Anxiety About Going to Appointments - Q&A With Annie!
In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Annie—one of my favorite guests to have on the podcast! We dove into some real talk about anxiety, specifically around going to appointments. You know, those medical, dental, or even salon appointments that can be stressful and anxiety producing at the best of times, especially with good ole' anticipatory anxiety added to the mix!
We go through some questions straight from the community, so be sure to listen to the full episode for all the insights if anxiety about going to appointments resonates with you!
Let's get into it!
"I worry about appointments weeks before they even happen. What can I do about that?" Right off the bat, we hit on anticipatory anxiety. This is the kind of anxiety that kicks in well before you even get to your appointment. A listener asked, "Why do I worry about appointments weeks ahead before they happen?" And I just knew we had to talk about the whole cycle of trying to control everything in advance. We think that by over-preparing or replaying every possible outcome, we're somehow going to prevent anxiety or make it go away. But spoiler alert: that approach actually ramps up the anxiety! It’s so common to spend weeks worrying about an appointment, only to get there and find everything is fine. It’s all about learning to let those thoughts come and go without getting sucked into the "what if" rabbit hole.
Then, Annie shared that she had an appointment coming up after avoiding it for a year! This couldn’t have been more timely. We agreed that it’s all about acknowledging those anxious thoughts, letting them be, and resisting the urge to go down all the mental rabbit holes.
"How do I stop replaying the appointment in my head after it’s over?" We can often get stuck trying to find control over situations that are already in the past. The trick is in making a conscious choice to not replay every little detail. Easier said than done, I know, but it's something we have to practice. It definitely takes time to unlearn these habits.
"What do I do if I have a panic attack during an appointment?"
Honestly, this is something a lot of us struggle with. And here’s the deal—you might panic, and that's okay. There's no perfect game plan that's going to make a panic attack not happen or feel any less awful. But what you can do is remind yourself that you're not stuck. If you're at the dentist or getting your hair done, you can ask for a break. Trust me, it's way better than silently suffering through it!
Here are some other questions we answered in this episode:
Sitting in silent waiting rooms is difficult for me. What can I do?
I’m worried I’ll pass out, especially getting blood drawn (even though I never have before). Do you have any tips?
My blood pressure goes up every time I go to the doctor’s and then that makes me more anxious. Any advice?
We fully dive into these questions in the episode, so make sure to tune in for all of the goodness!
And before you go, I just want to remind you that dealing with anxiety, especially around appointments, is incredibly common and normal—and you’re not alone in this. Whether it's the anticipation, the fear of panicking, or even just sitting in the waiting room, it's okay to feel how you feel. The key is practicing self-compassion and giving yourself the space to experience those emotions without judgment.
I hope this episode with Annie brought you some comfort, and a few practical tips to try out. Until next time, keep taking healthy action!
Feeling like you've tried everything but you're still struggling with lots of anxious thoughts, symptoms, panic attacks, and fears? Take my FREE 60-minute masterclass today and learn 5 shifts that will actually help you to overcome anxiety, panic disorder, and agoraphobia. And I promise, you won't hear any of the usual stuff from me - like doing breathing exercises, grounding practices, cutting out caffeine, and doing more exposures. Let's get you the peace and freedom you deserve without it being so hard!
Check out my masterclasses here and start experiencing lots more peace, joy, & freedom!
TRANSCRIPT
00:02.18
ahealthypush
All right. Yay. One of my favorite types of episodes. Hi, Annie.
00:06.99
Annie
Hi, thanks for having me again.
00:09.51
ahealthypush
Yeah, I love these. I love these conversations. So per usual, I reached out, asked the community, like, what do you want us to talk about? And something that popped up quite a bit was,
00:21.22
ahealthypush
anxiety about appointments. And I feel like when I saw this, I was like, okay, you want me to talk about anticipatory anxiety then?
00:29.56
Annie
Yeah.
00:29.84
ahealthypush
Because really, that's what this is all about. um But I think we got some really good questions. And I think I just want to say here, like a few things.
