I used medical environments in the title since it’s where my anxiety is most visible, and it is a place where most people get it, since your health isn’t an easy matter to discuss. On the other hand, you can get it on a random day of the week. I’m a perfect example right now; I’m off work, in bed, in a ‘relaxed’ state, yet I can feel it in the pit of my stomach. What I’m trying to say is that some situations make you know you will be anxious, while on other days it comes out of nowhere and you have to roll with it.
Wear comfortable clothes/ bring a change of clothes with you.
I always have to change after any appointment, and if you are going to work right after, a change of clothes will save you.
The waiting room issue.
I find this is the worst, especially if the person you are waiting for is running late. I don’t know if it’s a Maltese trait, but we discuss why, who or what we are waiting for with the person next to us, even if it is a stranger. You have a couple of options here. Take someone with you so you can have a random conversation. Noise-cancelling headphones can help, or you can ask if they have a quiet room.
Ask if notes can be recorded or if a brief email can be sent.
A lot of key information about care and treatment is shared during a medical visit, and if your brain is ten steps ahead of your body, you won’t remember the details or whether any tests are needed.
Write any questions or concerns you might have beforehand.
I find this essential in work meetings since they tend to be information-dense, and what you had in your mind is now stored differently or lost.
This might help someone; it will help me for sure, since when I’m panicked, I can’t figure out even the simplest tasks. Something I always try to remember is that no matter the job you do or the person you are at the end of the day we are human.
Alec