Most of us don’t visit our doctors when we feel good. Sometimes the visit may be for a medical or health check. But most of the time it will be because there is something potentially wrong with us. Which means that our visit is filled with fear and apprehension even before we meet the lady or gentleman who will be the attending physician.
Add that senior doctors are even scarier, often speaking in short, cryptic sentences or just looking at a chart and nodding, and that means fear of doctors is perfectly natural.
So how can you get rid of your fear of doctors or at least reduce it to the point where you can visit them without breaking out in a cold sweat and raising your blood pressure?
Start by realizing that they are specialists.
In the same way that you wouldn’t work on a modern car yourself, take it to a mechanic who specializes in your brand and has all the right equipment to do a good job, you go to a doctor for the same reasons.
Sure, you can visit a site like WebMD to get an idea of what’s going on with you. But that won’t give you the personal experience of an established doctor who is far better equipped than mere words on a website to get to the bottom of what’s troubling you.
They will know what questions to ask so they can dig into the root cause of whatever it is that made you visit them in the first place.
They will also be aware of the various potential treatments for your medical problem or, if they are unsure, they can refer you to a specialist in that particular field.
And they’ll have the knowledge and contacts to be able to do it quickly, before any problems you have deteriorate.
All of which means that you should be sure that you are in good hands when it is time to visit your doctor.
Of course, that doesn’t mean your mind fully acknowledges that fact.
Which, in turn, means that you need to find a way to calm your fear of doctors.
Some people find that asking a friend to come along for the visit is enough. Having someone you trust with you and actually giving you a second opinion on what they say can go a long way in reducing your fear.
If that doesn’t remove enough of your fear, another good step is to use a relaxation technique. This is very useful if you are in that stage of life where visits to the doctor are becoming more frequent.
A simple breathing technique, like taking a few long, deep breaths, can be good.
It gives your body more oxygen and the act of deep breathing relaxes you more.
Or something like hypnosis can be beneficial by helping your subconscious mind overcome your fear of doctors with almost no effort on your part.
