7 Coping Tools for Medical Anxiety

Feel in control of your medical anxiety with these seven simple tips.

Medical anxiety, also known as “white coat syndrome”, refers to a specific anxiety or phobia you might feel when preparing for an appointment or procedure. Whether you’re going to a routine dental cleaning or you’re preparing for a major surgery, medical anxiety symptoms can range from mild discomfort to full on panic attack.

The causes of medical anxiety can be multifaceted and differ from person to person. You might have had a traumatic medical experience in the past, such as a medical crisis or complicated diagnosis. You might also experience a fear of pain, needles, loud medical equipment, and/or receiving bad news. Keep reading to learn about 7 coping tools for medical anxiety and download “7 Coping Tools for Medical Anxiety” so you can have these tools with you whenever you need them.

What is “White Coat Syndrome”?

“White Coat Syndrome” refers to a phenomenon where a person reports feeling anxious in the presence of medical providers or in a hospital or other medical environment, but not in other contexts. The term resulted from the research by Mancia et al (1983) where participants were found to experience elevated blood pressure simply if the person taking their blood pressure reading was wearing a white coat, the traditional lab coats typically worn by healthcare professionals.

If you experience medical anxiety, you might find you experience anxiety (elevated blood pressure, heart racing etc.) simply being in a medical environment, like a hospital or a clinic. It’s important to distinguish that if you experience “White Coat Syndrome”, it does not indicate a blood pressure issue. However, it does mean that you might benefit from psychotherapy treatment for medical anxiety.

Signs of Medical Anxiety

Some signs of medical anxiety include:

• Avoiding making medical appointments or even frequently missing appointments

• Physical symptoms at medical offices including racing heart, sweating, difficulty breathing, stomachaches, dizziness, etc. or panic attacks at extreme cases

• Constantly researching medical issues and Googling symptoms

• Constantly seeking reassurance on health or results from medical exams from medical providers or friends and family

• Difficulty focusing at work or school due to anxiety about health issue or upcoming appointment

If you experience medical anxiety (or you’re feeling generally anxious about an upcoming appointment or procedure), try these 7 coping tools to help you calm and in control.

Coping Tools for Medical Anxiety

1.Ask for what you need
One thing you can do in addition to therapy and trying grounding exercises before and during appointments is expressing your needs to your medical providers. Inform them of your concerns. Identify what you need to hear from your providers to feel safe and heard in those moments and ask for that. If you can’t describe it verbally or worry it would overwhelm you to say it out loud, bring a card with you and hand it to the provider explaining your needs.

2. Locus of Control Exercise
Take out a piece of paper and draw 3 columns. Label these columns “Things within my control”, “Things kind of in my control”, and “Things entirely out of my control”. Then categorize each and every single fear or discomfort you have about the upcoming surgery. You might be surprised how much repsonsilitby you’re carrying for things out of your control or you might be surprised by how much is actually within your control.

3. Journaling Exercises
Journaling before a major test or major procedure can improve your mood and decrease anxiety. You can even keep a journal on your phone so you always have it with you. Try answering the following prompts:

• Where and when do you feel the most comfortable?

• Write about a time you felt safe or content

• Who do you look to for support and how do they support you?

4. Grounding Exercises
Grounding exercises help us stay “on the ground” even when we feel like we’re disassociating or having an “out of body” experience. Try these 2 grounding tools when you’re preparing for a procedure:

• Think of your favorite color. Try finding everything in the room that is that color, taking deep breaths. Repeat with several colors until you feel your anxiety decrease

• Notice your surroundings. Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.

5. Identify Emotionally Safe People

When going through a medical issue, it’s important to surround yourself with those who will support you, not those who take away your energy. What do you deem safe? Is it people who won’t judge you or share pity? Keep a list on your phone of emotionally safe people to call or text when you need that level of support.

6. Pack a anti-anxiety box

It can be a craft box you carry in an overnight bag or even something as small as an empty candy box. You can pack sensory items like mints, pictures of your favorite places, puzzles for distraction, stress ball, journal, art supplies, plastic bubble wrap to pop, play dough or silly putty, essential oil spray, mini massager, and socks or gloves.

7. Bring sensory items with you for before and after the procedure

Having some sensory items for comfort while you’re waiting for an appointment or procedure can help soothe your nerves. It can include a weighted blanket, gel eye mask, noise canceling headphones, warm or cold neck wrap, bottle of water, or anything else you think you’ll need at that moment.

When to Use Coping Tools for Medical Anxiety

These coping tools can be used both before a medical appointment or procedure, during a routine medical exam, or even after an appointment to decompress after a stressful experience.

Before an appointment

If you’re feeling anxious about an upcoming appointment, you can use these tools to regulate your nervous system so that you are more likely to 1) call and make the appointment and 2) actually attend the appointment.

During an appointment or preparing for test or procedure

You can use these coping tools in the waiting room of a hospital or doctor’s office. You can also use these coping tools while waiting for your procedure or while being triaged. The majority of medical professionals (especially dental offices) are aware that many people experience medical anxiety and a few have extra items of comfort for their patients including water, TVs or radios in the room, and more.

After an appointment or procedure

You may be asking “Why would I need to use coping tools AFTER an appointment?”. First, you might be feeling anxious even after an appointment from the adrenaline and cortisol (hormones related to stress) that your body has produced. You can also start to “train” your brain to associate medical appointments with feeling calm and comfortable which can lessen anxiety for future appointments. By training your brain to feel calm and in control during medical appointments, you are more likely to keep future appointments ensuring you get the medical help that you need to live a happy healthy life.