Possible triggers include: mention of gynecology and menstruation, but nothing graphic.





I've been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression. After a very stressful week, I was able to go to my girlfriend's house. 

I love her and we've been together for 4 years, but we've been friends for 20, so there are no topics of discussion off the table. We're rather blunt people when we talk, so it was no great shock for her to offhandedly mention she's had a very long menstrual cycle this time round. When I ask how long, she said a month. 

Immediately I began to get anxious. I myself had a similar issue a few years ago that was the result of a polyp (benign), but my brain went into overdrive. I couldn't shake the feeling all weekend and my brain kept shouting intrusive thoughts at me like "cancer" and "you're going to lose her young". 

I've been in a low-grade panic since Friday night, and she knows it. She's calling the doctor tomorrow for a check-up but she hasn't had a gyno appointment in possibly a decade. 

We're both anxious, but she can compartmentalize her fear and rationalize it (and ignore it). I'm having trouble doing that when it comes to this (I have death phobias), so I've been quiet about it. I don't want her worrying about me, so I hid the fear by staying busy this weekend and cooking for us. Now, sadly, I'm back at my house for the work week and my mind won't shut up.

So far, none of my coping mechanisms have helped. It's currently 2:21am and I'm still awake, still with a steady background anxiety. Stupidly, I started Googling things and that's ramped the anxiety back up.

Does anyone have any advice on how to calm myself and possibly not catastrophize this?