00:42.80
ahealthypush
Anxiety and appointments, right? There's like so much intertwined here and we're going to get to a lot of it, but I think I just want to highlight off the bat like appointments, and especially doctor's appointments, like medical appointments, even other type of appointments. They can just be very stressful and anxiety producing, but i especially if you've had like a bad experience or you've received like tough news, or you were with someone and they received tough news, or you experienced a traumatic event surrounding like your medical care, which that happens more than it should, um or it's just anxiety producing and stressful because you feel stuck and trapped and you're worried about experiencing anxiety and panic while at the appointment.
01:29.51
ahealthypush
like that Hello, that's so common, right? know um And also, I think it's important to say, it can also be very stressful and anxiety-producing just because going to appointments, especially doctor's appointments, medical appointments, is naturally anxiety-producing, right?
01:46.70
ahealthypush
like I feel like so many of us and tell ourselves, like i I shouldn't feel anxious.
01:47.87
Annie
Yeah.
01:52.59
ahealthypush
It's so silly. This is so stupid. And it's like, well, no, it's kind of really normal to feel anxious while going to some of these appointments.
02:01.45
Annie
yeah
02:01.50
ahealthypush
So I think it's just important to say, and I i know I say this a lot, but like give your yourself permission to feel anxious, whether it makes sense to feel it or not. Like that's a huge, huge thing that's so important to recognize.
02:14.42
Annie
yeah yes well that's so good i know and i feel like this episode couldn't come at a better time because i have an appointment that i've been avoiding for like a year that i'm going to tomorrow so let's just go ahead i know
02:23.74
ahealthypush
Ooh, ooh, this is good timing.
02:28.42
Annie
Right? I know. Yeah, so we'll just go ahead and get right into it, though. So the first question someone asks is, it's not so much the appointment, but the beforehand.
02:33.73
ahealthypush
Cool.
02:40.05
Annie
And I worry about appointments weeks before they even happen. So what can I do about that?
02:45.15
ahealthypush
Yeah, this is the crux of it, right? It's that anticipatory anxiety. So much about appointments is we're thinking about them in advance. We are trying to solve, right? Make sure we're going to feel okay. We're going to feel good. Nothing bad is going to happen. We're not going to feel anxious. We're not going to panic. It's that control. like We're trying to control everything and we think if I think more about it, if I problem solve more, if I spend more time um on it, like I'm going to somehow make sure that it goes okay. But it's like you're just honestly creating so much anxiety and causing yourself to be so tortured before the appointment even comes. And I think often what we see with anticipatory anxiety right is
03:33.78
ahealthypush
I worked myself up for a weeks, days, or even months, and like I went to the appointment and I was fine.
03:40.09
Annie
Yeah.
03:40.26
ahealthypush
It's like, yes, so, so common. It's because really the problem right is all how we're responding to our thoughts. like In the moment when you do things, often it's just like, oh, and I'm just doing it and there's not much anxiety.
03:54.73
ahealthypush
ah It's not always like that, but that's because when you're allowing yourself to sort of go there with all the anxious thoughts, you're answering them, you're going down all the rabbit holes, you're like, okay, let me figure out if I do panic, I can do this or, you know, we're got problem solving, right? That's, those are the areas that we really create the stickiness. So I always encourage, I think it's important to recognize, and I know that this is hard and it might be a little shitty to hear. It's always important to recognize like, yes, you are going to have some anxious thoughts.
04:28.94
ahealthypush
But you do not have to worry about the appointment and you you know are choosing right at a certain point to worry. like We have anxious thoughts. We can't control that. like Thoughts will just come in. But when we're worrying, it's like we're making that choice.
04:46.51
ahealthypush
to stay with the thoughts to go down all the rabbit holes to answer them to you know worrying is when we're actively a part of the process so you know i always say it's just learning right when anxious thoughts come up
04:55.50
Annie
Yeah. I agree.
05:02.28
ahealthypush
When you're really having a lot of anxiety, it's to allow those thoughts to come in and really try to practice like, no, no, no, brain. We're not going there. Like we're not, we're not answering that.
05:11.24
Annie
Yeah.
05:13.51
ahealthypush
What if we're not going to try to problem solve? Like what was I doing before these thoughts started, you know, coming into my brain? Let me get back to that. Like trying to redirect yourself as best you can.
05:27.84
ahealthypush
So yeah, I think I know I always probably make it sound much more simple than it is. It's the idea of it simple. It's hard in practice and it's something you do truly have to practice because many of us, right? We want to problem solve. We want to like figure out our way out of things. It's just when you try to do that with anxiety is never freaking helpful.
