Mind over matter: A hypochondriac studying abroad and all the problems that arise

It has been a week since I flew back to the States from Paris, and as I begin to reflect upon the past three months, I am starting to realize how life-changing the trip was.  I am incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to live abroad.  However, towards the end of the trip I started to “lose it” emotionally and psychologically.  Eventually, the stress of travelling took a negative toll on my body. Without divulging too much into the personal details, I will say that I wasn’t feeling well at all, and the fact that I’m on the hypochondriac spectrum didn’t help.

I soon succumbed to my mind’s paranoid thoughts; I kept thinking what if I have cancer/mono/flesh-eating bacteria/[insert fatal illness here].  It was definitely not the business.  Google and WebMd took control of my life as I was constantly looking for answers, which is something you’re not supposed to do because then your brain makes you believe that you actually exhibit the symptoms of X illness. After about a week of driving myself bonkers I eventually made a doctor’s appointment to find out what was wrong with me. Luckily, everything turned out to be alright; there was nothing wrong with me. 

In retrospect, I probably should not have obsessed over looking up symptoms on WebMd.  Usually I don’t, but being in a foreign country intensified my hypochondria. I kept thinking: “Well if I die today, at lease I’m in Paris…that can’t be that bad right?” It sounds completely foolish to me now, but in the moment I was actually thought something was seriously wrong me…hypochondria is definitely no laughing matter.  

That whole ordeal taught me two things: (1) French medical care is on point; and (2) there is a lot of truth in the saying: “mind over matter.”