Overcoming Health Anxiety, Part 2
Doctor after doctor. Test after test. The verdict? Susie was fine. No brain tumor. No dreaded disease.
Yet, despite every reassurance, she clung to her fear like a drowning swimmer grips a life raft. Something had to be terribly wrong with her health—at least, that’s what her anxious mind kept screaming.
This is health anxiety in action. It’s the relentless fear of a life-threatening illness, even when there’s zero medical evidence to support it. According to Harvard Medical School, health anxiety affects 4 to 5 percent of people, and likely more, since many never report it.[1]
Make no mistake—this isn’t just “in their heads.” The distress is real. It hijacks their peace of mind, wrecks relationships, steals sleep, and dictates their daily lives. But the problem isn’t the physical sensation itself. It’s anxiety.
As we discussed in Part One, health anxiety follows a predictable cycle:
Physical sensation > Judgment that it’s bad > Uncertainty and worry > Worst-case scenario > Reassurance-seeking > More physical sensations
The good news? There’s a way out. The gospel offers real hope. Let’s break it down into three practical steps to break free and renew the mind (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23).
Step 1: Shift Your Focus to God’s Faithfulness
Health anxiety thrives on fear. It’s fueled by self-made rules that create an illusion of control. When I worked with Susie, she had a whole set of false assumptions keeping her stuck:
“Focusing on my symptoms helps me prevent a serious illness.”
“If I feel pain, it must be something serious.”
“Waiting to call the doctor could mean it’s too late.”
But here’s the truth: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
Susie wasn’t just battling symptoms—she was battling unbelief. Deep down, she doubted God’s faithfulness and believed the lie that she was abandoned in her distress.
Homework Assignment: Read Hebrews 11. Write down ten examples of God’s faithfulness to the heroes of the faith. Pray that God will help you trust 1 Corinthians 10:13.
Step 2: Cut Off the Fuel Source
Worry doesn’t survive on its own—it needs fuel. Two of the biggest culprits? Googling symptoms and fretful prayer.
Endless Googling
Em Burfitt noticed a leg twitch. She went down the Google rabbit hole and convinced herself she had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Her words say it all:
"As I was reading (an article on ALS), a muscle in my leg started twitching and wouldn’t stop. For whatever reason, however irrational it seemed, I knew I had ALS. It was as if a switch had flipped in my mind—one that turned a regular train journey into one seizing my body with anxiety over a disease I’d never heard of—one that introduced me to WebMD and the terrible side effects of googling one’s health."[3]
Every health anxiety sufferer I’ve worked with admits to excessive Googling. And without exception, it has made their anxiety worse.
Fretful Prayer
This type of prayer isn’t faith—it’s fear in disguise:
"Lord, please make sure nothing bad ever happens to my health."
"Lord, you must heal me of this scratchy throat because it could be cancer."
"Lord, take away my health anxiety. I can’t take another day of this."
Fretful prayer treats God like a genie. You rub the lamp, say the right words, and expect immediate relief. But that’s not how trust works. Instead, we’re called to throw our cares on God, not cling to them:
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" (1 Pet. 5:6-7).
Step 3: Build a New Mental Framework
Breaking free from health anxiety isn’t about just “stopping” worry—it’s about replacing it with trust in God. This is where real, lasting change happens. Scripture commands us to focus on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable (Phil. 4:8). But how do we do that?
Recognize the health anxiety cycle and name your reaction to physical sensations.
Replace false rules and assumptions with thoughts grounded in God’s faithfulness.
Actively choose to put off fearful thoughts and put on faith-filled ones.
Paul puts it bluntly: "Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (1 Tim. 4:7b-8).
Overcoming health anxiety isn’t an overnight fix. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. But as you shift your focus to God’s faithfulness, stop fueling fear, and intentionally build a new mindset, you’ll gain freedom from this relentless cycle.
Homework Assignment: Write new statements to replace your old health rules. For example: “Worrying doesn’t prevent illness—it harms me and the ones I love. Trusting God brings real peace.”
Friend, health anxiety doesn’t have to own you. Take action, trust the process, and lean into the freedom that comes from trusting God, not your symptoms.
Need help overcoming health anxiety? Reach out to Dr. Lucy here.