Publication Date August 21, 2025
First thing I need to clarify is that I am currently dealing with two different forms of cancer, so perhaps I have good reason to focus thoughts on my health…but also I am someone whose history is sort of hypochondria UNTIL there is actually “something” to deal with, then I tend to be in denial. And finally, I am admittedly a bit (?) of a drama queen. Add them all together and I just might be a somewhat ideal candidate for Dr. Britney Chesworth’s Help! I’m Dying Again, in which she addresses the use of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) to deal with the all too real anxiety faced by those who are dealing with health issues.
People who have this tendency tend to react or overreact to things that might just be “normal.” For example, a rapidly beating heart becomes what feels like a major coronary event. I recall a TV show where Fred Sanford would become alarmed or maybe things just weren’t going his way, he would clutch his chest and call out “…this is the big one!” He was having (as many of us do) a response along the lines of “I’m dying” because of his cognitive distortions. He wasn’t reacting to was happening, he was reacting to his own interpretation of what was happening. Fundamental beliefs such as “my body is fragile” and “this time it might be serious” can both continue and amplify the reaction, reinforcing the ongoing anxiety.
As a therapist who has years of experience dealing with this type of anxiety, Dr. Chesworth is personally in tune with what this feels like, but she has learned to retrain her brain to avoid the immediate jump into overdrive at every twinge, bump, bruise, or discomfort. The book is arranged so that each chapter addresses specific strategies to help learn and practice healthier thoughts and behaviors to break the chain of spiraling into ever-worsening anxiety and fear.
Although I became slightly familiar with CBT as a result of having a teenage foster daughter whose traumatic upbringing resulted in anxiety with a true basis for its existence, I have wanted to learn more about it and try to find some ways to incorporate strategies for lessening my own fears. Much of what I read (or tried to) was dry and boring, while some was way too theoretical, rather than providing practical ideas for improving my own responses to health challenges (both real and imagined).
I appreciate the author’s willingness to use her own personal experiences to provide help for others. With thanks to John Murray Press/Sheldon Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of this terrific book in exchange for my honest review, I recommend this. Four stars.