{"id":79940,"date":"2020-04-14T12:40:41","date_gmt":"2020-04-14T20:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=79940"},"modified":"2020-04-14T17:09:44","modified_gmt":"2020-04-15T01:09:44","slug":"overcome-anxiety-and-learn-to-love-your-doctor-visits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/overcome-anxiety-and-learn-to-love-your-doctor-visits\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Overcome Anxiety and Learn to Love Your Doctor Visits"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Fear\nkeeps many people from going to the doctor \u2014 fear of the unknown, fear of a bad\ndiagnosis, fear of feeling vulnerable, etc. But for about 3{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} of the population<\/a>,\ngoing to the doctor is an actual phobia. Whatever the reason, fear of\nphysicians causes far too many people to take a reactive, hands-off approach to\nmaintaining their health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I\nhad a major health scare, I was one of those people. I made every excuse to\navoid visiting the doctor. I was a 37-year-old CEO with young kids. I didn\u2019t\nhave any chronic or debilitating conditions. I would have plenty of time to\nprioritize my health later in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ended\nup in the hospital with chest pains and was confronted with reality: I wasn\u2019t\ntaking care of myself and was on the same path as my father, who had his first\nheart attack at 45. Over the next few years, I did everything I could to\nimprove my lifestyle. I changed my diet, lost 40 pounds, and ran three\nmarathons. But one of the things I\u2019m most proud of is my commitment to learning\nmore about health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Becoming\na Better Patient<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I started\nshowing up to doctors\u2019 appointments prepared, I became a better patient.\nDoctors spent more time working to improve my treatments with me. I developed\nthe confidence I needed to press them to offer a more proactive framework. With\ntime, doctors became my allies rather than something to fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately,\ndoctors want their patients to be healthy. When we overcome our fears and\nbecome active participants in our care, it motivates doctors to go the extra\nmile. They see that we\u2019re taking our health seriously, making the time it takes\nto collaborate on a health plan productive and fruitful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nlevel of personalization can help society figure out how to overcome fear\nof doctors and hospitals, how to reduce anxiety at the doctor\u2019s office, and how\nto improve the doctor-patient relationship. It all boils down to education and\npeople actively participating in their care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nBiggest Hurdle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overcoming\nthe fear of doctors is a process. Past traumas can get in the way, and so can\nthat nagging feeling that doctors are judging you. It\u2019s important to remember\nthat they\u2019re not \u2014 they\u2019re simply determining the best treatment options based\non the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are\nways to curtail anxiety about going to the doctor, however, and the following\nsuggestions are great places to start:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.\nShop around.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the\nscientific foundations for different medical specialties are virtually the\nsame, the approach to care is not\u2014 especially when it comes to the\ndoctor-patient relationship. An osteopathic doctor (D.O.) takes a more holistic\napproach to managing an individual\u2019s health, while an allopathic doctor (M.D.)\nfocuses on the acute treatments of illness and disease. For some people, a more\nholistic approach can help reduce any anxiety about going to the doctor. Others\nmight feel more confident with the \u201ctraditional\u201d route. Shop around, feel out\ndifferent doctors, and then decide which direction is best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.\nDon\u2019t go alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing\na friend or family member to the exam or just asking someone to sit in the\nwaiting room can help minimize anxiety about going to the doctor. A spouse or a\ntrusted friend are the most obvious options because they can make the visit\nfeel less impersonal while curbing any fears. After bringing a supportive loved\none along with you a few times, you might be ready to try a visit by yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.\nBuild a doctor-patient relationship.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although\nphysicians are busy, and the U.S. healthcare system faces shortages, some\npractices are taking proactive steps to personalize care. One Medical<\/a>, for example, caps the number of patients each doctor sees\nin a day. This allows for a more personal approach to treatment, giving doctors\nthe chance to create a more effective health plan that should reduce the number\nof patient visits. It\u2019s also a great way to build trust between patient and\ndoctor. Consider visiting a similar facility. If one isn\u2019t available near you,\nwork toward establishing a doctor-patient relationship \u2014 or at least find a\nphysician open to this approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.\nImprove your health literacy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making\nhealth awareness a general approach to personal care is one of the easiest ways\nto quell anxiety about going to the doctor. When I started visiting the doctor\nand sharing the research I\u2019d done in my own time, we were able to discuss\nwhether it was relevant to my situation. It demystified what was going on with\nmy health and what was happening during my appointments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember,\nevery doctor takes an oath to help patients. Taking a minute to get to know the\nhuman behind the white coat makes it easier to see that they\u2019re not someone to\nfear \u2014 doctors are there to help keep us as healthy as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munjal\nShah is the co-founder and CEO of <\/em>Health IQ<\/em><\/a>, a life insurance agency that rewards people with healthy\nlifestyles, like runners, cyclists, weightlifters, and vegetarians. After\nworking as a technology entrepreneur for the first part of his career, he\nstarted Health IQ to improve the health of the world by celebrating those who\npractice healthy lifestyles.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fear keeps many people from going to the doctor \u2014 fear of the unknown, fear of a bad diagnosis, fear of feeling vulnerable, etc. But for about 3{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} of the population, going to the doctor is an actual phobia. Whatever the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16335,"featured_media":79941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[3709,24,112,7748],"tags":[591,82,7778,62,3183,66,4629,7779],"yoast_head":"\n4 Ways to Overcome Anxiety and Learn to Love Your Doctor Visits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fear keeps many people from going to the doctor \u2014 fear of the unknown, fear of a bad diagnosis, fear of feeling vulnerable, etc.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/overcome-anxiety-and-learn-to-love-your-doctor-visits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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