I Keep Checking My Body for Signs of Illness, How Can I Stop
Checking can start because you are trying to be responsible about your health.
Checking can start because you are trying to be responsible about your health.
You notice a sensation, look again, press the area, compare one side of your body with the other or check whether something has changed. For a moment, checking may make you feel safer.
Then you notice something else, or become unsure whether you checked properly, and the process starts again.
Repeated checking is one pattern associated with health anxiety. But MH360 cannot tell you whether a particular physical change should or should not be medically checked.
Start by separating medical monitoring from anxiety-driven checking
Some people are specifically advised by a healthcare professional to monitor a condition, symptom or treatment.
Follow the medical advice given for your circumstances.
The issue in this guide is additional repetitive checking driven by anxiety: checking far more often than advised, repeatedly testing the same sensation or feeling unable to leave your body alone because certainty never lasts.
Checking can make your attention more sensitive
When you repeatedly focus on one part of your body, you may become increasingly aware of sensations you would previously have ignored.
That can create a difficult loop: worry leads to checking; checking increases attention; increased attention produces more sensations to think about; those sensations create more worry.
The NHS recommends keeping a record of how often you check as one self-help approach for health anxiety.
Count the behaviour before trying to change it
For a few days, notice when checking happens.
What triggered it? What did you check? How long did relief last? Did you check again because you found something new, or because you became uncertain about the previous check?
The purpose is not to document your symptoms for MH360 to interpret. It is to understand the behaviour around the anxiety.
Experiment with creating a gap
If a healthcare professional has not told you to monitor something in a particular way, you can work on reducing repetitive anxiety-driven checking.
Rather than responding automatically to every urge, notice the urge and give your attention another task for a while. The NHS suggests gradually reducing checking behaviours as part of self-help for health anxiety.
If you are unsure whether a physical symptom needs medical attention, do not use this exercise to make that decision, ask an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
When checking is consuming your life
If you are spending substantial time examining your body, repeatedly seeking reassurance or avoiding ordinary activities because of health fears, consider professional mental-health support.
NHS Talking Therapies in England includes health anxiety and can be accessed by self-referral.
The goal is not to become careless about your health. It is to stop anxiety requiring you to inspect yourself repeatedly in search of certainty that never lasts.
Last reviewed
6 September 2026
Important health anxiety and medical information
This guide provides general information about health anxiety and mental wellbeing only. MH360 is not a medical diagnosis service and cannot assess physical symptoms, diagnose medical conditions, interpret medical tests or provide advice about whether a symptom may indicate a particular medical condition.
New, changing, persistent or concerning physical symptoms, questions about an existing medical condition, and concerns about medical tests or treatment should be discussed with your GP, NHS service or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Do not use this guide to decide whether a physical symptom needs medical assessment or to replace medical advice you have been given. If you are unsure whether a symptom needs medical attention, seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
If worry about your health is persistent, is taking over significant amounts of your time, or is affecting everyday life, speak to your GP or an appropriately qualified mental-health professional. Adults in England can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, which includes support for health anxiety.
If you or somebody else is in immediate danger or there is a life-threatening emergency, call 999 or go to A&E.