her to the medical professionals she needs to bring her symptoms under control, to help with anxiety or depression, and give them your wisdom to know just how to bring her body into balance. We do pray for miraculous healing, that you would deliver Joan from ALS. We hold that prayer with open hands, knowing your ways are higher than our own, and knowing that whether you choose to manifest physical healing or not, a miracle will happen in Joan’s life because you are God. You are good. You love her, and withhold no good gift (Matthew 7:11)! Surround her with your Holy Spirit today in a way that she can tangibly feel. Bless her and encourage her, and strengthen her faith in you like never before. In Jesus’ name, amen.
God bless you, Joan! Know that you are being lifted up today!
I just found this post in the middle of a health scare. While the symptoms I face are real, the anxiety is so much worse! Thank you for your candidness!
Oh, Candace I am so sorry you’re going through this! Please know that I’m praying for God’s peace to surround you during this time. May God pour out His blessings on you during this hard time, and give you strength and hope and joy??
Thank you for this article I’ve been battling health anxiety since having a panic attack 2 and a half years ago. I tried to shut the thoughts out, but they are so overwhelming. In shame I’ve been hiding my problems away wondering what’s wrong with me, why do i have to battle anxiety. I felt so hopeless and I’m not quite sure what to do. Im currently seeing a Christian therapist, there’s been progress but sometimes I still feel stuck. I don’t feel safe to speak it at church or at home, but thank you for this article. Though I don’t know when I’ll be free, please pray for me, thanks again
Nye – You are not alone. I’ve been battling some of my own health anxiety over the last year, and it seems to be getting worse instead of better. The most important thing to remember is that there is no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus. God doesn’t think any less of us because we are battling health anxiety. He will always be right there with us, just as Jesus was in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Nye, I can totally relate to feeling ashamed of the anxiety and not feeling like you can share with others. I’m so glad you found a Christian therapist to help you work through your feelings, and will be praying for someone for you to confide in and pray with and feel supported by. I’m so glad you found us here, we’re praying for you and standing with you!
I know this article was published several years ago but I just came across it. My anxiety in regards to my health has been such an intense struggle lately. I am having some health issues but it’s like I can’t help but think maybe the doctor was wrong, maybe it is cancer and it’s spread to all my organs, it’s only a matter of time … It just breaks me. It’s sucking the joy out of my life. I need someone to pray for me. My husband thinks my anxiety is something that I can wish away. But I feel totally out of control. I google obsessively. If someone sees this, I could use a prayer right now. And thank you so much for this article.
Hey Molly, I’m praying for you now. Anxiety is real and you don’t struggle alone.
Molly, you aren’t alone. I know it makes things even harder when someone you care about doesn’t understand what you’re experiencing, or why you can’t just “snap out of it.” I’d like to leave you with a written prayer, and please know many of us here at CC are praying for you and will continue to be as you walk through this hard season. 💕🙏Prayer: Loving Father, we know that you see Molly and know her deepest fears and struggles. We ask that you would meet her where she is today and minister to her with your Spirit of Peace in a way she can feel. We ask that you would give her husband understanding and insight into her anxiety, and that you would bring others to her who can surround her with prayer and support. Open doors for her to break free of this heavy burden and to walk in joy, peace and hope, and give Molly wisdom and insight to know if there are next steps to take to seek help. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.
Praying that God will move powerfully in your life. I know EXACTLY how you are feeling.
We are all praying for you Molly! Praying the peace of God covers you, a peace that can’t be explained. I’ve been there, and it’s hard. God is good and He will carry you through. His joy, your strength.
I’ve been saying these prayers along with you all . I’m a single parent working as a health professional myself and have had quite severe health anxiety since my daughter was born 11 years ago – partially I think because I am so afraid of leaving her without a parent. For most of this time I have “managed ” it so that I carry on as normal ( or look to be carrying on as normal) but over the last year the level of anxiety has just sky rocketed. I quite literally feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest with all the accompanying palpitations and tightness and pain . I have ended up in ER a few times where nothing has been found to be wrong and I have tried to talk to my Dr but feel like I am wasting their time. Similarly I don’t feel I can open up about this to anyone at church.
This site has been so helpful to find . I really hope that God gives us all a sense of His deep deep peace when we are at our most anxious . I will be praying for all of you ladies.
Ency, I’m sure this last year has been especially difficult working in the healthcare profession. Please know we are praying along with you, and that you are not alone! I’m praying especially that you’ll find a Christian friend to talk to and share your struggles with. God bless you and your daughter!
I’m so glad I came across this article. I have been suffering so much with health anxiety the last year but particularly the last 5 weeks as I’ve had new symptoms emerge. I am still waiting on a diagnosis but the anxiety in the meantime has been unbearable. I am trying hard to help myself in all good ways I can, but it’s a real struggle.
Ali, I’m so sorry the last weeks have been so hard. Please know that we’re here praying for you, and can relate to your struggles! I’m praying with you for a quick diagnosis and for God to give you not only relief from your anxiety, but peace and joy. God bless you, Ali!
hello ! thank you for writing this article. I’ve been struggling with health anxiety for a while now. i have had swollen lymph nodes for a while and after googling I am worried about cancer. God Has told my mom that this is all an attack from the devil, but sometimes I have such a hard time believing if it is real. please pray for me, God is trying to break the habit i have of googling symptoms. please pray that the swollen lymph nodes will go down
K, I’m praying with you now that your lymph nodes would go down, for God to bring you peace that transcends all understanding, and that if there is a spiritual component to your anxious thoughts that God would protect you and deliver you from the enemy’s attempts to rob you of joy and peace! Know that you aren’t alone. God bless you!
My goodness, Thankyou ladies! For writing and sharing, it’s hard isn’t it. I have convinced myself that I have a debilitating condition through Google. It’s addictive but so harming. I am a mother of three and love exercise and am so scared that I one day may not be able to look after them or be able to exercise!!
I would also appreciate prayer. What I’m finding hardest is not knowing the cause of my symptoms…if I knew why I felt like I did, I feel I could cope better…
Does anyone else feel this way? Prayer also that I put trust in God more, I feel guilt that I can’t seem to hand this over to him…😔
Praying also for all of you x
N, after sharing this post I’ve gotten many e-mails that have made me realize that we are not alone in our struggle with health anxiety! Having symptoms without answers leaves so much to the imagination. I tend to worry about my kids’ health as well, and something God reminded me of is that when I take things out to the worst possible conclusion with myself or my kids, I’m worrying about a future that does not even exist. Praying that you will stand on truth, that God will lead you to the doctors who will help find answers to your symptoms, and most of all that in the meantime you will be given peace and joy and relief from the anxious thoughts and fears that have been such a struggle. God bless you!