Fear of doctors, or “iatrophobia”, is a common phobia. Even if you do not have a full-blown case of clinical iatrophobia, many of us suffer from anxiety about going to the doctor. This anxiety is not surprising if you consider the reasons.
 
There are many reasons that people feel anxiety when they need to go to the doctor, such as being afraid of receiving bad news about their health, the bill that they will get, or even a  bad experience with another doctor in the past.
 
Whatever the reason that you are afraid of, you are not alone, and hopefully, exploring ideas in this article will help alleviate your anxiety about your next doctor’s visit.
 
 
Negative Effects of Iatrophobia
 
Unfortunately, fear of going to the doctor can result in adverse outcomes. Stress, in general, is harmful to physical and mental health. Also, fear of going to the doctor can lead people to put off, or even avoid making appointments which may be essential for helping treat their illnesses. Many diseases, including cancer and heart disease, worsen over time to the point where they become untreatable and terminal. Identifying and treating these conditions early is vital and putting off a doctor’s appointment can be fatal.
 
Coping with Anxiety
 
Anxiety can be a crippling condition at the best of times; if you suffer from anxiety then picking up the phone to make an appointment, and leaving the house to get to the appointment can be a great source of distress for many people.
 
Your anxiety can be eased with mindfulness techniques. A popular mindfulness exercise is to sit or lie down somewhere comfortable, close your eyes, and breathe slowly in and out while keeping your attention focuses on your breath. Focusing this attention on the breath can remind you of the present, rather than letting your mind get lost in future predictions. Mindfulness also has a range of other health benefits.
 
If you find yourself continually touching things, then consider getting a beaded bracelet or spinner ring as something you can focus your desire to fidget without it being obvious.
 
It can be particularly helpful to do these exercises while in the waiting room of the doctors’ surgery, as waiting rooms are common locations to experience anxiety.
 
Avoid Googling Symptoms
 
Although the internet is a fantastically useful resource and can be used to find information about various medical conditions, this is a double-edged sword. Deciding to use the internet instead of a doctor to search for the diagnosis of your potential condition can actually increase anxiety!
 
This is primarily because many common symptoms of minor maladies are also symptoms of much more dangerous and life-threatening diseases. Using Google to search for the potential causes of a mild pain may lead you to convince yourself you are suffering from something much worse than you are actually suffering from, which is not good for the stress levels!
 
Don’t Go Alone
 
Having a friend, family member, or other loved one with us can calm us down in most situations and going to the doctor is no different. Do not feel embarrassed about asking someone that you trust to accompany you to the doctor – if they care about you, they will most likely be happy to help!
 
Be Honest
 
It is important to remember that your doctor is there to help you! Avoiding going to the doctor will not reduce anxieties about your health and going to the doctor and being honest with them will build trust for the future. Each time that you go to the doctor, it usually gets more manageable, and anxiety will be lessened because you trust your doctor! Even if you do not have specific symptoms, you are worried about, planning an annual wellness visit to the doctor can be beneficial.
 
Once you are speaking to the doctor, you should always be honest about any symptoms you may have, and your anxieties. Doctors are trained to help you rather than judge you, and they see so many health conditions that yours is unlikely to shock them!
 
However, in the unlikely event that your doctor is unhelpful, or you do not feel like you trust them in any way, you should change to a new doctor. This will most likely solve any issues you may have with any specific practitioner.
 
Whatever you do, it is highly essential to go to the doctor any time you are concerned about your health. Using these tips to help you get over the short-term fear will significantly benefit your health and reduce your anxiety in the long run!
 

When we think of the future, it is often to think of dreams we have and goals we want to achieve. Anything more than that is overwhelming and scary, and it’s why we don’t usually plan for anything that’s coming. It’s as if we want good things to come our way, but we are afraid of doing the necessary things we need to do to get them because the unknown is such a frightening aspect of the future.
 