05:51.23
Annie
Yeah. Yeah. I know. I think it can be challenging too, because there's so many different ways your brain can go with it. Like, just something I realized recently is like, Oh, me looking up the way I'm going to take to get there and like what it looks like inside and all of that sort of stuff is like feeding into that.
06:03.01
ahealthypush
a
06:07.22
Annie
and It's like, once I stopped doing even things like that, I'm like, Oh, like, I actually feel better. Like, who knew? So yeah.
06:13.41
ahealthypush
Yeah, it's that it's that preparation that we feel like if I prepare, prepare is going to make it so that less bad things happen. But you have to really slow down and ask yourself, like, how does this feel like me preparing me, you know, I guess I should have said, right, and I'm glad you brought it up, like, do your best to stay away from
06:21.78
Annie
Yeah.
06:25.30
Annie
yeah
06:33.29
ahealthypush
like googling, looking at maps, looking at what is the place look like, or even googling just medically related stuff or, you know, stay away from Google is not going to help your you might convince yourself like, Oh, it'll be good to have a little bit of knowledge and like know what it's gonna look like.
06:36.53
Annie
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
06:45.96
Annie
so
06:52.54
ahealthypush
Or no, no, no, no, that just creates so much more anxiety.
06:53.85
Annie
No.
06:57.77
Annie
Yeah, it really just gives your brain fuel, I feel like for more thoughts, more things to question and all that.
07:02.30
ahealthypush
yeah
07:04.08
Annie
And it never actually does anything. So yeah.
07:06.35
ahealthypush
Yeah, yep.
07:07.73
Annie
um Our next question is, how do I not keep replaying the appointment in my head?
07:13.40
ahealthypush
ah it's This question is so similar, right?
07:17.63
Annie
Yeah.
07:17.95
ahealthypush
You're doing this, you're choosing to replay it over and over again because you want that control. And we grasp onto this control, right?
07:28.15
ahealthypush
And we think if I have all this control, things are going to be okay. And it's just it's such a perception that we even have any amount of control that we think we do.
07:36.28
Annie
Yeah.
07:40.10
ahealthypush
like We just don't. There's so much that we don't have control of. So it's really recognizing, like okay, I'm choosing to keep replaying this in my head, right and I need to make the conscious choice to stop.
07:55.57
ahealthypush
and to not continue to replay it. And like I said before, right it can be that simple nudge of like, Hey, what were you doing before you started to go down this rabbit hole? Like, let's put your attention and focus back on that or put your attention and focus on something. you know, to get you away from this. And, you know, just being gentle with yourself, like, ah don't beat yourself up, make yourself feel bad for it. Like, of course, you're replaying it. Of course, you're trying to make sure that everything's going to be okay. But you really got to ask yourself, like, how do I feel about what I'm doing in the moment? Like, because replaying, trying to get control, trying to plan and problem solve, like that stuff never feels good in the moment.
08:38.50
Annie
yeah yeah and i feel like a lot of it too it's like a learned behavior and so my thing too is like you can't just expect it to all go it once it's gonna take time and lots of redirecting and oh what was i doing before i started having this weird thought so it does take time but yeah i can totally relate it's so not fun but yeah so our next question was a very very good one and it is what the heck a do i do if i do have a panic attack
08:42.91
ahealthypush
Mmhmm. Yeah.
08:54.48
ahealthypush
Yeah.
09:04.83
ahealthypush
Oh, okay. I love this. So I mean, honestly, like a lot of what we're talking about applies to any type of appointment just not not just medical, you can be at the hair salon, you can be at the nail salon, you can be ah
09:08.41
Annie
yeah
09:18.55
ahealthypush
ah getting a massage. I don't know. I think of all the things and I think back to when I was struggling and I'm like, I have no idea how I got through like hair appointments.
09:28.69
Annie
Yeah.
09:28.70
ahealthypush
I have no idea. like There was no way I was getting my nails done. There's no way I was getting a massage. like That stuff is so unnecessary and I'm not putting myself through that torture, but like you have to get your hair cut.
09:39.80
ahealthypush
and I think back in those appointments, dentists, hair salon. like Those were so torturous for me because I was always answering questions like this.
09:52.26
ahealthypush
like What am I going to do if I panic?
