Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today I want to talk a little bit about health anxiety.
Having anxiety about our health is a common thing among people.
It's not a flaw,
It's not a failure,
And it's not a lack of mindfulness,
But it's our mind just trying to protect our body,
And we're just a little too carried away with it.
Health anxiety thrives in the gap between not knowing and the mind's need for certainty.
The trick is trying to rest in that gap by not forcing calm,
But by learning to exist with the unknown.
People with health anxiety are often incredibly creative,
But their imagination gets hijacked by fear.
You know,
The more we look for sensations,
The more we find them.
And the more we find them,
The more meaning we assign.
The problem is that we don't necessarily know what we're doing.
We aren't doctors,
We aren't nurses.
You could feel a pain in your head and think you have a brain tumor,
And it's really just a headache,
Or a thumping in your heart and you think it's a heart attack.
Health anxiety isn't a sign that something is wrong with you,
It's a sign that your system is overwhelmed by caring too much and too intensely.
And it isn't really about worrying,
It's often maintained by the things people do to try to feel better,
Like scanning their body,
Checking for lumps or pains or skin changes.
Or asking friends or family or doctors for all-clear signals.
Or spending hours researching symptoms online,
And that's sometimes called cyberchondria.
Another way people deal with health anxiety is to avoid hospitals and medical shows.
So,
Health anxiety is something that occurs to many of us.
And the irony of health anxiety is that the stress it causes can produce very real symptoms,
Which the person then worries about further,
Like tightness in the chest or palpitations or shortness of breath or dizziness or stomach upset.
Close your eyes now and let's get in touch with our breath.
And it doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down,
Or kicked back in your favorite recliner.
The only thing that truly matters when you meditate is that you're comfortable and alert.
Now,
Focus on your breath.
We're just breathing in and breathing out one breath at a time.
And then the next,
And then the next.
Relax your face,
Unfurl your brow,
And unclench your jaw.
Relax your neck.
Relax your shoulders.
Relax your arms and your hands.
Look for any tension in your chest and belly.
And then relax your legs and your feet.
And as you begin to settle in,
Let's focus even more on our breath.
Our breath is our anchor.
Our breath is there for us in all moments,
And it's one of the only things in your entire life that you can exert some control over and make your life better.
Our breath is like a river as it flows in and flows out.
Focus on your breath.
Notice where you feel it,
A cool sensation in your nose as the breath flows in,
Or the of your chest and belly as the breath flows in and flows out.
We're just sitting here breathing,
Relaxing,
Settling in.
This is your time.
This is your moment to relax and get in touch with your breath.
Just breathing.
You don't have to fix anything.
Just arrive.
Health anxiety often shows up as a tightening,
A scanning,
A searching for danger.
It's the mind trying to protect you.
But instead of pushing it away,
Simply notice what is here right now.
A sensation,
A thought,
A fear.
You don't need to solve it.
Just acknowledge it.
The way you'd acknowledge the vizier at your door.
Now imagine you're standing beside a wide,
Steady river,
The kind that moves with purpose but never rushes.
That soft light glints off the water,
And you can hear the gentle hush of its movement,
Constant and reassuring.
This river represents your life force,
Your body's wisdom,
Your resilience,
Your capacity to heal and adapt.
It's been flowing long before this moment,
And it will continue long after this moment passes.
Picture the thoughts and sensations of health anxiety as small leaves or twigs or flower petals resting in your hands.
Not dangerous,
Not permanent,
Just pieces of experience.
And when you're ready,
Place them gently onto the surface of the river.
Watch how the water receives them without effort.
Watch how it carries them downstream,
Slowly,
Naturally,
Without you needing to do anything.
You don't have to force them away.
The river knows how to move.
Bring your attention back to your breath and feel the rise and fall of your chest and belly.
And let your breath be like the river,
Steady,
Continuous,
Always arriving,
Always leaving.
And notice the places in your body that feel tense or guarded.
Offer them a quiet message.
You don't have to be on alert right now.
You're allowed to rest.
And if your mind jumps back to worry,
That's okay.
Place the worry on a leaf and let the river carry it.
Health anxiety often tells us that every sensation is a threat,
But your body is alert.
A landscape,
Alive,
Shifting,
Full of natural movement,
A flutter,
A pulse,
A warmth,
A tightness.
These are currents in the river,
Not signs of danger.
Now here I'm going to stop and let you just breathe and think for a moment.
Here by the river,
And I'll be back.
Now we're here by the river still.
And imagine stepping closer to the river,
Maybe even dipping your hands into the cool water.
Feel how it supports you,
How it moves around you without resistance.
And let this be a reminder.
You don't have to control every sensation.
You don't have to predict every outcome.
You can let life move.
You can let your body be a river,
Self-correcting,
Self-healing,
Always flowing toward balance.
Feel your feet or the seating you're on.
Feel the steadiness of the earth beneath you.
Feel the river still flowing,
Flowing inside you,
Quiet,
Capable,
Trustworthy.
We all have this river inside of us.
We need to trust it.
As we come to a close,
Open your eyes and come back into the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch and feel how good it is to be alive.
How good it is to be here in this moment,
Breathing and relaxing.
If you follow my meditations or my live sessions,
You know that I like quotes.
So I have a quote for you today.
Dutch resistance leader Corrie Ten Boom said,
Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength.
Carrying two days at once.
Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow.
It empties today of its strength.
Wise words.
And author Mark Twain said,
Worrying is like paying debt that you don't owe.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session for each and every one of you.
Health anxiety is normal,
But we can get past it.
Till next time.