Nevertheless, if you want good things to happen, you need to plan for them. Planning for the future is essential, and here are some of the reasons why.


You Can Assess the Risks
When you plan for the future, you can assess the risks associated with any opportunities that come your way. Many people will simply not spot these great chances in life because they are not looking for them, or are looking for the wrong things. Others will see them but not take them because they think they are too much of a risk. Others still will see them and take them, but this too can be a mistake. It’s so hard to know, but when you plan and are able to assess the risks through the prism of your plan, you will know much more.
 
How can you do this? When you know exactly what your goals are, you’ll know how you want to get there – opportunities that might present themselves can then be either taken up by you or ignored depending on how well they are going to help you reach your ultimate goal. When you plan ahead, the risks will be obvious.
 
You Can Be Proactive
If you don’t plan for the future you will never be proactive, only reactive. Although having good reactions is great and will certainly help you in stressful situations, being reactive rather than proactive can also make you much more stressed. By planning for the future, knowing what you want to happen and assessing what might happen, you can be more proactive. This means you will know what to do in every situation, and have a plan to follow no matter what happens.
 
Being proactive can sometimes be uncomfortable as it can make you face difficult thoughts and potential situations. If you are entering hospital, for example, you might need to think about what would happen if you passed away, or if you needed birth injury solicitors to help you. When moving house, you might need to think about what would happen if some of your possessions were lost or broken, or if the chain fell through at the last minute. If applying for a job, you would need to have a contingency plan for whether you got an interview or not.
 
Having a plan in place and not needing to action it is much better than needing a plan and not having one at all.
 
You Can Achieve More
If you can plan for the future, you will know just what needs to be done in order to get where you want to be. This means you can apply for the right college courses, you can get relevant experience, and you’ll know which options to choose when you have a choice.
 
By doing this and knowing where you intend to be in the future, you can make better decisions and you can achieve much more too. You’ll always be pushing towards the next goal because you know what it is; without a plan you might stop moving forward because you just don’t know what to do next. 

Connecting with your teenager can be a difficult challenge at times. They always seem to be going through so many changes in their life, and you might feel like it takes everything in you just to keep up. Figuring out ways to reiterate to your teen just how much you care and are there for them is important, though, as is the concept of modeling positive behavior for them, such as kindness.
If you are looking for more ways to show your teenager kindness, here are three things that you might consider doing.

1. Be a Good Listener
​One of the best ways to show kindness to your teen is by listening to them. Teenagers often are prone to feeling misunderstood or ignored. Even if you think such feelings are unjustified, they are probably the result of low self-esteem and a lack of confidence. By giving your teen a chance to talk things out with you as their audience, you show them that their thoughts and feelings have value and substance. This can only help to build them up and help them to become a stronger individual.
The last thing you want is for your teen to allow his or her negative emotions to develop into a condition like anxiety or a distorted self-image. Moreover, teens that feel ignored or lost in some way are at risk of turning to other things in order to fill the void they are experiencing. You can find resources for how to help your teen with struggles like these at ignite teen treatment. Keeping the lines of communication open and being a good listener for your teen will not only show them kindness but also help them to avoid such risks.

2. Show Interest in Their Interests
Some of the most important things to your teen at this point in their life most likely include their personal interests and hobbies. If your teen spends a lot of their time on a particular pastime, one way that you can show kindness to them is by showing an interest in that pastime.
Certain hobbies like sports or music might be easy enough to get on board with and demonstrate a genuine interest in. Others, like certain games or types of art, might not be up your alley. Either way, you can not only show kindness to your teen by taking an active interest in the things they choose to dedicate their time to, but you can also help to boost their self-confidence in the process.

3. Lift Them Up
When your teenager was still a small child, you likely had to physically lift them up more than a time or two. Now that they are older, the thing they need the most from you is for you to lift them up emotionally. The teenage years can be volatile at the best of times, but you can help bring them to a place of stability by showing them kindness through being their number one cheerleader.