4 Steps to Overcome your Health Anxiety (or medical procedure anxiety)
As some of you are probably aware by now, I had some facial surgery last week. I found the whole process very confronting for my health and medical procedure anxiety, so I wanted to share with you 4 steps I used to work through it.
I want to begin as always by saying stress is not the enemy, and even anxiety is telling us that something feels too much for our nervous system (not that there is something wrong with us). So I will not be teaching you how to cure your anxiety. The difference being, the goal is for flexibility - to experience the anxiety, allow it to be, then recalibrate after (rather than get stuck in it).
These tools may hit the mark for you, or they might not work at all for your individual nervous system. Here's a youtube video I did on the topic, you can see it on my instagram grid too.
4 steps to work with your health anxiety (not against it)
1. Acceptance
Welcoming in all feelings and accepting them as real and valid is step one. The nervous system is seeking safety, in all things, including emotions!
While anxiety is so uncomfortable, finding a way to accept that discomfort is a really lovely way to 'skim the stress' off the top and approach your feelings with curiosity.
It can be easier said than done - which is why I created the Honour Ritual self-compassion card deck. I actually pulled a card the day of my surgery, to anchor my thoughts and drive safety into my system. Resisting this acceptance just adds more stress into the system.
When the goal is sitting WITH your discomfort, accepting all parts of yourself, and allowing them to just be, you enable a smidge more safety in your system.
2. Communication
If you are experiencing a season of anxiety or you have an upcoming surgery you're anxious about, communicating this with your loved ones is key. I used my experience as an opportunity to discuss stress, window of tolerance and capacity to handle stress with my kids.
Because in reality, the final week leading up to the surgery I was using majority of my regulation capacity to allow the anxiety to be part of my experience. Which meant I wasn't as capable of coregulation or play, or even some daily tasks, as I would ordinarily be.
And then remembering we are all human, you can always use a repair after a rupture as an opportunity to express your low capacity.
3. Preparation
Physically and mentally, I prepared my body as much as I could.
I used the following in the lead up to the procedure:
Pulsetto device (vagus nerve stimulation)
Honour Ritual oil and self-compassion cards
EFT Tapping
NET - FAST Technique
Allowing all the feelings to be felt, rather than pushed down
These things were intended to take as much load off my stress response as possible. NOT to fix it. I wasn't seeking complete regulation in these moments, I was seeking a softening of the edges.
And this list can be whatever you want it to be. Perhaps you need to run to get some nervous energy out. Or you need more social connections and coregulation with loved ones. Maybe you go into freeze and need more rest and quiet time. Whatever you need? That's what you need.
4. Recalibration
We often think we can recalibrate really quickly after a stressor. And depending on the size of the stressor, perhaps we can. But for something as big as a medical procedure that gives you massive anxiety, you need to give yourself time and space to come back to safety.
You can't rush it, or place pressure or expectations on it.
You can use all the same tools in the preparation phase, as well as rest, hydration, sunlight, coregulation with loved ones. Whatever you need to come back to safety is your priority.
We are so quick to want to 'fix' our anxiety, but maybe we need to accept it as part of us before it can truly start to unwind.
Want to hear more about health anxiety? Ash and I did a video a little while ago, with a freebie download linked. You can get them via the form below.