With health trackers, wearable tech, and a never-ending stream of wellness advice online, it’s easy to become hyperaware of everything going on inside your body. While being informed is powerful, there’s a fine line between awareness and anxiety.
“I see it play out in patients’ lives all the time,” Cole says. “The fear and anxiety around health. Especially when they felt fine until the stress of it all.”
This phenomenon is actually backed by science. It’s known as the nocebo effect—when expecting a negative health outcome makes that outcome more likely to happen. Basically, you can worry yourself sick.
Constantly monitoring your symptoms or obsessing over health metrics can do more harm than good. It creates a feedback loop of fear, which activates your stress response, which then contributes to the very symptoms you’re trying to avoid.
The shift: Try reframing health tracking as data, not judgment. Instead of chasing perfect scores or fearing every fluctuation, use the information to stay informed—but not obsessed. And if you find yourself spiraling, pause. Breathe. Ask yourself: Is this fear helping me heal—or making me feel worse?
