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Top 10 Crystal Bracelets for Health Anxiety Relief & How To Make Them Work For You
For most of my adult life, I battled with chronic health anxiety – a sometimes crippling mental health condition characterised by an obsessive and irrational fear of becoming ill. I could spend hours checking for symptoms, seeking reassurance and often altering my daily life to avoid potential health risks. Often suffering in silence and feeling incredibly isolated. The condition is also referred to as hypochondria, it’s one of the biggest mental health issues charity Anxiety UK deals with, and in recent years it has been on the rise.
At its worst, I was checking symptoms online hundreds of times a day, researching health information to try and reassure myself that I wasn't going to die. I booked countless unnecessary medical check-ups in search of answers to my imaginary ailments. Work, relationships and my mental health suffered. At one point I became too afraid to leave the house and put off any plans (including my wedding) for the future as I was overwhelmed with fear, anxiety and truly believed I would be given the worst possible diagnosis and not survive. While I always appeared to default to a 'lump' in my neck, this would often change to my mouth, stomach or any part of my body.
Thanks to therapy and by openly discussing my fears, figuring out the root problem from childhood, I eventually discovered how to manage it. And in addition to the healing energy from crystals, what I learnt can help anyone who’s fearful of illness.
Do You Have Health Anxiety?
Do you get a scratchy throat you automatically think cancer — not a cold. And even when medical tests come back showing that you're healthy, it doesn't make you feel better, and in the back of your mind you still feel like something is wrong? or there's an 'underlying' issue they may of missed?
If this sounds like you or a loved one, it may be health anxiety.
Health anxiety is a condition where individuals have an intense fear of having a serious medical condition. This can lead to excessive worry, frequent doctor visits, avoidance for future plans, lack of sleep and a decreased quality of life. All leading to heightened anxiety and in some cases, severe depression.
When I hit rock bottom, I researched alternative methods to cope with anxiety, and many people were turning to spiritual tools in addition to their therapy sessions and medication; such as crystal bracelets.
Today, I feel free from the chains of health anxiety, and I am such a big believer of crystal energy, I opened up a small crystal jewellery business to help people like myself, find the strength to move forward.
Crystals have been used for centuries to heal and cure illness. So, whether you believe in crystal energy or think it could be a placebo effect, what do you have to lose? It worked for me, and I truly believe it can work for you.
How Does Crystal Energy Work?
Crystal healing is an ancient practice that involves using crystals to promote balance and harmony in a person's physical, emotional, and spiritual being. The idea is that crystals have unique energies and vibrations that interact with the body's energy field, also known as vibrational energy. These vibrations can help unblock areas of the body or energy field that are "stuck" and redirect energy flow.Crystals can also act as lenses and filters to draw out energy that no longer serves a person, or to draw forth things they desire, such as confidence, love, or energetic abundance.
Best Crystal Bracelets For Health Anxiety
Amethyst - Clear The Mind
Health anxiety often takes up most or in some cases, all our time and mind space. Constant searching online, reassuring ourselves, unnecessary doctors appointments and checking for issues are just some of the experiences I encountered daily.
One of the most popular stones for anxiety is the beautiful Amethyst with a purple or violet hue. Known for its soothing properties and ability to clear the mind of negative thoughts and emotions, soothing irritability and irrational thought.
Rose quartz - Emotional Healing
Health anxiety often originates from a dark place such as a trauma or sudden experience. Rose Quartz has the ability to promote self-love, self-acceptance and self-care tendencies so we can heal emotionally and feel more uplifted and self-loving.
Lapis lazuli - Self Expression
Often our health anxiety can send us into a very isolated and lonely place. One where we struggle to express ourselves out of fear of judgement, or one we can be stubborn to ask for help. Lapis Lazuli is known as the stone of communication and self-expression, giving us mental clarity and the strength to reach out for help to talk about our feelings.
Aquamarine - Purifying
We often are consumed within the health anxiety spiral, searching online hundreds of times a day, seeking reassurance and struggling to break the habit or forcefield our mind is telling us to protect. Aquamarine is the stone of tranquility, just like the waves of the ocean, it calms the nervous system, purifies and cleanses the bodies emotions to change our way of thinking. It can help to dissolve stressful states and enhance communication skills to talk about our feelings and fears.
Smoky quartz - Grounding & Letting Go
Health anxiety feels as if we have lost all control of our being. Its almost as if life is just put on hold, time is frozen while we searching for lumps or problems that might be 'underlying'. Smoky Quartz is the stone of grounding, it can help manage and overcome fear, whilst helping to ground and connect you to the earth, providing a calming presence. It's also associated with letting go of old, negative energy patterns which can be beneficial for anxiety relief.
Moonstone - Inner Growth
While healing from health anxiety is a very bumpy road, Moonstone is a very supportive stone for inner growth and strength. Its a gentle reminder of how far we've come, and for every bad day, there are many more good days to come.
Moonstone is quite often worn by somebody who is seeking a new beginning, as it has the effect of soothing emotional instability and stress, providing the wearer a calm outlook on life. Moonstone also enhances intuition, promotes inspiration and success in your chosen journey.
