Do health appointments stress you out?

How to handle health appointments.

Some people have the confidence to attend either doctor or hospital appointments without very much concern. Other people may be concerned down to the news or results that may be discussed. At times some may take a friend or family member to help support them. When results or conditions are discussed then nervousness is normal; people may still feel that support of some sort is needed. Patients or clients could find making appointments on time may become hard to attend or some may show up hours before their allotted time.

These difficulties may be due to uncertainty and chaos in ones childhood. The ACE (Adverse childhood experiences) studies which are a list of various childhood problems such as physical abuse, bullying and emotional abuse that can have a negative affect on health during adulthood. Connections were made between high numbers of adverse experiences in children and autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis or fibromyalgia in adulthood. Due to these possibilities there may well be frequent hospital appointments during the adult years.

So why would timing be difficult for those with unsafe backgrounds? There can be a range of reasons from fear of upcoming events which may have been very unsafe in childhood, for example if abuse and anger were within the home then the before and after school times would have been potentially scary even on days nothing occurred. There can sometimes be no violence however one or more people are seen as not counting due to being seen as the black sheep or scapegoat in the family. When a person is ignored or not spoken to then that can be a form of emotional neglect. If bullying was happening at school then school time especially around lunch or time outside in the school yard can make learning challenging. Difficulties can also arise from other peoples, both from adults and other children who have negative views on disability, looks, weight, nationality, racism, sexuality etc.

When abuse or continuous disharmony is occurring it can have an affect on physical health as well as emotional. If you think of your own fear reaction, your body can take on an intensity so you can jump into action to deal with the threat or finding ways to get away from it. Some people do freeze and even though they aren’t moving their brain and body are going through intense emotions. When turbulent events are frequent the amygdala in the brain which is associated with fear can be permanently on which is like a car alarm or fire alarm going off nonstop. This can make logical thinking, which includes time keeping, somewhat scrambled. Some people may leave incredibly early because their mind is holding the correct time but the mind is adding all sorts of calamities such as car problems, broken trains, or situations which are very rare to the UK such as tornadoes or contagious diseases.There may also be a fear of humans so they may travel at times when traffic or transport is less crowded. As rush-hour in my area starts around 7am a person may leave at 5:30am to make a 10am appointment even if its only 45 minute travel. This may seem strange to those they know or those they are going to visit.

For some individuals getting some counselling may assist lower the fears or anxieties that may be associated with time keeping, hospitals, appointments or other people while in transit. You may have been looking for a single answer to resolve an appointment or time keeping issue however as fears come from all sorts of problems then they may need a variety of ways to solve them.

Three instant ideas maybe:

1. Listen to music you enjoy.

2. Play games on your mobile-cell phone.

3. Write or do work in a notepad.

You can ask about getting counselling at your GP or choose your own by typing in your location and counsellor in the search menu.You can also see counsellors online as well.

Olivia Djouadi UKCP oliviadjouadi.online @oliviadjouadi

For more information on ACE studies and autoimmune conditions see: