Let's face it: doctor's appointments can be extremely stressful at times. You have a short amount of time to speed-paint a complete image of your medical history and current symptoms to your doctor to, in return, receive an overwhelming amount of information on medications, treatment plans, surgeries, and more back. But doctor's appointments do not have to be stressful. I have rounded up my favorite tips for making your doctor's appointment less stressful:
Come Prepared
If I had to give one single piece of advice to you, this would be it. As with anything in life, when you are prepared, you are naturally going to be less stressed. My favorite way to prepare for a doctor's appointment it to take some time out a few days or the night before my appointment to organize my thoughts. I write down all symptoms that I am having, including when they began and how severe they are and I make a list of questions that I have for my doctor. These questions may relate to bloodwork results, upcoming procedures or surgeries, concerns that I have, questions about my diagnosis, and more.
The act of writing everything down will immediately reduce your level of stress going into the appointment because you will not have the pressure of remembering everything and fearing that you will forget something weighing on your shoulders. Recently, I had a check-up with a doctor that I had not seen for several years and I found myself really stressing about how I was going to go about filling her in on my last 2 years of illness and surgeries. So, the night before my appointment, I sat down and typed up a brief timeline of my illness, when I had my surgeries, and other important information that I wanted her to know. When I arrived to my appointment, I was able to give a brief overview of my illness, but also provide her with the timeline to ensure that I did not miss any important details.
The bottom line is: be prepared. Even if you just jot a few notes down on a napkin before your appointment, you will find yourself much more at peace knowing that you are not forgetting anything important.
Bring a support system with you
Whether you are 20 or 60, bringing a support system with you to your appointments is a wonderful way to ease some of your stress. Having an extra set of eyes and ears at your appointment can not only help you retain more of the information you are given, but help you to find the right questions to ask or bringing up things you may have forgotten to mention. When possible, I always bring my mom, dad, or even grandparents to my appointments. You should never feel ashamed for wanting a family member or friend to come with you to an appointment.
Choose a doctor that you trust
I cannot stress the importance of this tip enough. It is so important to choose a doctor whom you trust and have built a positive relationship with, because when it comes to your health, you need someone who not only understands your past and present medical history, but understands who you are as a person. You should feel comfortable discussing your concerns with your doctor, knowing that they will be attentive and understanding.
With that being said, I feel as if it is important to note that choosing the right doctor for you is a very personal process. A doctor that may be perfect for one patient may not be for another, and that is completely OK. Just as with friendships and relationships, sometimes two personalities just do not mesh well. When it comes to choosing the right doctor for me, I look for several important traits:
- Is my doctor truly listening to my concerns?
- Do I feel comfortable discussing a variety of topics with my doctor?
- Is my doctor easy to schedule an appointment with when needed?
- Does my doctor have experience with similar cases to mine?
- Do I trust my doctor?
- Does my doctor seem rushed or do they take their time during my appointments?
Having a positive and trusting relationship with your doctor can play a huge role in the about of stress that you feel going into appointments. You should never dread seeing your doctor out of fear that they are not going to listen to you! Remember: you deserve quality care.
Don't be afraid to clarify and ask questions
One of the biggest factors of stress when it comes to doctor's appointments is often the overwhelming amount of information that we are given in a brief period of time regarding our health. Sometimes we are faced with new medications, challenging decisions, and new diagnoses that can bring on a whirlwind of medical terms that we just do not understand. Please never hesitate to clarify and ask questions regarding what your doctor is discussing with you! It does not mean that you are unintelligent and it will not annoy your doctor (if it does, it is time to find a new doctor). Your health is exactly that: YOUR health.
You will leave the appointment much more at-ease knowing that some of your questions have been answered regarding your health.
Bring something to work on during the wait
I am going to be completely honest with you: I get SO nervous for doctor's appointments and perhaps the worst part for me is waiting. Waiting in the waiting room, waiting in the procedure room.. my brain loves to spend that time waiting creating completely irrational scenarios. To combat this, I have found comfort in bringing some material to keep me busy during my wait. Here are a few of my favorite things to alleviate the stress of waiting:
- A pen and paper. Whether I write, draw, or even just scribble, my mind is preoccupied and time goes by faster.
- A book. Indulging in a good book can help pass the time and transport you somewhere other than the waiting room.
- Puzzle games. I have an entire folder on my phone dedicated to challenging little games to distract my mind and pass the time.
Tip: try to avoid scrolling mindlessly through social media. While browsing Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can kill time, it can have the ability to heighten you stress levels even more! Without realizing it, when scrolling through social media, we are absorbing a variety of emotions from the posts, videos, and images that we are seeing. When you are already stressed, seeing something stressful while scrolling through social media can create even more stress than before. Avoid social media for an hour or two during your appointment. Trust me, your mind will thank you!
Doctors appointments can be really stressful, but I hope these tips help alleviate some of the stress that you feel going into them.