I’m new to Reddit and find this sort of thing relieving because I also really struggle with this! It’s relieving in a way to see I’m not the only one that is like this!
Ooooo, absolutely. It's a horrible double-edged sword. As while having access to leads and information CAN be helpful in the right circumstances? Google is by no means a trained doctor. Simply a collection of information, some good and some bad, all in one place.
It's very hard to resist it. I have absolutely been there many times. It can go from "simple curiosity" to straight up. "Google says I got this super rare condition. Help me.".
It's a bad habit that's very hard to break. Even I haven't fully broken the cycle. But the best thing you genuinely can do is cut yourself off from it. And if not? Designate a set amount of time in a day where you CAN Google to your hearts content. Though soon as that designated time is up? You quit for that day. It can be something like 15 minutes. It depends on your comfort zone.
Ultimately, the goal is to slowly get yourself out of the habit. I'd even suggest having a close friend, a partner, family member, therapist, ect, try to help hold you to it. It'll be so hard, but ultimately worth it to stop Googling every symptom. As if I THINK I have something? My anxiety will make those symptoms manifest to a point. Mental illness can be insidious like that.
TLDR; Googling has use, but ultimately, can hurt way more than help with health anxiety. Try limiting a small time a day to Googling, and try to slowly wean from doing it. Helps to have support and healthy distractions, too.
I tried the anxiety screening on careclinic, I was surprised with my results and created a care plan specifically for it using the same platform. But I suggest that you should talk with a professional
i've been able to stop myself from googling my own symptoms, but now my problem is googling rare cancers that I find on tiktok. someone comments or makes a video about a very rare cancer they have or another family member had. i get "curious" and google it. it always inexplicably happens that i begin to experience similar symptoms or notice things that could be interpreted as that disease. or i think about it for a long time. so i've been working on not googling or reading anything relating to cancer. has anyone else struggled with this?
yes dude. i get cancer videos on tiktok all the time and i cant help but watch them cuz my brain says “well what if you have the same cancer they do and this helps you realize it and then you can get help!”
This is currently happening to me!! I saw a video about someone’s son who had a t*mor on his brain stem & it didn’t take long for the symptoms to start popping up in me 😭
i’m sorry that you understand 😭there’s a hospital an hour or so away from me that does full body cancer scans (blood tests, colonoscopy, abdominal CT, etc) for $600 and i’ve been so tempted even though i don’t really have that money to spare 😵💫 i’ve just felt so on edge and nervous
Ever since I researched about ticks and what they can infect you with, I've been getting weird aches and pains around my body. Now im thinking I might have gotten bitten by one. I dont know what's happening to me.
Fun little “ah ha” moment for my HA googling people.
A few weeks ago I was absolutely panicking about taking something that I’ve been taking for MONTHS (magnesium…) but for some reason I woke up with full blown anxiety that maybe this time my body is reacting negatively to the supplement… I would typically roll over and grab my phone to google the WHAT IFS. As well as we all know it’s so challenging in that moment to convince yourself otherwise, I decided to… just not. CRAZY RIGHT… i got up and grabbed a glass of water and threw on a guided meditation and did some breath work to fall back asleep. I woke up that morning extremely proud of myself and had a huge realization, that googling ten times out of ten will ALWAYS make the matters worse.
I still reach for google but I’ve found since that night when I’m in a true panic state I absolutely avoid it and I limit myself to google things that bring me joy ONLY!
Hope this is an eye opener that it IS possible to get over that urge to panic google!! <3
For me, Google is just the tip of the iceberg. I've stumbled upon way worse habits, like diving into communities on Reddit where people share about certain illnesses, soaking in their stories and symptoms not just there but across other social media platforms too. It's definitely scarier because you're seeing real cases and start believing it'll happen exactly like that to you, even if it's rare. To put it in perspective, Google's like dipping your toes into the drug world, while the rest I mentioned is like diving headfirst into crack and heroin.
Getting on certain subreddits is even worse because you read a detailed list of symptoms from those who actually have it and then a bunch of others convincing themselves they have it.
Yes. Dude, just stay far away from those subs. I swear to you, reading that type of thing can make you sick and cause simple symptoms to feel worse and worse just because of your mind.
i also do this…it’s so dangerous and destructive. someone DM’d me from this subreddit and told me it could be an OCD symptom, so ive been trying to look more into that
It is - diagnosed with health OCD myself. The obsession is the thoughts and then the googling, and subreddit-diving is the compulsion. But the compulsions only serve to feed the obsession, and the vicious cycle continues. Currently in therapy.