09:52.98
Annie
Yeah.
09:55.83
ahealthypush
We are going to do our best not to answer this question.
09:56.62
Annie
Yeah.
09:59.89
ahealthypush
and this is the Like you said, right it's a learned behavior. We're used to going there. We're used to problem solving. But like what what can you do if you panic?
10:09.53
Annie
yeah
10:10.13
ahealthypush
You panic, right?
10:11.66
Annie
Yeah.
10:11.93
ahealthypush
like what You're not going to figure out this masterful plan that's going to make it so that it doesn't suck or that you don't react a certain way or that the feelings aren't there.
10:18.78
Annie
Yeah,
10:22.46
ahealthypush
like It's just going to happen. so We don't need to plan for if it happens because there's no amount of preparing that you can do for a panic attack that's going to make you feel like, oh yeah, good thing I prepared for this.
10:36.22
Annie
yeah
10:36.71
ahealthypush
I feel good about it.
10:37.26
Annie
it's not Exactly. Like it's not gonna magically make the panic attack like not suck. Like it's gonna suck no matter what.
10:43.24
ahealthypush
Yeah. Yeah.
10:44.58
Annie
It's funny.
10:45.41
ahealthypush
And that I think you know the the thing about the reason why we have so much anxiety and panic At appointments, you know I can think back to being at the hair salon, being at the dentist.
10:56.48
ahealthypush
like We are constantly convincing ourselves, you're trapped, you're stuck. If you do feel anxious or if you do panic, like there is no way out. And I remember you know thinking back on it now, I'm like, how stupid.
11:06.86
Annie
Yeah.
11:09.79
ahealthypush
The dentist was one of the hardest things for me. I mean, even getting my hair. But it's like, you convince yourself, like I am stuck. I can't get up from this chair. like i can't Like, what am I going to do if I do feel anxious anxious, if I do panic? And it was just so silly because it's like I could have asked just to take a break. Like, I'm feeling really anxious. I need to just step away for a second. But instead, I would always just sit there.
11:37.62
ahealthypush
panic, literally have a panic attack, internalize it, and be like, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, I hope nobody knows what's happening. You're going to be fine, Shannon. And I wasn't fine.
11:49.38
ahealthypush
So it's like, I don't care if you're mid-dentistry work, if you're mid-haircut. You can say, I'm feeling really anxious. I need to take a break.
12:00.28
ahealthypush
I need to go to the bathroom.
12:00.44
Annie
and Yeah.
12:01.40
ahealthypush
i need like I just need somebody to know what the heck's going on because I'm not OK right now. And I know it's so hard to do that because you would have rather internalize it because it is shitty to look at someone and be vulnerable and to say, I'm not okay right now.
12:17.36
Annie
Mm-hmm.
12:17.48
ahealthypush
like I'm anxious. But that is way better, I think, than putting yourself through the torture of like trying to just sit there and and pretend you're fine and like act like nothing is wrong.
12:29.00
ahealthypush
So we you know a lot of the stuckness
12:29.09
Annie
Exactly.
12:33.49
ahealthypush
we're not truly stuck.
12:34.36
Annie
Mm.
12:34.61
ahealthypush
We're not truly trapped, but we create it internally. So it's like you got to recognize you're not truly stuck trapped. You often do have that option to say like, I need a minute, I need to take a break.
12:47.13
Annie
yeah
12:47.43
ahealthypush
And people are going to be very receptive to that. So I think that's another thing too.
12:51.25
Annie
yeah
12:52.60
ahealthypush
Like, I don't want you planning like, Oh, you know, what do I do if I panic? But one of the options is definitely like, if you're feeling anxious, say something like that's okay.
13:01.33
Annie
yeah I know and I think I was so surprised by how many doctors and things are so used to like seeing anxious patients and are so receptive to it like you know like it's not an uncommon thing and so you also have to remember like they're used to like having people who have a lot of anxiety around going to the doctors but it's so funny to bring this up because I went and got my nails done for the first time in like over two years a few weeks ago and I had not like an awful panic attack but I was very uncomfortable and having those thoughts of
13:10.55
ahealthypush
um Yeah.
