There are those who are just scared of becoming ill – whether this is an anxiety about coming down with something, or just being anxious about throwing up. It is not as uncommon as you might think. For some, this worry dominates their lives, especially if they have young children.
When someone’s mind is filled with worry about becoming ill, it can become all-consuming. They don’t want to mix with others in case they catch something; they are always hyper-sensitive to every little cough or sneeze. It can dominate their lives, and this can lead to a miserable life for themselves and their family.
Of course, it is quite natural to be wary about disease. It is unpleasant to be ill – we can’t get on with our lives, we get bored staying in bed, and it is generally an uncomfortable experience. Fortunately, our bodies are very resilient and we are usually able to get over most diseases given time.
But some people are so anxious about picking up a bug that it almost overwhelms them. Maybe their parents were over-wary about “germs”; maybe they had a particularly bad experience in their past; or maybe they simply watched the constant reminders about Covid during one of the lockdowns. It doesn’t matter where the anxiety came from – if it is dominating your life you need to do something about it.
One of the common consequences of this is a fear of vomiting (or someone close to them vomiting). This is particularly difficult for parents, as they have to deal with the aftermath of their children throwing up. For some, the anxiety of vomit is completely overwhelming. Fear of vomiting is so common, that it has a name – Emetophobia.
If health anxiety or emetophobia is spoiling your life, you need to do something about it. There are a variety of psychological ways to help. Your doctor will likely suggest CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). For myself, I prefer the hypnotherapy approach.
If you would like to experience hypnotherapy for yourself, for health anxiety, emetophobia or another issue, you might like to consider Contacting Me. I offer hypnotherapy services from my clinic in Fleet, Hampshire as well as online.
Useful References
Health Anxiety
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/health-anxiety
Emetophobia
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