Do you ever get nervous? About anything? About everything? By nervous I mean antsy, jittery, unsettled, anxious even. Anxiety is a common ailment. I think every human has some degree of it. I’ve heard experts say a little bit of it is necessary to keep us alive. But too much of it / not being able to turn it off can be disabling for some. As a family nurse practitioner, anxiety is one of the main medical issues I treat. Anxiety can be so bad for some people that they can’t sleep and even feel like they’re having a heart attack. Yikes.

I was thinking a little today about nervousness – specifically, feeling nervous about going to the doctor. Ha. Ironic, no? I went to the dermatologist’s office this afternoon for a simple follow-up visit. I had liquid nitrogen applied to some flat warts that were mainly on my left index finger. Eek. A cosmetic procedure, mainly. My initial visit six weeks ago took all of five minutes with the doctor. This time around was even shorter, and I thought it would be, since things improved since I was treated.

But as I sat in the exam room waiting for the doctor to come in, I noticed myself feeling a little uneasy. Why? Some of the patients I see tell me they are nervous when they come in. Some of them exude nervous energy. Interacting with some of them makes me feel on edge. It’s like a caffeine overdose, mile sprint, tackle-five-projects-at-once type of situation. Not a good place to live.

I was thinking about why we as humans get anxious around others. Is it a fear of disappointing them? A fear of not being good enough? A fear of being seen, warts, blood pressure, foot fungus, and all? Everyone has insecurity. I tend to think people get nervous around doctors (and other health care professionals) in part because the pros are highly educated and often well dressed. I think that makes some feel inferior. But there’s no reason to feel inferior. The best doctors and health care providers are humble, kind, and patient. They’ve also seen it all. No need to be embarrassed. Like I was about the warts. Vulnerability makes us human (Brene Brown wrote a great book on this: Daring Greatly).

As my husband and I watched Mall Cop 2 last night, we observed how Paul Blart was quite nervous as he was about to give his keynote speech. Richard had a good point: what if Blart just didn’t care (about people’s opinions)? I think Blart got there as he spoke more. His speech was applauded because he spoke from the heart and was vulnerable. He connected with other mall cops.

So, in all my raving here, I realized today that I think a lot of us are unnecessarily nervous. That cute guy you’re thinking of talking to? Guess what, he’s probably got acne too. The hot girl in your class? Her natural hair is actually very frizzy and she doesn’t like it. The primary care doctor you’re about to go see? He’s self-conscious about his waistline. The neighbor who seems to hold it all together so well? She’s a nervous wreck herself, fearful the world will cave in if her kids aren’t perfectly dressed. The customer service rep who just helped you? He’s ashamed he dropped out of school.

So there, we all have things we’re insecure about. But face it. Like Paul Blart in Mall Cop. Speak from the heart. Live with passion. Be about what you’re about. Be you. I think if we all did that and showed ourselves, we’d have a more empathetic world. A kinder world. And maybe less anxiety. ~