13:32.45
Annie
I need to get out of here I need to get out of here and it was totally fine and it was almost like once I let it pass I just like I'm fine now and I don't worry about going back there and so I think sometimes too is just letting yourself go to that point and then your brain slowly realizes like oh like I'm fine to do that there like it's really not that big of a deal
13:53.09
ahealthypush
Yeah, that's I love I love that you shared that and to of course in the moment though, it's always gonna feel like a big deal.
13:56.34
Annie
the
14:00.85
ahealthypush
Like I don't care what anyone says right when you have that adrenaline rush when you have a panic attack in the moment.
14:05.41
Annie
It's good.
14:07.02
ahealthypush
Everything goes out the window like
14:09.08
Annie
Yup.
14:09.94
ahealthypush
all like ah literally like everything goes out of your brain, you're just like trying to get through it.
14:11.02
Annie
All the planning.
14:15.60
ahealthypush
And that's okay. Like that, that makes so much sense.
14:17.00
Annie
Yeah.
14:18.24
ahealthypush
But yeah, you're right about you know, you share that you feel anxious at an appointment. People, medical professionals, I have people who follow me in my community who are like, I am the person doing the hair.
14:31.97
ahealthypush
I am the dentist and I struggle with anxiety. And you know, it's just interesting that interesting, right, we always think I'm the only one like, and I've had experiences like my previous hairstylist, she struggled immensely with anxiety and OCD.
14:35.77
Annie
Yeah.
14:47.10
ahealthypush
And like, you know, we'd talk about it.
14:47.86
Annie
yeah
14:49.39
ahealthypush
And she would have moments to where she would have to take a break and walk away.
14:51.52
Annie
Yeah.
14:53.43
ahealthypush
And it's like, we if we just all allowed ourselves to be a little bit more human, and to open up and be vulnerable, like, gosh, it would be such an easier world to live in.
14:58.33
Annie
and
15:02.84
ahealthypush
But
15:03.39
Annie
yeah
15:03.66
ahealthypush
Well, yeah, we'll get there maybe.
15:05.23
Annie
like Yeah, I don't know. I hope so. um Our next question is sitting in the silent waiting room is really difficult for me. What can I do about that?
15:15.81
ahealthypush
oh Yeah, the this is like that the the doctor is probably right or even waiting like waiting to go, you know, sit down in the chair for any appointment. um I think this is the the the sort of acknowledgement that you have to make of I do have some control, because I think we always tend to think like, I don't have any control, like I'm screwed, I just have to sit here, and it's gonna suck. And it's like, no. So, you know, some things that you can do, bring some things that are going to make you feel a bit more comfortable, like that is not a safety behavior. I like
15:52.24
ahealthypush
but I feel like this needs to be a whole other episode, but I get so angry about safety behavior talk because it's like, everything's a safety behavior. It's like, no, it's not. like yeah There are things that like we need sometimes that make sense and you can't walk through life struggling with an anxiety disorder and your days and just like suck it up.
16:00.76
Annie
Yeah. Yeah.
16:13.57
ahealthypush
just You can never seek reassurance. You can never use a safety behavior.
16:15.78
Annie
Yeah.
16:17.04
ahealthypush
like dumb, dumb, dumb. So bring a book, bring headphones, bring something that, you know, an audio book or a podcast or even bring someone with you.
16:19.61
Annie
yeah
16:27.02
ahealthypush
Like, you know, I always tell people you're not always going to need these things.
16:27.71
Annie
Yeah. Mm
16:31.24
ahealthypush
You're not always going to need the person to come with you.
16:32.50
Annie
hmm.
16:34.12
ahealthypush
But if you need it right now, who gives a shit?
16:36.28
Annie
Mm hmm.
16:36.45
ahealthypush
Like, literally don't care. Don't make it a big deal. um I think, you know, the other thing is like kind of like what you were saying before, tell someone like when you check in for your appointment, tell the staff like, Hey, I struggle a bit with anxiety. This is pretty uncomfortable for me. And I guarantee that person is going to make you feel more comfortable.
17:00.35
ahealthypush
They hear it all the time. you know I worked in healthcare care for 17 years. I heard this all the time. like and it's you know we You're not only trained for it, but also you're human, and the other person on the other end is going to be empathetic and be helpful and supportive.
17:16.72
Annie
Yeah.
17:16.92
ahealthypush
Not to say that's always the case because you definitely obviously encounter people that you're like, you should never be working with people a day in your life.