Clear quartz
As mentioned before, health anxiety is an incredibly bumpy road. Clear Quartz is known as the master healer, one that can help stabilise energy and cut through turbulence. When you're having a bad day and find yourself searching the internet for health information, clear quartz can remove negative energy or energy that is no longer serving you, and replace it with high vibrations and logical thought.
Citrine - Warmth & Abundance
Health anxiety can be very exhausting, often leading to negative self-talk, feeling lost and depressed at times. Citrine is like the warmth of the sun, full of high energy and good vibrations. Known as the stone of prosperity, joy, and energy, it can help promote self-confidence and self-esteem for you to have the determination to move forward and face your fears in a logical way.
Labradorite - Transformation
When I hit rock bottom, I knew I needed to change. My life had been put on hold with searching my body for potential illnesses and checking online for reassurance. Labradorite was a game changer, known as the stone of transformation for when your committed to change. Labradorite enhances your intuition and awareness (something we lack with anxiety) helping us to focus on the present moment and make decisions that are right for us.
Aventurine - Social Anxiety
Not sure about you, but when I hit rock bottom, I had absolutely no intention to speak or see anybody. Not only I didn't have the energy, but the health anxiety isolated me so much that I began to suffer from social anxiety. Fear of being judged, spoken about or any type of attention would send me into a downward spiral. Aventurine helps reduce feelings of stress and nervousness with its calming energy. It's also associated with the heart chakra, which is linked to balance, compassion, and love with yourself and others. Aventurine is said to help clear negative emotions and promote a sense of inner peace, which can help emotional balance and a more harmonious life. Aventurine can really help you decide who to surround yourself with, ensuring they are safe, healthy and supportive people whose energy truly cares about you.
How to choose the right crystal for you
When choosing a crystal, you can try to identify what you're missing and then let your intuition guide you towards the right one. Here are some tips that might help:
Intentions
What do you want to achieve with the bracelet? For example, you might want to improve your energy balance, focus, communication or emotional well-being. Some crystals are associated with specific intentions, such as:
- Healing and protection: Clear Quartz is known as the master healer and Smoky Quartz is grounding stone that can help with emotional healing and rational thought.
- Self love and acceptance: Rose quartz and lapis lazuli are popular choices for love and relationships.
- Self-Expression: Aquamarine and Lapis can help with communicating your feelings.
- Emotional healing: Rose quartz can help with love and compassion for yourself, while amethyst can promote tranquility and peace.
- Spiritual growth: Amethyst, Moonstone and clear quartz can help enhance spiritual awareness and clarity.
- Physical health: Clear quartz, also known as the "master healer," can help amplify energy and aid in physical recovery.
- Guidance: Moonstone and Labradorite are the stones of new beginnings and transformation. Both can help you during challenging times to guide you on the right path.
Use Your Intuition
Pay attention to which crystal attracts you the most and allow your intuition to guide you. How they resonate with you is an important part here.
Best Way to Make Crystal Energy Work For You
The best way to wear crystal bracelets for anxiety relief is to choose a crystal that resonates with you. Some popular crystals for anxiety include amethyst, rose quartz, and Aquamarine. Wear the bracelet on your non-dominant hand to receive the crystal's energy throughout the day.
Here are some of my top tips for combating health anxiety:
1. Avoid obsessive self-checking
Back in the first Covid lockdown, my mind was in constant threat mode, full of self-doubt and urges to check my body for potential problems. I know from experience, though, that repeatedly checking yourself for symptoms is part of health anxiety’s destructive MO. It’s classic “reassurance behaviour” – like repeatedly checking a light is off or that you've locked a door when you leave the house.
I’m not saying don’t be vigilant – but be careful not to let self-checking become an obsession. The minute it does it will only feed your anxiety and trust me, if you push hard enough or feel strong enough, your mind WILL tell you something is there. (I once felt the glands in my neck so often they actually became swollen in response to all the fiddling, thus creating a symptom that convinced me I was ill.) If you are genuinely worried you might be ill, seek proper medical advice – it’ll always be more reliable than Dr You (and it’ll certainly be more reliable than Dr Internet, which brings us to…)
Amethyst can help mitigate obsessive and exhausting behaviours. If you've been told you are ok, or your the rational part of your brain is telling you, its just a cold then use Amethyst to centre and clear your mind. Clearing your mind can help you think rationally and apply logic to anxious thoughts. It can also help you sleep, and when you sleep better, you think clearer.
2. Be wary of research rabbit holes
The internet is a wonderful thing. It’s great for finding out why sweatshirts have a triangle on the neck (to save you the bother of looking, it was originally to collect sweat and prevent the collar from stretching). It’s not so good, however, if you want to accurately diagnose an illness. Still, let’s be honest, who hasn’t googled a symptom or headed towards a health forum when they felt under the weather? As one of the therapists who helped me with my anxiety pointed out, though, research your symptoms for long enough and you’ll inevitably end up with death as the outcome.
