How to Reduce Anxiety During Medical Appointments

If you worry about meeting with a medical health provider, and find yourself avoiding scheduling medical appointments, you’re not alone. Going to the doctor can be nerve-wracking for everyone, and for some, medical visits can produce overwhelming fear and anxiety. This article provides strategies to help you reduce anxiety before and during a medical appointment to ensure that your visit is as useful as possible.

Experiencing heightened anxiety during medical appointments is a real struggle for many people, especially those who have past negative experiences, such as trauma, or feeling dismissed or not taken seriously by a medical provider. Perhaps it took many years and multiple providers to get an accurate diagnosis, and along the way you experienced a great deal of stress and anxiety from repeatedly telling your story. Learning how to manage your anxiety and advocate for yourself is essential to navigate the healthcare system.

Strategies to Reduce Anxiety During a Medical Appointment

1. Prepare for the Dreaded First Meeting

When scheduling your first appointment, ask questions such as:

• How long will the first appointment be?
• What should I expect in the meeting?
• Is there an option to fill out paperwork in advance electronically?

When you know what to expect from the first appointment, and the length of the meeting, you will feel prepared and more in control. Completing paperwork in advance will save you from feeling rushed in the waiting room, and give you time to answer questions that might be emotionally triggering for you. You will then have the option to stop if you need a break.

2. Write Questions in Advance

Write down all the questions you want to ask the provider before your appointment and bring them with you to the meeting. You may have waited weeks or months to meet with a provider and it can be hard to remember all your questions in the moment when your anxiety is high. If you’ve historically gone blank in medical health appointments, this strategy may be particularly helpful. Let your provider know at the beginning of the appointment that you have questions, to ensure that there will be enough time to address them.

3. Outline Your History

Create an outline of your medical history with key dates and points you want to mention. Bring this with you to your first appointment. Avoid excessive detail because it may be emotionally triggering, like revisiting a life-threatening surgery. In addition, the extra information may not be helpful for the provider.

4. Manage Expectations

In an ideal world, every provider reads their patient’s chart in its entirety prior to their meeting. Recognize that this might not be possible, especially if you have a lengthy medical history. Knowing this can help you manage your expectations and focus on the key points that you want to share in the meeting.

5. Navigate the Waiting Room

The waiting room can be anxiety provoking because of the stress of the appointment and the environment itself. For example, seeing pictures of pregnant women when you are struggling with fertility may be unpleasant. Inquire about whether there’s an option to wait outside. Some medical offices can text you when your appointment is ready. If this is not possible, consider other ways to manage your anxiety while waiting, such as listening to calming music, watching a show using your headphones, or engaging in relaxation and grounding techniques.

Anxiety during medical health appointments can be especially difficult to manage if you have chronic health conditions that require ongoing follow-up, or if you’ve experienced disappointments with medical providers in the past. I hope the suggestions provided in this article are helpful and provide some relief from your symptoms.

If you have trouble coping with intense feelings of stress and anxiety about medical health appointments, you may benefit from meeting with a professional San Diego Psychologist at Therapy Changes. Using action-oriented therapy techniques shown to be effective in research, you and your therapist will explore the connection between your thoughts and reactions and develop a plan to overcome the obstacles in your way.

Anxiety about medical appointments and health anxiety are real concerns. You don’t have to go through this alone. Contact Us today to learn more about How Therapy Works and What to Expect and to schedule an appointment.

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