My blog focuses on Health/Wellness. Each of us will encounter some sort of health issue in our lives. Some come with stigmas and can cause personal embarrassment and thus have a psychological side. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Overcome Health Embarrassment And Seek The Care You Need.
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In our society, we tend to hide our bodies and avoid all the embarrassing things that we find confronting or awkward to talk about. While this makes sense in terms of general decency, our inability to speak openly can also become a problem in certain situations. For example, if you’re experiencing a so-called ‘embarrassing’ health problem, you may struggle to break your silence. From mental health to hormonal problems, you may find it easier to ignore these issues than tell a doctor about them.
In truth, though, these are issues that doctors see daily, and speaking out is always better for your long-term wellbeing than keeping silent. But, how can you overcome your health embarrassment to finally seek the care you need? Keep reading to find out.
#1 – Read up on Your Condition
While it’s always worth being wary when reading up about health problems online, doing so can be a great starting point for realizing that you aren’t alone in what you’re experiencing. After all, the main issue with certain embarrassing health concerns is that nobody speaks about them, and that can feel isolating.
While you should take your findings with a pinch of salt until you’ve spoken to a doctor (which we’ll get to later), reading or even sharing your stories on forums can be an especially effective way to both find support and discover a way to speak out at last.
#2 – Speak with a Trusted Expert
It can also help to seek trusted experts in whichever healthcare area your embarrassing issue falls under. For example, it can be difficult to speak about your hormonal health with a general practitioner who may be unfamiliar with your symptoms or might not have dealt with that particular issue. That provider may even undermine your concerns or refer you to a colleague who will require you to recount your embarrassing experience all over again.
By comparison, speaking about those same hormonal issues with a private or concierge medicine practitioner who is an expert in things like testosterone levels can be a lot less embarrassing. After all, they’re far more likely to be familiar with cases like yours. Experts can also handle your full health journey themselves, without requiring you to explain embarrassing symptoms to multiple colleagues before you can secure treatment.
#3 – Write it Down
Sometimes, explaining an issue out loud is the most embarrassing thing imaginable, which is why it’s worth bearing in mind that you can simply write your problem down. This is especially true in the age of telehealth, where many healthcare professionals accept online referral requests during the booking stage.
The ability to write down your health issue here, or simply to take a written explanation to your appointment, can both ease your embarrassment and ensure that you don’t miss anything out because you’re worried about certain words or symptoms. And that guarantees more inclusive, informed care overall.
We all face embarrassing body complaints at some stage. Make sure yours don’t drag your health down by following these top tips.
