Your friends invited you to a beach day: a simple stroll through downtown Toms River, brunch at a cafe, and a few hours in the sun. It’ll be good for you, they say.
You’re not convinced. You’re sure there’s a new mole on your arm that wasn’t there last weekend, and you’re a few hours into a rabbit hole on the potential health impacts of too much sun exposure.
It sounds like you might suffer from health anxiety. It’s a common subtype of anxiety. On the extreme, it’s called hypochondria, but it can be anywhere on the spectrum of mild to severe. However bad your health anxiety is, therapy can help. Our Toms River anxiety therapists have the tools and experience to help you feel better.
Health Anxiety can quickly spiral out of control, making each instance of health anxiety worse than the last. Noticing the signs of this cycle is the first step in stopping a health anxiety spiral.
You notice something new in your body. It might be a soreness, a new discoloration, or a physical symptom like nausea or a headache. You might be able to trace this back to an event, but more likely, it seemed like it came out of nowhere.
Therapy for Health Anxiety
You leap to the worst-case scenario: You must have a sickness. Although there might be other, more rational explanations, your anxiety doesn’t let you consider them. It is convinced that this new bodily sensation is bad, and your alarm bells start ringing.
Therapy for Health Anxiety
To cope with the newfound anxiety, you might start googling symptoms. One search can lead to another, and hours later, you’ve discovered that what was once just a headache could be an early sign of a brain tumor. This sort of leap to conclusions isn’t logical and will often make the anxiety worse.
Therapy for Health Anxiety
You start asking your friends and family for reassurance. “Have you ever experienced this?” “I’m going to be okay, right?” “Should I go to the doctor?” Their reassurance doesn’t help for long. You start needing more and more reassurance, and spend longer and longer looking into your symptoms. Meanwhile, your anxiety symptoms (headaches, muscle tension, stomach aches, and more) escalate, adding fuel to the health anxiety.
Therapy for Health Anxiety
As the anxiety peaks, you might start to self-isolate out of fear of getting worse, spreading your sickness, or having people tell you that you’re faking it. At this point, the fear is real to you, and you desperately want answers and help.
Therapy for Health AnxietyHealth anxiety can quickly spiral out of control and lead to isolation, panic attacks, and more. Talk with someone who will listen, not dismiss. Talk with a Toms River anxiety therapist.
LCSW
You don’t have to face life’s challenges alone. Aimee is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience helping adults find calm, clarity, and confidence through times of stre...
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LCSW
Gina is a licensed clinical social worker with an MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work. Her practice fosters the idea that all individuals have the ability to heal the self through res...
LCSW
Andrew has been a therapist for nearly two decades, specializing in family counseling and individual counseling across all ages. After graduating from New York University in 2008, he began his clini...
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Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Meredith Wymer is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner providing medication management across the lifespan. In addition to her current work in the outpatient mental health se...
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Resident in Counseling
Bryce graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) with specific trainings in utilizing CBT across diverse populations. Since entering the field, he has gained experience w...
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Resident in Counseling
Amanda is a Licensed Associate Counselor with five years of experience supporting individuals and couples through life’s emotional and relational challenges. She works with teenagers, adults, and ...
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Scheduling is easy! Simply choose a therapist from our extensive therapist directory. Fill out the quick form, and we’ll get in touch to confirm your appointment.
If you don’t feel like choosing a therapist, give us a call, and we’ll match you with an Ocean County therapist that fits your needs.
Lifebulb Counseling & Therapy adheres to all HIPAA policies. This means your personal information will be protected throughout every step of the process: from requesting a session, to your first appointment, all the way to when you decide to stop therapy.
Lifebulb was built on the core belief that good therapists provide good therapy, and that in order for a therapist to be good, they need to feel supported. We prioritize our therapists’ wellness so that they can give you their full attention. No burnout, no counting the minutes till the end of the session, no racing to meet quotas, no wasting time wrestling with insurance panels.
The result? More time, more energy, and more joy they get to put towards what they do best: helping you!
Online anxiety therapy sessions use HIPAA-compliant video software that is 100% secure. We never record sessions and will never ask you to jump on a video call that is not HIPAA compliant. Our therapists also always take video sessions from a private and secure place. There’s no risk of anyone overhearing you.
Yes! Lifebulb prides itself on being HIPAA compliant and making client privacy a top priority. Have questions or concerns about our privacy policy? You can email us at privacy@lifebulb.com