17:24.77
Annie
I'm sorry.
17:25.87
ahealthypush
So that will happen, but that's that's a rarity, right? So telling someone if you don't feel comfortable at sharing it with the the staff and the waiting room, the you know, the front desk staff, share it with the nurse, share it with the MA, the doctor, like share it with somebody and they're going to be helpful.
17:30.43
Annie
Wow.
17:39.20
Annie
yeah
17:42.87
ahealthypush
um And I think also too, right, part of this is doing your best to let the anxiety be there. like Let it be there in the waiting room with you. It's okay. You obviously don't want it to be there.
17:55.10
ahealthypush
It's shitty. We wish that we could just leave it at home, but we can't.
17:58.46
Annie
Mm-hmm.
18:00.37
ahealthypush
So the more you allow yourself to make space for it, let it be there, the more helpful it's going to be because you're not going to constantly be fighting it because when you're fighting it, right it just fuels fuels all that anxiety.
18:13.61
Annie
Exactly. Oh, yeah. Our next question is, I'm worried I'll pass out, especially getting blood drawn, even though I never have before. This was literally me like a year ago.
18:25.37
ahealthypush
Yeah, I mean, this is so common. I know people will say like, I feel like a crazy person.
18:32.81
Annie
Yeah.
18:32.95
ahealthypush
This is such a common, common one, you know, the I have a whole episode on the fear of passing out.
18:35.71
Annie
i
18:39.33
ahealthypush
I think that was let like a few episodes ago, Episode 145. And so I encourage you if like passing out is a big fear of yours, listen to that. But It makes sense, right? Like the anxiety symptoms that you experience when you're anxious are very similar to those of like potentially passing out.
18:58.02
ahealthypush
Um, so it makes sense, you know, that a lot of people carry this fear, especially surrounding getting blood drawn because this obviously happens.
19:05.43
Annie
Yeah.
19:06.95
ahealthypush
It's a realistic thing. And you know, like this person saying, it's never happened to me. It doesn't happen to me, but I still worry about it. Well, there's a flip side to, there are people that this does happen to, and it is a real struggle.
19:14.06
Annie
yeah
19:20.13
ahealthypush
So I think something important to call out here is like, you're not actually worried about passing out.
19:28.05
Annie
yeah
19:28.77
ahealthypush
That's not the actual problem here because it is super, super unlikely to happen, especially if it's never happened before. You are just worried about feeling really anxious and uncomfortable and probably panicking, and you don't want to feel that way.
19:42.50
ahealthypush
You don't want to feel lightheaded. You don't want to feel dizzy. You don't want to feel off. you like Of course, of course you don't want to feel any of those things.
19:52.22
Annie
Yeah.
19:52.25
ahealthypush
But you know if you're trying to make it so that you don't and that you know you you have that tight grip on control, like, I'm going to be okay.
19:57.87
Annie
Hmm.
19:59.73
ahealthypush
I'm not going to feel like I'm going to pass out. You're going to feel really anxious and probably feel like you're going to pass out. So it's kind of getting cozy right with the, yeah, I feel like I'm going to pass out.
20:12.51
ahealthypush
but like That's OK. That's OK that I'm feeling this way. I'm i'm anxious. like It makes sense, making space for it.
20:19.93
Annie
Exactly. I know I think this is so funny too because I've never personally passed out ever in my life but my sister has this where she gets her blood drawn and she passes out and for her it's just so like oh yeah like whatever like it just goes to show like your life goes on it doesn't mean there's anything necessarily wrong like it's just something that happens and there's not much more to it than that so that was something that helped me.
20:30.76
ahealthypush
It happens. Yeah.
20:43.05
ahealthypush
I'm glad you said that though, because like your sister, right? There's that like, I think it's what, vaseal, vagal reaction. Like some people just, and my brother has that, he doesn't pass out.
20:51.11
Annie
Yeah.
20:51.72
ahealthypush
Like he will fight it to the death. Like he turns white, like white.
20:56.86
Annie
Oh my gosh.
20:57.40
ahealthypush
And you can see like he's going to pass out, but he will fight it.
21:00.10
Annie
Wow.