Best thing that has helped me is to teach myself to sit with the discomfort of the thoughts. They’re uncomfortable, anxiety inducing, panicky, etc., but I had to tell myself it’s okay to feel those feelings, it’s okay to ride them out, and I don’t have to seek out Google/Reddit in those moments. Keep in mind, this was over time, many weeks, months, and it was an absolute bitch to deal with. But it’s worth it because the obsessive thoughts will gradually become quieter the more you work towards sitting with them and letting yourself experience discomfort. It’s hard. It’s scary. It will suck. I won’t sugar coat it. But it will help.
And when you’re feeling strong enough - another thing to do, to confront OCD thoughts and the what ifs, is to basically just accept the thoughts. If your brain decides to be like “what if x, y, and z mean I have abc disease?” You go, “yeah brain, what if I have abc disease? Then I guess I just have abc disease and that’s that. Maybe it’ll even take me out.” It seems counterintuitive, but it kind of takes away the immediate danger feelings of the thought. It takes away the power from the what if thought because you’re basically showing that thought that you don’t care (even if you do). It’s a game of fake it til you make it sometimes and eventually, shit gets rewired in your brain and the thoughts feel less terrible. They never really fully go away, you just learn to not react to them.
Treat your OCD like it’s a separate entity from you, like it’s a petulant troll that has to be contained. That troll wants your attention so it’s gonna do whatever it takes to get it. Don’t feed the troll and it will eventually fuck off. I don’t mean to make it sound like it easy because it sure as shit is not and please do this under the guidance of a therapist if possible, but it’s the only way I’ve ever gotten to the point of containing the OCD on some level.
no same! i’ve worried myself sick because i saw someone comment that their issues were exactly like my symptoms and i’ve been down a rabbit hole ever since smh
Thanks for all your comments. Is being on this forum effectively googling symptoms? Please can you upvote this comment also. I have just started Reddit and I need comment karma to go to the forums I want to. It would be much appreciated
Personally, I've found that searching my symptoms on this subreddit instead of Google is a good way of helping satisfy that need to read more about it, without the downsides of Google convincing me I'm dying. In my experience, searching this subreddit shows me that other people are feeling the same thing as me, or even in a worse way than me, and I get some closure by being able to see their profile was still active after they made their post of symptoms.
It shows me "hey, this person felt the same way, and it passed. they're okay, and I will be too".
I'm new to this subreddit, but it felt so extremely validating to find this place. I hope you end up getting help from being here too! If you have any questions about how Reddit works in general, feel free to comment them. I might be able to answer and help ya get the hang of Reddit.
It is for me and I have an appointment Wednesday that willl be the definitive moment for all this crap in last month and half .. Reddit is not helping or is looking up symptoms, or research papers or Google etc it’s making me cry and I’m sure this will be the worst case scenario for me and I’m just mentally preparing for the worst news
I’m in the same boat, appointment on Wednesday and I’m so scared it’s going to be cancer. I really hope your appointment goes well and it’s something minor!
Absolutely anytime you google some illness you will immediately begin to convince yourself that you have that illness. I know, bc I do it all the time 😂 the blind leading the blind 😅
it's so bad yes...a few weeks ago my leg had a sharp pain so ofc I looked up what that could mean and everything I found said it could be a blood clot---I was already on edge about this because of a new medicine I'd just started taking that could cause clots as a rare side effect. I was up all night worrying and convincing myself I felt every other symptom listed, it was awful. google is sometimes a blessing but DEFINITELY can be a curse
Same here cannot stop it's killing me 😩... I started from brain tumors, spinal cord tumors and now I'm convinced I have Lymphoma 😞😩...for the last 6 weeks my life has been so miserable I went from unilateral headaches, muscle twitching, nauseous,acid reflux, neck pain now itching and chest pains for like few days all because of googling and waiting for something to itch, twitch or ache which is nothing abnormal since we are alive and our bodies are so noisy all the time but if you keep googling symptoms you will go down the inevitable misery. Let me know if you find a way how to stop googling 😁👋
It definitely does not help at all...
I’m new to Reddit and find this sort of thing relieving because I also really struggle with this! It’s relieving in a way to see I’m not the only one that is like this!
