Anxious avoidance is when we avoid doing something because the thought of it makes us anxious. Unfortunately for many of us with anxiety, this anxious avoidance can impact our health in a very direct way. Indeed, sometimes the anxiety can be so strong that it stops us from getting the healthcare, support, and exercise we need, a topic I’ll discuss more in the post below.
Dentist avoidance
Avoiding going to the dentist is very common. This may be because of a negative experience at a dentist in your past, or a worry about not keeping good enough care of your teeth and getting chastised by your dental professional.
The good news is there are some things you can do to make it easier and less anxiety provoking to go to the dentist. In particular, it’s worth spending some time looking around for friendly dentists in your area. Many of the best ones will offer a service known as sleep dentistry where they can put you into a deep state of relaxation for your treatment using IV sedatives and pain relief drugs. Even knowing that this option is available if the need arises can help calm nervous patients!
Doctors avoidance
There is a wide range of reasons why someone with anxiety, might avoid going to the doctor including being worried that they are seriously ill and concerned that they can’t cope, disliking being examined, and even finding it hard to advocate for themselves when it is the doctor’s surgery. Some people even have a condition known as White Coat Syndrome which means they get nervous for no other reason than that they are around professionals that will examine them.
Of course, avoiding the doctor can be very serious, and in some cases put the lives of the person in danger. Indeed, with so many medical issues and diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes, early diagnosis and treatment mean a much better prognosis.
To help you get to your doctors, even when you feel your anxiety peaking it can be useful to explore what the issue is. For example, if you are worried about advocating for yourself you can ask a trusted friend or family member to attend your appointment with you.
However, if you are worried about being examined you can ask for a doctor of the same gender as you, or request the presence of a nurse or advocate during your examination.
Avoiding going to the gym
Working out at the gym can provide so many benefits. However, gym anxiety is most definitely real, and social media hasn’t helped because now were not only worried about being laughed at in the gym, but that our picture or a video of us will be shared with strangers as well.
Unfortunately, it is the case that some people do engage in this type of behaviour when in the gym. Although it’s worth noting that most gyms have a zero-tolerance policy, which means if you report this type of behaviour the person doing it is likely to be banned.
You can also team up with a friend to go to the gym, which can give you some moral support, and help you from skipping your session even when you’re feeling anxious.
