Health check-ups are a natural thing to want as an individual, especially if you experience anxiety around your health. In the UK, health check-ups aren’t particularly ‘a thing’, if only for the swamped nature of every GP service in the country, and the expectation that you only call in if you know something is wrong. Still, the NHS encourage check-ups and screenings for reproductive health and certain health triggers; private care services offer health check-ups; and your workplace may even require them as part of your job description.
Irrespective of what brings you to an upcoming check-up, it’s normal to feel anxious about the tests and their results. But what can you do to manage your anxiety, and how can you take proper control of your own health in the process?
What is Health Anxiety?
Let’s start with some basics about anxiety. It is something that all of us experience as a normal function of living life, but it is also something that some of us experience far more than others. There are those of us with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a catch-all diagnosis that describes a serious subset of mental health conditions wherein anxiety can be all-consuming.
Those with GAD are more likely to catastrophise about their physical health, and hence more likely to excessively worry about health status, medical procedures or healthcare outcomes. In many cases, health anxiety is easy enough to manage by keeping a diary and keeping busy, but in some cases Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be a bigger help.
The Importance of Regular Health Screenings
Managing health anxiety is key, too, as health screenings can be essential – whether a mandatory function of your employment, a nationwide initiative to detect certain conditions early, or simply a visit to a private GP to rule out some problems you believe you may be having.
Cervical screenings are a common example, and indeed wider sexual health issues are best-served by regular testing. Home STI test kits enable you to test regularly for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and other infections with minimal invasion, and hence reduce potential impacts to your reproductive health.
Practical Strategies to Manage Anxiety Before Appointments
It’s easy enough to say that managing anxiety is easy, but actually managing anxiety can prove difficult. After all, anxiety is a primal stress response, your brain attempting to warn you of existential threat and prompt an escape strategy. Going against what feels like a natural, rational stress response can be difficult.
Still, there are some simple techniques you can employ to alleviate your anxiety prior to upcoming health check-ups. Demystifying the check-up process you’re waiting for can remove any guesswork about it, and trivialise the process; active relaxation techniques like mindfulness and progressive muscle relaxation are excellent ways to remove yourself from a stressful mental environment, and remain present too.
There’s nothing more important, though, than a good support systems. Even if your upcoming checkup is routine, having a friend or family member to lean on before or even at your appointment can work wonders.
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