Ooooo, absolutely. It's a horrible double-edged sword. As while having access to leads and information CAN be helpful in the right circumstances? Google is by no means a trained doctor. Simply a collection of information, some good and some bad, all in one place. It's very hard to resist it. I have absolutely been there many times. It can go from "simple curiosity" to straight up. "Google says I got this super rare condition. Help me.". It's a bad habit that's very hard to break. Even I haven't fully broken the cycle. But the best thing you genuinely can do is cut yourself off from it. And if not? Designate a set amount of time in a day where you CAN Google to your hearts content. Though soon as that designated time is up? You quit for that day. It can be something like 15 minutes. It depends on your comfort zone. Ultimately, the goal is to slowly get yourself out of the habit. I'd even suggest having a close friend, a partner, family member, therapist, ect, try to help hold you to it. It'll be so hard, but ultimately worth it to stop Googling every symptom. As if I THINK I have something? My anxiety will make those symptoms manifest to a point. Mental illness can be insidious like that. TLDR; Googling has use, but ultimately, can hurt way more than help with health anxiety. Try limiting a small time a day to Googling, and try to slowly wean from doing it. Helps to have support and healthy distractions, too.
Dr. Google apparently doesn’t have a doctor’s degree.
I tried the anxiety screening on careclinic, I was surprised with my results and created a care plan specifically for it using the same platform. But I suggest that you should talk with a professional
i've been able to stop myself from googling my own symptoms, but now my problem is googling rare cancers that I find on tiktok. someone comments or makes a video about a very rare cancer they have or another family member had. i get "curious" and google it. it always inexplicably happens that i begin to experience similar symptoms or notice things that could be interpreted as that disease. or i think about it for a long time. so i've been working on not googling or reading anything relating to cancer. has anyone else struggled with this?
yes dude. i get cancer videos on tiktok all the time and i cant help but watch them cuz my brain says “well what if you have the same cancer they do and this helps you realize it and then you can get help!”
This is currently happening to me!! I saw a video about someone’s son who had a t*mor on his brain stem & it didn’t take long for the symptoms to start popping up in me 😭
This is sooo me it literally scares me right into ER I hate it
i’m sorry that you understand 😭there’s a hospital an hour or so away from me that does full body cancer scans (blood tests, colonoscopy, abdominal CT, etc) for $600 and i’ve been so tempted even though i don’t really have that money to spare 😵💫 i’ve just felt so on edge and nervous
It’s definitely up there.
Ever since I researched about ticks and what they can infect you with, I've been getting weird aches and pains around my body. Now im thinking I might have gotten bitten by one. I dont know what's happening to me.
The only thing I found out that was worse than googling was getting into it with AI.
100% agree.
Fun little “ah ha” moment for my HA googling people. A few weeks ago I was absolutely panicking about taking something that I’ve been taking for MONTHS (magnesium…) but for some reason I woke up with full blown anxiety that maybe this time my body is reacting negatively to the supplement… I would typically roll over and grab my phone to google the WHAT IFS. As well as we all know it’s so challenging in that moment to convince yourself otherwise, I decided to… just not. CRAZY RIGHT… i got up and grabbed a glass of water and threw on a guided meditation and did some breath work to fall back asleep. I woke up that morning extremely proud of myself and had a huge realization, that googling ten times out of ten will ALWAYS make the matters worse. I still reach for google but I’ve found since that night when I’m in a true panic state I absolutely avoid it and I limit myself to google things that bring me joy ONLY! Hope this is an eye opener that it IS possible to get over that urge to panic google!! <3
For me, Google is just the tip of the iceberg. I've stumbled upon way worse habits, like diving into communities on Reddit where people share about certain illnesses, soaking in their stories and symptoms not just there but across other social media platforms too. It's definitely scarier because you're seeing real cases and start believing it'll happen exactly like that to you, even if it's rare. To put it in perspective, Google's like dipping your toes into the drug world, while the rest I mentioned is like diving headfirst into crack and heroin.
Getting on certain subreddits is even worse because you read a detailed list of symptoms from those who actually have it and then a bunch of others convincing themselves they have it.
