Hey gang! Just a little motivational message for neurotic types like myself. I've had to wear specs for about 12 years now and I went that long without going back to the optician. This is because I worked myself into a stupid state of anxiety about going. I don't know why, but I kept thinking I would really embarrass myself as I am quite the social anxiety study anyway. You know, shaking, sweating, blushing, not being able to speak and other fun symptoms that generally f' up your life. Anyway, I got really fed up of not wanting to do things because I was ashamed of my smelly old glasses - not to mention the constant worry about breaking them and having to live as some kind of blind human mole because I was just too darn shy to go and see Dr Eye.
I am finally starting to realise that all types of anxiety are make-believe - non-existant monsters hidden in the depths of our psyche that feed us a stream of rubbish and poison our minds. And the more attention you give them the more they grow. So the best thing is to ignore them and stop avoiding. Tell your fragile ego that you may well feel uncomfortable for a few moments, you might shake and sweat and say something stupid. But so what? No one will be filming you and putting it on YouTube! And the older you get, the more you see that other people rarely think of anyone but themselves and they are unlikely to give you another thought - unless you are extremely rude to them. Otherwise life is very much out of sight, out of mind.
My optician's visit finally dawned this morning and I had been working myself into a ridiculous lather over it all week, getting stomach ache I was so worried. Well, I can honestly say it was all for nothing! The worst part was actually when I went in and the receptionist was chatting to me and my mouth was so dry I could hardly speak. But the actual test was so quick and unthreatening that all my worry was totally redundant. I did shake a bit but so what? Probably half the people he sees do the same. Going to the doctor would definitely be a worse situation for me as it involves sitting close to the Doc and looking them right in the eye as you discuss your most intimate problems. So the optician is nothing, don't hesitate to go for it. Shake, rattle and roll, if that's what it takes! I'm so excited about getting my new glasses and all the things I'll be able to do.
I was told I desperately needed glasses at the age of 11, I was a "blind human mole" and I had no idea. I cried. But on the plus side putting glasses on for the first time is like life in HD.
ReplyDeleteYes! It's like seeing the world anew - and people aren't as good-looking as I'd thought!
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