Author: anxietymomof5

  • Living with Hypochondria: My Daily Challenges


    Disclaimer:
    I’m not a doctor, therapist, or licensed mental health professional. I’m just a mom living with anxiety, sharing my personal experiences in hopes that they help someone else feel less alone. Nothing in this blog should be taken as medical advice. Please speak with a professional if you’re struggling — you deserve support.

    ⚠️ This post talks about health-related anxiety and panic symptoms. Please take care of your mental space as you read.


    🧠 My mind doesn’t stop

    A simple headache? Could be a brain tumor.
    A flutter in my chest? Must be a heart attack.
    Tingling fingers? Is this a stroke starting?

    Even when logic tells me I’m okay, my anxiety tells me I’m not. It hijacks my peace with “what ifs” that spiral fast and loud.


    📲 The Google trap

    I’ve Googled symptoms I didn’t even have — just to prepare myself “in case” they show up. I’ve convinced myself I was dying, only to later realize I was just dehydrated or tired. It’s embarrassing. But it’s part of how my brain copes — by trying to “solve” a threat that isn’t even real.


    🩺 Doctor fatigue

    Yes, I’ve gone to urgent care “just to be sure.”
    Yes, I’ve asked doctors the same question multiple times.
    No, it’s not for attention — it’s because my anxiety convinces me something was missed.

    It’s exhausting. For me and for the people I love. But it’s also my reality.


    💡 What helps me cope

    • Scheduled reassurance. I limit how often I can check symptoms or Google anything.
    • Distraction therapy. I redirect my mind with music, puzzles, or helping my kids.
    • Grounding logic. I ask, “If this were someone else, would I think they were dying?”
    • Therapy + journaling. Writing it down helps release the fear from my head.

    ❤️ You’re not alone

    If you deal with health anxiety, know this:
    You’re not crazy. You’re not broken.
    Your brain is just trying to protect you — it’s just overdoing it.

    You can live with hypochondria and still find peace.
    It takes work. It takes patience. But most of all, it takes grace.

    🖤
    If this spoke to you, share it. Comment. Or just sit with it and know…
    You’re not alone. You never were.

    — Anxiety Momster


  • ✍🏽 The Lifestyle Changes That Actually Helped My Anxiety (That Weren’t Overwhelming)

    I used to think managing anxiety meant a total life overhaul. Like I had to wake up at 5AM, drink celery juice, meditate for an hour, and go on a 3-mile hike just to “cope.”
    Spoiler alert: That didn’t work for me.

    What did work were small, realistic changes that fit into my already overloaded life — with kids, a full-time job, homeschooling, and chronic overthinking.

    I’m not cured. But I’m managing better than I used to. These are the shifts that actually helped.

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  • When You’re the Anxious Mom and Still Have to Be the Calm One

    There’s a special kind of exhaustion that comes from feeling everything so deeply… and still having to smile, keep it together, and be the calm in your kids’ storm.

    When you’re the anxious mom, panic doesn’t wait for a convenient time. It shows up in the middle of homeschool. In the middle of Target. In the middle of your room while you’re prepping folders and trying to keep everyone on task.

    But even when your chest is tight, your shoulder aches out of nowhere, or your heart skips a beat — there’s still a little voice in your head whispering: “Stay calm for them.”

    It’s not easy. It’s not fair. But it’s reality for so many of us.

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  • 5 Myths About Anxiety That Need to Die (Like Yesterday)

    There’s a lot of noise out there about what anxiety is and isn’t — and honestly, most of it just makes those of us who live with it feel worse.

    So today I’m breaking down five of the biggest myths I’ve personally run into — the ones that made me feel ashamed, misunderstood, or weak. If you’ve believed any of these, you’re not alone.

    Let’s clear it up.

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  • ✨ I’m Still Here: What It Feels Like to Survive Another Anxiety Episode

    Tonight, I felt like I was dying. Again.

    It crept in, like it always does — quiet at first, then full-blown chaos. My head felt funny, my stomach flipped, and my brain told me it was something serious. A brain tumor. An aneurysm. Something fatal.

    My hands got cold. My chest tightened.
    I wanted to cry, scream, and run. I wanted it to stop.

    And yet…
    Here I am.
    Still breathing.
    Still here.

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