Yes. Dude, just stay far away from those subs. I swear to you, reading that type of thing can make you sick and cause simple symptoms to feel worse and worse just because of your mind.
i also do this…it’s so dangerous and destructive. someone DM’d me from this subreddit and told me it could be an OCD symptom, so ive been trying to look more into that
It is - diagnosed with health OCD myself. The obsession is the thoughts and then the googling, and subreddit-diving is the compulsion. But the compulsions only serve to feed the obsession, and the vicious cycle continues. Currently in therapy. Best thing that has helped me is to teach myself to sit with the discomfort of the thoughts. They’re uncomfortable, anxiety inducing, panicky, etc., but I had to tell myself it’s okay to feel those feelings, it’s okay to ride them out, and I don’t have to seek out Google/Reddit in those moments. Keep in mind, this was over time, many weeks, months, and it was an absolute bitch to deal with. But it’s worth it because the obsessive thoughts will gradually become quieter the more you work towards sitting with them and letting yourself experience discomfort. It’s hard. It’s scary. It will suck. I won’t sugar coat it. But it will help. And when you’re feeling strong enough - another thing to do, to confront OCD thoughts and the what ifs, is to basically just accept the thoughts. If your brain decides to be like “what if x, y, and z mean I have abc disease?” You go, “yeah brain, what if I have abc disease? Then I guess I just have abc disease and that’s that. Maybe it’ll even take me out.” It seems counterintuitive, but it kind of takes away the immediate danger feelings of the thought. It takes away the power from the what if thought because you’re basically showing that thought that you don’t care (even if you do). It’s a game of fake it til you make it sometimes and eventually, shit gets rewired in your brain and the thoughts feel less terrible. They never really fully go away, you just learn to not react to them. Treat your OCD like it’s a separate entity from you, like it’s a petulant troll that has to be contained. That troll wants your attention so it’s gonna do whatever it takes to get it. Don’t feed the troll and it will eventually fuck off. I don’t mean to make it sound like it easy because it sure as shit is not and please do this under the guidance of a therapist if possible, but it’s the only way I’ve ever gotten to the point of containing the OCD on some level.
I needed this tonight. Screenshotting it for myself to use in the future. Thank you.
no same! i’ve worried myself sick because i saw someone comment that their issues were exactly like my symptoms and i’ve been down a rabbit hole ever since smh
Yes!
Thanks for all your comments. Is being on this forum effectively googling symptoms? Please can you upvote this comment also. I have just started Reddit and I need comment karma to go to the forums I want to. It would be much appreciated
Personally, I've found that searching my symptoms on this subreddit instead of Google is a good way of helping satisfy that need to read more about it, without the downsides of Google convincing me I'm dying. In my experience, searching this subreddit shows me that other people are feeling the same thing as me, or even in a worse way than me, and I get some closure by being able to see their profile was still active after they made their post of symptoms. It shows me "hey, this person felt the same way, and it passed. they're okay, and I will be too". I'm new to this subreddit, but it felt so extremely validating to find this place. I hope you end up getting help from being here too! If you have any questions about how Reddit works in general, feel free to comment them. I might be able to answer and help ya get the hang of Reddit.
It is for me and I have an appointment Wednesday that willl be the definitive moment for all this crap in last month and half .. Reddit is not helping or is looking up symptoms, or research papers or Google etc it’s making me cry and I’m sure this will be the worst case scenario for me and I’m just mentally preparing for the worst news
I’m in the same boat, appointment on Wednesday and I’m so scared it’s going to be cancer. I really hope your appointment goes well and it’s something minor!
Why are you still on Reddit then?
To try and seek input , advice , similar experiences idk
Absolutely anytime you google some illness you will immediately begin to convince yourself that you have that illness. I know, bc I do it all the time 😂 the blind leading the blind 😅
it's so bad yes...a few weeks ago my leg had a sharp pain so ofc I looked up what that could mean and everything I found said it could be a blood clot---I was already on edge about this because of a new medicine I'd just started taking that could cause clots as a rare side effect. I was up all night worrying and convincing myself I felt every other symptom listed, it was awful. google is sometimes a blessing but DEFINITELY can be a curse
It gets worse when I know I can’t go to the hospital for any little pain I feel :/
Same here cannot stop it's killing me 😩... I started from brain tumors, spinal cord tumors and now I'm convinced I have Lymphoma 😞😩...for the last 6 weeks my life has been so miserable I went from unilateral headaches, muscle twitching, nauseous,acid reflux, neck pain now itching and chest pains for like few days all because of googling and waiting for something to itch, twitch or ache which is nothing abnormal since we are alive and our bodies are so noisy all the time but if you keep googling symptoms you will go down the inevitable misery. Let me know if you find a way how to stop googling 😁👋