(Health) Anxiety

I’ve had anxiety for as long as I can remember and tend to manage it very well (after having CBT when I was younger). A major symptom of mine is hypochondria: when I was 11 I convinced myself that the standard symptoms of puberty (which I logically knew of and fully understood) must be cancer because it was happening earlier than others.

Until recently I didn’t even notice my hypochondria had come back (my anxiety is primarily social and I haven’t genuinely panicked over health since I was about 13)- but in the last couple of days it’s unknowingly worsened, to the point that now (as an adult) I often google or search symptoms I don’t have on here just to make sure I’m educated on all possibilities- and then end up convincing myself I have endometriosis, or melanoma, or some form of symptomless STD (I’ve only ever had sex twice, both times protected, with one partner who does not have STDs- but my mind will literally convince itself that there’s something he doesn’t know or that I’ll simply be unlucky against the odds- despite having no abnormal feeling or sign of anything wrong) . I’ve been checking my skin for blemishes many times a day and nearly had a panic attack yesterday, for the first time in ages.

I didn’t think anything of this (and genuinely believed in the health conditions) until a workmate casually called me a hypochondriac yesterday- and I realised those old symptoms of anxiety had crept back in (which was quite upsetting to discover).

Since then I’ve decided to “get it while it’s down” i.e. not interfering with my life too much, and take action against anxiety before it gets worse. Despite having a massive fear of going to the doctors I plan to register in my new area on Monday and go from there. I’ve chosen not to be on any medication but am hoping that checking my general health will help quash this, perhaps alongside CBT.

Would really value any of your advice on this- thank you in advance.