21:00.44
ahealthypush
And I don't think he ever has, but he will say like, it's embarrassing. And I'm like, well, of course that makes sense. So I think if you're someone who has passed out while getting blood drawn, and that's like a thing that happens for you, that's okay.
21:14.79
ahealthypush
And like, of course, if you carry some anxiety surrounding that, like, hello, that makes sense, right?
21:21.34
Annie
Hmm.
21:21.68
ahealthypush
It makes sense that you're having some anxiety. And really, it's best, right, to acknowledge like, okay, yeah, it might happen. But every time, right, I get through it, like every time I'm okay, like your sister, right?
21:33.49
ahealthypush
She's like, it It just happens.
21:34.60
Annie
Yeah.
21:35.11
ahealthypush
like I can't do anything about it. so But of course, nobody is like, oh, I want to pass out.
21:37.69
Annie
yeah
21:40.20
ahealthypush
That sounds like fun. No, no.
21:41.99
Annie
yeah yeah absolutely um our next question is my blood pressure goes up every time i go to the doctors and then that makes me more anxious do you have any advice
21:54.60
ahealthypush
yeah Yes, so much. So this is like we get fixated right when you're struggling with anxiety on all the things like internally, we know when our heart is pounding, we know when our digestive system feels a little bit off, we know when like, we're having ah the tiniest twinge of pain, we notice when we're feeling a little bit like lightheaded, you notice everything. And I always say these things are never the problem. Like,
22:22.86
ahealthypush
You feeling a little bit off like your blood pressure being high. um Your stomach being a little bit rumbly like these things aren't the problem.
22:32.08
Annie
Yeah.
22:32.26
ahealthypush
And oftentimes it's just this is this is anxiety right this is anxiety and it's manifesting this way. But specifically with blood pressure, I have to always like emphasize this because it's important.
22:45.35
ahealthypush
Your blood pressure is high because you're anxious. Your blood pressure is not high because there's a problem. And your blood pressure being high doesn't mean we now need to do something about it.
22:56.77
ahealthypush
It's just like with anxiety.
22:56.82
Annie
Mm-hmm.
22:57.77
ahealthypush
If you try to do something about it, hm your blood pressure is probably going to increase. You're probably going to feel more anxious. That's your body's natural physiological response right to stress, to anxiety.
23:09.83
ahealthypush
So when people are like, oh, I you know i check my blood pressure and it's high. Well, if you checked your blood pressure with the um like sort of hint that you're feeling anxious, of course, your blood pressure is going to be high.
23:14.48
Annie
Oh.
23:21.16
Annie
Hmm.
23:22.97
ahealthypush
You're feeling anxious. and then But then of course you see the number and you're like, oh shit, this is bad. And now I need to keep checking it. And it's like, no, no, no, no.
23:33.44
ahealthypush
We don't need to keep checking your blood pressure. like It's just like anxiety. It's going to come down when you actually just allow it to be high, which I know isn't the most comfortable thing.
23:41.00
Annie
Hmm.
23:43.08
ahealthypush
Um, but you know, I, it's just the stories are the problem. How you're responding is the problem.
23:47.32
Annie
Yeah.
23:48.85
ahealthypush
It's your blood pressure can be high and you're, you're a okay. Like, you know, I, it's funny. I do like, um, these more high intensity workouts. and I do them like online through this trainer and she's super cute, but she'll always say, like oh, up in like zone three or four and like my blood pressure's super high and I'm just like, who needs to know that?
24:11.88
Annie
Yeah.
24:12.00
ahealthypush
It doesn't even matter. It's like, okay, I can feel my heart is pounding. like I am pushing it, but like we don't need to know what you're your heart rate is doing. Cool, not helpful information.
24:22.94
Annie
and Exactly. It's so subjective for every person to like your high heart rate might be someone else's like low heart rate, you know, ah it's so fucking
24:31.19
ahealthypush
Yeah. And i I think too, you know from working in healthcare for so many years, it would always enrage me. I remember working in an OBGYN practice and you know that's like women's health.
24:43.40
Annie
Mm-hmm.
24:45.21
ahealthypush
You're coming in for like pap smears or because you're pregnant and you're get get getting like you know pregnancy care. and They would always check the blood pressure as soon as the patient got to the office.
24:54.76
Annie
Mm
24:57.10
ahealthypush
and I'm like, it just makes no sense.
