Flexible health rules are the focus of this CBT module for health anxiety, with practical prompts to help people notice rigid beliefs about symptoms, doctors, tests and uncertainty, then reshape them into more realistic day-to-day guidelines.
The Health Anxiety Rules and Assumptions CBT Worksheet helps people explore the fixed personal rules that can sit underneath health-related worry. It is designed for adults experiencing health anxiety, illness anxiety, hypochondria or frequent symptom concern, and can also support CBT therapists, counsellors and mental health practitioners who want a clear, structured handout for sessions or guided self-help.
Use the resource to notice patterns such as needing complete certainty, checking the body for reassurance, expecting every sensation to have a clear explanation, or feeling unable to tolerate normal uncertainty about health. The prompts encourage users to write down “must”, “should” and “if… then…” assumptions, consider how these rules affect everyday behaviour, and develop more flexible alternatives that are easier to test in daily life.
This downloadable CBT worksheet can be used as a therapy handout, a between-session homework task, a self-reflection exercise, or part of a wider health anxiety workbook. It may be useful when planning sessions on reassurance seeking, symptom monitoring, doctor visits, test results and uncertainty, as it gives practical space to link beliefs with actions and new responses.
View, download or print the worksheet to support structured reflection and help turn rigid health assumptions into more balanced day-to-day guidelines. It is suitable for use alongside discussion, written exercises and personal examples, so users can adapt the ideas to their own situations.
