It took two dental surgeons an hour of talking me down.
I knew I wasn't exactly excited about dental surgery, but I didn't expect the anxiety. That was until I found myself in the surgeon's office (when I should have been sedated already) telling him how to improve his processes. I wish I could say I was kidding but, no, I really did that.
That was yesterday.
Today, I have perspective:
1. We all have coping mechanisms and behaviours that we revert to when we get anxious. I was quite far down the criticising rabbit hole before I stopped and, as uncomfortable as it was, told the surgeon that I was just anxious and needed better support from him and his staff. Too often we don't admit that we're anxious or scared and we allow the situation to escalate out of control. As soon as I said this and assured him that I wasn't going to write bad reviews on Google and that I trusted him, he relaxed, told me about his own battle with anxiety, and then answered all my questions so he could calm me down. He took the feedback on the processes and we both walked out calmer.
2. Even after the talk, I was still on the fence. What it came down to was whether to do the surgery now to prevent future issues or whether to delay knowing that, at some point, I would probably still need the surgery. Instincts were to ignore for now because it's not impacting my daily life and I'm not in any pain. Why give myself 6 months of recovery, discomfort and, let's be honest, looking strange?
Cut to the end of the story:
So I did it.
Even though I really didn't want to.
Even though I was pretty terrified.
Even though my imagination conjured a version of myself looking like the toothy guy on the cover of Mad magazine (aka Alfred E. Neuman).
There's alot to be said for peace of mind and for not delaying things.
What decisions/actions are you avoiding or playing it safe on?
#Coaching #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShift #PersonalDevelopment #GrowthMindset #Productivity #Leadership
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