Calming Your Nerves Before and During a Doctor's Visit

Do you find yourself feeling nervous before every doctor's office visit? You're not alone. Many people experience at least a little anxiety or nervousness about visiting the doctor. It is important to address this nervousness since it can interfere with test results, keep you from fully understanding what your doctor tells you, and prevent you from asking questions you intended to ask. So how do you get your nerves under control before a doctor's visit? Take a look:

Practice some deep breathing techniques.

Deep breathing is sometimes portrayed as a skill that takes a lot of time to master. But actually, basic deep breathing techniques are simple to learn. An easy one involves just inhaling to the count of five, holding your breath for five seconds, and then letting that breath out in five short, one-second bursts. This breathing technique can bring down your blood pressure, put your mind in a better space, and calm your nerves in general. Practice it a few times when you're at home and feeling comfortable so that you can easily perform it on the day of your doctor's visit.

Watch some videos about the tests you will have.

For many people, nervousness before a doctor's visit is either caused or made worse by uncertainty. If you know what to expect at the appointment, you will feel more confident. Consider watching a few videos about the tests or procedures you are about to have done. Videos that are narrated and published by real medical practitioners are the best, as you can have greater confidence in their accuracy.

Talk to a friend.

Have you ever noticed that once you talk about your problems, they seem a lot less severe? The same tends to be true with nervousness and anxiety, especially when it is related to an upcoming appointment. If you talk to a friend about your nervousness and describe what is making you nervous, you'll emerge from that conversation feeling a lot better. In describing your nervousness out loud, you may realize it's mostly unfounded. Your friend can also offer you some emotional support; it's just nice to know someone cares about your feelings!

If you feel nervous before visiting the doctor, there's no reason to be ashamed. Use the tactics above to help calm your nerves, and feel free to be honest with your doctor about your feelings, too. You won't be their first nervous patient, and you won't be their last. For more information about what to expect from a doctor's office visit, reach out to a local office.