What Is a Chronic Illness?

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Medical appointment anxiety is a normal part of living with chronic illness.

Anxiety can be an adaptive, sensible response to real medical risk factors.

Some people develop medical PTSD from past experiences, which contributes to pre-appointment anxiety.

To manage the anxiety, set aside time before and after appointments to offer yourself compassion.

I wish it were only the fluorescent lighting and the uncomfortable intimacy of sharing private physical details with a virtual stranger that made medical appointments anxiety-provoking. But unfortunately, when living with chronic illness, there are a bunch of other factors that create medical appointment anxiety.

Many individuals with chronic illness recognize the tension and uncertainty that show up before an appointment. Some of us even understand that it makes sense to feel anxious given systemic barriers, past experiences, and the fragile balance of hopeful-but-not-too-hopeful expectations. And yet, I repeatedly see clients be incredibly hard on themselves for feeling anxious before appointments.

So here’s a clear case for why you might feel medical appointment anxiety, just in case you needed to hear it.

6 Reasons for Medical Appointment Anxiety

Concern about test results or needing........

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