A hypochondriac is a person who is abnormally anxious about their health. Basically, you're always worried something's wrong with you. Here are ten signs that you are, sadly, a hypochondriac.
1. You think any random pain is a terminal disease.
GiphyIn a hypochondriac's mind, every little pain = a sign of a terminal illness. If you have a headache, you think it's a brain tumor. If your hip hurts, you think you need hip replacement surgery. Basically, you expect yourself to be completely pain-free all the time.
2. You take an excessive amount of vitamins every day to combat germs.
GiphyYour daily routine involves taking Vitamin C, Vitamin D, probably Vitamin B12, and maybe a few more depending on your level of hypochondriac-ness. It makes you feel better to take the supplements because at least you're protecting yourself in some way, right?
3. You absolutely refuse to be near people who are under the weather.
GiphySick people always need to stay away. Not only can you not afford to get sick, but you also do not want to have to face that paranoia. So, it really is best you surround yourself with those who ~feel well~.
4. You google every symptom ever.
GiphyThis is probably the worst part of being a hypochondriac. As soon as you feel a slight inconvenience (whether it's a migraine, chest pain, a missed period, or cuticle pain), you go straight to the internet to tell you what's wrong with you. And unfortunately for us hypochondriacs, our friend google usually is not so great at calming us down. If anything, it confirms our suspicions that we are in fact, unwell.
5. You think reading WebMD makes you a doctor.
GiphyLet's face it, with the amount you've read on WebMD, you are practically a professional at diagnosing yourself and others. You have a list of diseases and disorders in your mind that you whip out every time you hear of or feel a symptom, and you are not afraid to worry way sooner than necessary.
6. You have an extreme case of thanatophobia (fear of death)
GiphyOk, everyone has thanatophobia in one way or another, but hypochondriacs have it particularly bad. You could say you love life and never want it to end, or that you have an intense fear of the unknown, but either way - you want to hold on for as long as possible.
7. You always think you're coming down with something.
GiphyYou really don't ever feel completely, totally, and 100% well. Something's always up, no matter how hard you try to convince yourself it's not. But oh well.
8. You have had someone tell you that you're crazy for always thinking something is wrong with you.
GiphyIf you're really a hypochondriac, those who are closest to you definitely know it. You grew up with your parents always have to console you and your friends know you may slightly exaggerate how you're feeling. They can learn to deal with it, though, especially if you can.
9. You think you will automatically contract an illness someone in your close circle has - even if it is not contagious.
GiphyIf you hear about some random illness someone had, you automatically think you'll get it next - no matter how unrelated it is to you or if it is even contagious. As long as you know it's out there, you think you can (and pray you don't) get it.
10. You feel relief when you hear someone else had the same symptom as you (and survived).
GiphyWhenever you freak out about your latest symptom, you assume the worst right away. The most comforting thing for any hypochondriac is that someone else has felt what you're feeling, and it's nothing.
Hypochondriacs can't really help it - we think what we think. But *disclaimer*, we are not actually always "unwell." We just like to make ourselves think we are.