Lapis Lazuli is an excellent stone for self-expression and talking about your feelings. Instead of searching the internet endlessly, try seeking professional help from a therapist, a good friend or family member or just journaling your feelings on paper can lift the weight.
3. Stage your own intervention
Classic health anxiety follows a predictable cycle and understanding how that cycle works is the key to breaking it – and its hold over you. It usually starts with a trigger (perhaps you see something on the news, hear of someone being ill or have a sniffle yourself). That causes you to focus your attention on your own body and its sensations.
Fear that those sensations could be illness takes over and you start checking for symptoms or looking for reassurance via the internet or a doctor’s visit. Maybe you start avoiding certain “dangerous” situations. Which leads to more fear and anxiety and that makes you feel ill – and then you feel anxious. You can see the problem.
Luckily, once you understand the cycle, you can spot what’s going on and interrupt it at any point. The easiest way? Distraction. Go for a walk, reorganise your sock drawer, meet with a friend. Just break it. Alternatively, write your fears down on one side of a piece of paper and challenge them on the other side with concrete facts. It’s the easiest way to unmask irrationality.
Opting for a grounding bracelet such as smoky quartz can help you here. Smoky quartz grounds you to the earth, its the perfect bracelet for nature walks and gathering logic.
4. Replace health worries with health actions
Everyone has lightbulb moments during therapy. Mine came when I realised that negative health worries can be counteracted by positive health actions. Instead of worrying excessively about getting ill, I learnt to shift my focus towards staying well. I started yoga lessons, made positive changes to my diet, upped my exercise and reduced my alcohol consumption – Alcohol is anxiety’s best frenemy – and started going for walks.
Getting more active caused a paradigm shift that made the biggest single difference to my anxiety levels and to how I viewed illness: the more I thought about staying well, the less I thought about feeling ill. Trust me, there’s no better antidote to unwanted internal thoughts than proactive external activity, so grab your running gear and try it – it really works.
Aquamarine for cleansing and purifying your actions, labradorite for transformation or Moonstone for new beginnings are excellent stones here. Replacing worries with action is the best form of self-help. Anxiety is worrying about uncertainty, but when we put a plan in place, the anxious part of the brain has no where to go. When you feel triggered, replace it with a walk.. It is VERY hard at first, but I promise it gets easier and it accelerates your recovery.
5. Be mindful to live in the now
When you live in fear of getting ill, you effectively spend all your time in the future rather than the here and now. You’re always worried about what might happen, what infections you might catch and what might happen if you catch them.
Living in the now robs that fear of the energy it needs to grow, which is why a little mindfulness (and that can be anything from meditation or listening to a podcast to simply taking notice of birdsong on your walk to work) can be useful in allaying your fears. If you’re worried about getting ill, acknowledge that thought for what it is – just a thought about getting ill, rather than an actual prediction – and return to the here and now.
I often use fragrance to stay mindful. I wore my favourite scent every single day during lockdown and had a sniff every time I got anxious. If perfume is not your thing, try keeping fresh herbs in the fridge to smell when anxious, or invest in fresh flowers for the home, candles or diffusers to help. Few things bring you back into the room – and into the here and now – quite like a familiar, comforting smell. Whatever your technique, the important thing is to stay in the moment – if you spend your time fearing death, you’ll ultimately avoid living life.
Use Clear quartz for healing, Citrine for happiness and joy, Rose quartz for self-love and staying present.
6. Challenge your anxious thoughts
One of the main components of health anxiety is catastrophic thinking, where you automatically assume the worst-case scenario. Challenging your anxious thoughts is essential to break free from this cycle.
Ask yourself if there is any evidence to support your fears or if there are alternative explanations for your symptoms. Remember, just because you feel a certain way doesn't mean it's a fact. Engage in self-talk and remind yourself that it's okay to feel anxious, but it doesn't have to control your life.
Challenging your thoughts can be hard, and rose quartz is excellent for combating negative self-talk. It teaches us to self-love, self-accept and ultimately love ourselves for all we are.
7. Seek professional help
While self-help strategies can be effective, seeking professional help is essential for overcoming health anxiety. A therapist can provide personalised strategies and support to help you manage your stress.
They may also recommend cognitive behavioural therapy, which focuses on changing negative thought patterns and behaviours. Additionally, your therapist may work with you to develop an exposure plan, gradually exposing you to your fears in a controlled and safe environment.
There are so many crystals that can help you with this one. Lapis Lazuli for communication, moonstone for new beginnings and to help you stay on track, labradorite for change and your transformational journey, or Clear Quartz for bravery and healing.
How to Care for Your Crystal Bracelets
To ensure the effectiveness of your crystal bracelet, it's essential to care for it properly. Cleanse your bracelet regularly by placing it under running water or in sunlight to recharge its energy. Avoid exposing the bracelet to harsh chemicals or extreme temperatures to prevent damage.
While crystal bracelets may not be a cure for health anxiety, many individuals find them to be a helpful tool in managing their symptoms. By understanding the science behind crystal energy and following best practices for wearing and caring for your bracelet, you can harness the potential benefits of these beautiful gemstones.