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Step 1: Notice that you're anxious. Personally, I find that when I have that feeling of restlessness, it's because I'm avoiding thinking about it/avoiding my fe

Step 1: Notice that you're anxious. Personally, I find that when I have that feeling of restlessness, it's because I'm avoiding thinking about it/avoiding my feelings. Step 2: Acknowledge that you're anxious, without judgement. It's perfectly fine to be anxious; it's normal. Notice it and make space for it. I literally say in my head "I'm anxious about going to the dentist." It sounds silly, but it helps. Step 3: Pinpoint EXACTLY what it is that makes you anxious. For me, the part about the dentist that makes me anxious is when they clean my teeth and poke me in the gums, and it hurts. (Also, I try to do the same thing if I'm procrastinating: EXACTLY what is it that I don't want to do?) Identify the thing and give it a name so describe it. It may be helpful to say this out loud. Repeat steps 1-3 multiple times until you're more comfortable with the situation. Step 4: Figure out if there's something you can do to make the root cause of your anxiety easier. When I go to the dentist, I'm upfront and tell them that I get anxious, and I ask them to play music to distract me. They're happy to do that, and it helps. As another example, if I'm anxious about traveling to a new place, I look it up on Google Maps or Yelp ahead of time. That helps me.

JohnBooty 5y ago
When I go to the dentist, I'm upfront and tell them that I get anxious, and I ask them to play music to distract me. This works for me too! In my case, it's not music that helps. I let them know that I'm afraid of the unexpected in a medical setting. I ask them to tell me what they're going to do, before they do it. Telling them exactly what we need is so good. If we just say "I get anxious" they may be sympathetic but how would they know what to do for us? I feel like a lot of people just state the problem and not their needs. Even if a dentist is not particularly compassionate, 99.99% of the time human beings just want to get through their work day. And so they're more than happy to make an accommodation (music, whatever) if it helps everybody get through their day more easily. Anxious patients aren't fun for them, either...
- perrygeo 5y ago
  Even better, bring your own tunes and headphones. Tell your dentist to tap your right shoulder if they need you to adjust or spit into something. No effort on their part (if anything you just made their job easier) and you get to jam out and relax (to the extent that's possible when getting your teeth poked and drilled).
  - JohnBooty 5y ago
    That's interesting. That wouldn't work for me at all and would probably make me just associate those particular songs with an unpleasant experience. But, I bet that would work for some people?

JohnBooty 5y ago

When I go to the dentist, I'm upfront and tell them that I get anxious, and I ask them to play music to distract me. This works for me too! In my case, it's not music that helps. I let them know that I'm afraid of the unexpected in a medical setting. I ask them to tell me what they're going to do, before they do it. Telling them exactly what we need is so good. If we just say "I get anxious" they may be sympathetic but how would they know what to do for us? I feel like a lot of people just state the problem and not their needs. Even if a dentist is not particularly compassionate, 99.99% of the time human beings just want to get through their work day. And so they're more than happy to make an accommodation (music, whatever) if it helps everybody get through their day more easily. Anxious patients aren't fun for them, either...

perrygeo 5y ago
Even better, bring your own tunes and headphones. Tell your dentist to tap your right shoulder if they need you to adjust or spit into something. No effort on their part (if anything you just made their job easier) and you get to jam out and relax (to the extent that's possible when getting your teeth poked and drilled).
- JohnBooty 5y ago
  That's interesting. That wouldn't work for me at all and would probably make me just associate those particular songs with an unpleasant experience. But, I bet that would work for some people?