Help- blood test results anxiety

pyramidsong

Hi,

Any advice welcome. Had a blood test on Friday for a few things (from routine to potentially scary). I go back on Wednesday for results and I CANNOT relax about it.

Talk me down off the ceiling, please?

Jeffrey

Pacing in walking meditation? Doing something to keep your mind off of it? Phone calls or meditation or cooking a meal. Something to distract.

Wishing you well.

karasti

This isn't for everyone, but it helps me in such situations. I imagine what the worst might be, even if it means cancer or death or whatever, and I feel it and go through the process of how I would handle it. And then once I process that, I do feel better. The unknown is scary, but you can do things to not make it so unknown. A lot of people tell you not to focus on the worst, but to me it's not focusing it's just accepting different possibilities and working through how to resolve them.

No matter what happens (which most likely will be nothing serious at all) you will handle it, and your practice in Buddhism will help you through it, even if you feel like you are losing your grip sometimes. Sometimes, you have to give yourself permission to lose your grip and see what could happen and know how you'd handle it to move past the fear. Just a suggestion, like i said it probably wouldn't work for everyone. I started using it after reading various meditations on death, and imagining yourself going through the aging and death process and imagining your body after death etc. to get a grasp on impermanence. It did help, for me, so I expanded it to other troublesome areas as well.

I was a person who, no matter how unlikely, I jumped to the worst possible outcome, and the stress of those thoughts was so, so hard to manage. I get a pain in my side, and right away, I'm dying of pancreatic cancer. Migraine? Brain tumor or anyeurism. This type of practice I mentioned above helped me immensely to work through it, and I no longer participate in those fear-related leaps. Because I feel I honestly know, that even if the worst were to happen, I would still be afraid and sad but I know that in the end, it would be ok, no matter the outcome. Because nothing is permanent.

Wisdom23

Live in the now. you could predict to an absolute certainty whats gna happen.but you dont know for definate so jus enjoy the now whilst everythin is hunky dory. rememer yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift that's why we call it the present.

NomaDBuddha

pyramidsong said:

Hi,

Any advice welcome. Had a blood test on Friday for a few things (from routine to potentially scary). I go back on Wednesday for results and I CANNOT relax about it.

Talk me down off the ceiling, please?

Just watch TV...something that will get you bored the more you watch. (Also, it's not lupus ).

Rodrigo

Anxiety comes from doubt, from "what if"s and from not wanting bad things to happen. The good side of this situation is knowing exactly when it's going to end. Then you might feel sad, relieved, but not anxious anymore.

Linc

The funny thing about blood tests is they only inform you. Whatever is being tested, already is. The results are not a new situation; the situation already exists. What the blood test returns is information; it gives you the power to move forward. The only thing the results will change is to give you the ability to deal with or move beyond what's being tested for.

pyramidsong

Thank you all for your advice, it's all good. And I will try to take it on for next time. But the results came back early and I am fine. Couple of minor vitamin deficiencies (easily fixed) and otherwise and running like clockwork. Woo!

lamaramadingdong

@pyramidsong- glad to hear that.

footiam

pyramidsong said:

Hi,

Any advice welcome. Had a blood test on Friday for a few things (from routine to potentially scary). I go back on Wednesday for results and I CANNOT relax about it.

Talk me down off the ceiling, please?

Think of the positive side. You know what is happening. If the report is good, rejoice. If not, be thankful you are aware of the actual situation. That'll enable you to take the necessary next action.