Your health doesn’t need to be embarrassing to deal with, or to talk about. In the moment, however, it can feel quite different. You don’t want to tell people about why you were off work yesterday, if you had a bad stomach bug and a lot of mess to deal with. You don’t want to tell your loved ones that your mental health is in decline, and you have no idea how to deal with it.
All in all, you just don’t want to talk about the things that are bothering you, in a mental and physical manner.
But it’s time to change that. It’s time to work up the courage to be upfront about your health and how it’s affecting you. You deserve to be able to talk freely when the moment comes, so let’s go through some things you should keep in mind.
There’s No Such Thing as an Embarrassing Health Problem
It’s easy to say now, but try to believe in this. Try to look at your health and think, ‘There’s nothing embarrassing about what I’m going through.’ Because if you can, regular and with emphasis, you might just start believing what you’re saying! And if anyone asks, there’s no need to tell them if they don’t need to know – but of course, you might want to practice a little on your mother when she asks how you’re doing.
It takes time to change your perception of how your health fits into this world – anything less than perfect seems to be a bit of a taboo, and it’s important to work to let go of such a notion. There’s no such thing as an embarrassing health problem; it’s a lot easier to say than you’d think!
Of course, in your eyes there is – you’re embarrassed about saggy skin after weight loss or something going wrong with your bowels. But to a doctor? To an important medical professional who is there to help you? There’s no such thing as an embarrassing health problem. Hold on to that whilst you build your confidence.
Find the Right Doctor
It might be embarrassing to go to a doctor and tell them about a particularly painful case of hemorrhoids, but the situation will be made a lot better if you talk to the right doctor. There’s quite a few specialists out there, all in different areas, and they all can take care of various specific problems. It’s not just one doctor who doesn’t want to hear about your problems, or who will have trouble diagnosing you; ask for a referral if you think you need one.
Ailments can affect us for all kinds of reasons. You never know what may exactly be causing an issue that you see as disgusting, and proof that you live an unhealthy life. And hey, knowing exactly what to say in such a situation can improve your confidence with your health issues by tenfold as well!
Doing What’s Right For You Takes Confidence
Taking the chance to do something that’s right for you and your health takes a lot of strength and ongoing courage. Heading to your boss and telling them that you need some time off of work, to check into something like a drug rehab for the next 3 or 4 weeks, is a big step that might just cause a panic attack here and there…
It’s embarrassing to tell someone in a professional capacity that you’re in need of professional help, and it can feel like an insult to injury to ask for time away from your responsibilities to make sure you can get it. How do you build up the confidence for a moment like that? How do you walk into your boss’ office and tell them what’s what and how things need to go?
Well, a bit of preparation goes a long way, and so does faking it til you make it! Easier said than done, of course, but if you’ve got a script in your head to follow, and you’ve done your research over your rights in such a situation, you’ll be in a much better position. Now all you’ve got to do is to believe in yourself.
Your health doesn’t need to be an embarrassing issue – it’s natural to need help with your health, or to see a doctor about it. Let yourself hold on to that when you’re nervously bouncing your leg in a waiting room, or you’re worried about what your boss will say.
