Most of us can tolerate some physical pain, some emotional pain, some anxiety and some chaos BUT we usually don’t seek medical care or therapy until we hit our threshold and the pain has become unbearable.
We avoid thinking that it’s time to act because if we don’t act, then maybe we can fool ourselves into thinking that the problems aren’t really happening.
I recently read an article that questioned why, with all the education about the symptoms of a heart attack, were some people still hesitant about getting to hospital ASAP!
I think this hesitation is also about pain – about the way we think about and define pain. For some reason we still think that it’s not a heart attack unless we are in physical pain.
Not all symptoms are physically painful, especially with women; some symptoms are “out of the ordinary and unusual.”
Yes you may have PHYSICAL PAIN – but if you don’t, ask yourself this…Do I have UNUSUAL PAIN or UNUSUAL DISCOMFORT?
For example,
- Do you sense that You Don’t Feel Quite Right?
- Are you Dizzy, when you’re usually not?
- Are you Anxious, when you’re usually not?
- Are you Weak, when you’re usually not?
- Are you Fatigued, when you’re usually not?
- Do you have Shortness of Breath, when you usually don’t?
Many women still say…”if I go to the hospital and it’s not a heart attack they might think I’m overreacting or I’m a hypochondriac.”
Trust yourself and stay in touch with “what feels right” and with “what does not feel right” for your body.
If your symptoms are out of the ordinary for you – Err on the side of caution and GO… ASAP!