24:59.40
Annie
-hmm.
24:59.66
ahealthypush
It makes no sense because like your probably your blood pressure is probably high, one because you're pregnant and you're like walking in here and you're probably feeling stressed. you Maybe you're coming in because things already like you need a check-in because maybe things don't seem normal or or there's something that we need to check.
25:17.32
Annie
Yeah.
25:17.46
ahealthypush
And so I would just say, like can can we just check people's blood pressures toward the end of the visit? Because it's going to be much more accurate doing it that way. So I would say, if you're somebody who you know, like I feel anxious when I go to the doctors, especially as soon as I get there, tell them.
25:27.32
Annie
Yeah.
25:35.83
ahealthypush
like I struggle a bit with anxiety.
25:36.58
Annie
yeah
25:37.90
ahealthypush
anxiety like appointment Doctors appointments make me anxious. Can you just check my blood pressure in a little bit? And most of the time right they're going to be like, oh yeah, that makes sense. We'll do that. Because I remember like we would check blood pressure two, three times on a patient. And it's like the their blood blood pressure was high at the beginning because they were anxious. And now it's totally coming back down and it's normal.
25:59.54
Annie
Yeah.
25:59.82
ahealthypush
So communicating, right saying, like my blood pressure is going to be high. Or you can even say, I don't want to know what it is. like You don't need to tell me. I mean, i you know when I was younger, I struggled with like an eating disorder.
26:12.73
ahealthypush
And I would tell them, don't tell me what my weight is. I don't need to know.
26:16.56
Annie
Yeah.
26:16.68
ahealthypush
So like advocate for yourself. right you don't Your blood pressure, unless there's a problem, like I wouldn't expect my doctor to be like, oh, yeah, you need to know what your blood pressure is. like No, you're fine.
26:28.11
ahealthypush
You're fine.
26:29.14
Annie
yeah right totally yeah i think it's yeah just good to know in general like you know it doesn't necessarily mean anything's wrong or anything if you have a high heart rate like the other day i was driving into a coffee shop i've never been to i was all alone and all of a sudden i started to feel that way and it was interesting because
26:29.53
ahealthypush
So communicate, communicate how you're feeling and what's helpful for you and that will be really helpful.
26:52.27
Annie
in the past that would have sent me home. But like, you know, the more you just let yourself feel those feelings, I just had no reaction to it. And it was really cool to see how like, you know, over time, the more you let yourself feel that way.
27:00.23
ahealthypush
oh
27:05.06
Annie
I was just like, Oh, whatever, like, that's fine. I'm getting my coffee. So yeah.
27:09.84
ahealthypush
I love that. I love that. And I also love that you're going to get coffee.
27:11.40
Annie
Yeah.
27:15.90
Annie
Okay.
27:17.12
ahealthypush
I'm feeling anxious.
27:17.18
Annie
media higher
27:17.84
ahealthypush
Let me go get coffee.
27:19.95
Annie
Yes, it's a huge motivator for me for sure. It's my go-to.
27:24.40
ahealthypush
Oh my goodness. So I have to say here, right, if you struggle a lot with anticipatory anxiety, my whole mini course on what if thoughts, anxious thoughts, that will be super helpful for you.
27:26.54
Annie
know
27:36.61
ahealthypush
Like I walk through how to respond to your thoughts, how to make space for the anxiety, like what to do when all the what if thoughts come up, what to do beforehand, what to do after. So that class will be really helpful in giving you a lot of practical, really helpful stuff. And also too, if you're somebody who like struggles hard with the symptoms or panic,
28:00.10
ahealthypush
You want to look at my course on overcoming the symptoms and panic attacks. And if you're like, well, I don't really have panic attacks. This class is still for you a thousand percent because a lot of people don't have panic because they're constantly trying to avoid it and not letting themselves live and go there.
28:14.36
Annie
Yeah. Yeah.
28:16.45
ahealthypush
So they're just experiencing symptoms a ton, which is equally not fun. So that class will be just as helpful and we'll, we'll put the link in the show notes. But Annie, this has been so good.
28:26.88
Annie
yeah i know it's my favorite part of the week whenever i get to chat with you so thanks for having me again
28:28.29
ahealthypush
I love talking to you.
28:35.32
ahealthypush
Yeah, we'll do it again soon.