Rational guy sick of irrational fears

[TieAFly]

Hey all,

I just found this forum and felt compelled to introduce myself.

I'm a twenty six year old graduate studie studying geology. I like to think of myself as a person with a healthy amount of skepticism, and I usually require someone to present a significant amount of data/observations before I buy into something. That makes it even more upsetting to me that I can somehow "convince" myself that I have/will get some terrible illness.

I remember as a kid being constantly afraid of whatever disease was "trendy" at the time and showed up in all the media outlets. Ebola and flesh-eating viruses were two that I can remember. I high school I almost always carried around zinc lozenges and popped them like candy at the slightest hint that I was coming down with a cold (and I was always convinced I would get a cold during the least opportune times, like finals week). After I entered college my fears eased a bit, until the past year or so. Lately I have been living in fear of getting skin cancer, after spotting a new freckle or two on my body. These freckles do not match ANY criteria for malignant moles, but I have worried about them anyway. I have also managed to convince myself that I see new freckles on my body everyday, and that even freckles that I know I have have had for a long time have suddenly turned "bad." It's gotten to the point that lately I don't even want to look at my body when I'm in the shower.

And let's not forget H1N1...

I have good days and bad. I don't fear so much for myself, but for those others in my life that would be affected if I did get some horrible disease. But I'm also sick of worrying about things that I cannot control and worrying about things that have yet to happen. I finally decided to make an appointment with my family doctor and a dermatologist, just to put to appease my fears once and for all. I thought this forum was a great idea and means of support for likeminded people.

So I'd like to officially say "Hey, what''s up everybody?"

[loverinthecold]

Hi there. I'm a 26 year old guy as well who lives in constant fear of, well everything. Like you, I consider myself rational. I find myself wondering about this constant irrational behavior curse that is hypochondria. Feels like you're going crazy, doesn't it? But you know what they say: crazy people rarely think they are crazy. If we are at least rational enough to see how irrational we are being, that surely must count for something, right?