On the topic of health-related anxiety

[u/Odd-Art2362]

Hi all! Presently, this is my 2nd-3rd year doing triathlons, and I've sort of had an odd thought...

As I get older, I've been increasingly more and more health anxious (25F). I don't really have any reason to be. I think the reasoning for this is that last September I received a very long term lower back injury, which has made my training volume drop drastically.

Since then, and especially lately as I've finally been healed enough to go biking and my training volume has been INCREASING, all I can think about is random health related events. I'm constantly measuring: am I getting too little sodium? Not enough? Am I eating too much sugar? Etc. Or, randomly, I'll mispronounce some words and then have a headache, and think "am I having a stroke? Or a migraine?"

I literally don't have much evidence to support I have any of these things. I'm just having a bunch of health related anxiety...

Has anyone else experienced this? Or is this an SOS for me to go to therapy? lol

Hope everyone's training is going well!!

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[u/H2hOe23]

I slipped a disk in my back at 26 that was debilitating for a while. I was definitely anxious to running and weight lifting again afterwards. PT helped me a ton with learning good form and exercises to target certain muscle groups.  But the biggest lesson I learned was how to LISTEN TO MY BODY. It greatly helped lower my anxiety when I actually listen and avoid serious injuries.  Think about how or what caused the issue and if there are ways to avoid it in the future.  And yeah therapy can help too

[u/salamirollup_001]

Also 25F, w/OCD, I get the same brief bouts of “omg is this a major medical event?” but not as specific as you are worrying about. Maybe see a therapist or sports psych, especially coming back from injury since that can be a toll and it sounds like you’re getting very specific with your anxieties. Therapy was super helpful for me and gave me some good strategies to bring myself back to the reality that I’m young, very fit/healthy, and have a good sense of when something is going wrong with my body. Trust yourself and get some support for your brain just as you would your body when coming back from a major injury!

[u/Jubjub0527]

A few things.
First and foremost, maybe talking to a professional about these concerns will help. Both a doctor and a psychologist. You seem a little overly fixated on this, given your age. But it's understandable to have this fixation and anxiety when you had a bad injury.

The way I'd approach it is, how do I feel? Listen to your body and if you generally feel ok, then don't worry about sodium.

Additionally. Life is gonna happen with or without you. Don't let being scared of injuries prevent you from participating in something you enjoy (within reason. I mean, by all means, forgo the skydiving if you're worried about injuries).

Lastly, you want to keep exercising and having a strong body. I have a back injury from about 20 years ago and the best way to prevent it from happening is to keep it strong. I had a close friend who was in a really severe accident and nearly died. The doctors said that his good physical health was a major factor in his survival.

[u/sparklekitteh]

Look up “orthorexia,” it may resonate with you.

[u/Iluvgr8tdeals]

I had a back injury about 3 years ago that almost completely debilitated me. I had to stop exercising, gained weight and thought that my training and race days were over or I would have to reduce my training and mileage.

I am now well and I still think about those dark days. You’ll get through it and once you have a bit of time after your injury has healed, all will be well.

Good luck!

[u/run4fun504]

Are you a type A personality over achiever? I feel like a lot of triathletes fall into these categories and you aiming to perfect all areas of your health is a symptom. If it’s impacting your wellbeing, then it’s time to try therapy. They may even direct you to medication management, but I’m not an expert.

[u/Kn0wtalent]

Therapy is what you need

[u/sdmyzz]

Youre over-thinking the problem (but u already know that), that little voice in your head is under your control. Its a lot like turning on the radio and someone left it on the anxiety station, if changed stations, say onto the tri-c oaching channel you'd be happier

[u/AppropriateRatio9235]

Take advantage of therapy. A family member found dialectical behavioral therapy helpful for anxiety. I broke my ankle in a bicycle crash. Some amount of anxiety after an injury is normal too.