This seems like a weird digression considering that healthcare providers are in the best possible position to help our minds, bodies, and everything in between. Annual checks with dentists, audiologists, and our primary care physicians are particularly vital for keeping our bodies ticking.

So, if we really care about our health, why are we failing to bring this vital help on board?

Honestly, there’s no simple answer to this, because everybody you ask will probably give a different excuse for their appointment reluctance. In this article, we’re going to consider the most common of those excuses and break down precisely why they’re excuses that would never hold up in court.

# 1 – ‘I Don’t Have the Time’

Coming in at number one on the excuse scale is a tried and tested goodie. How many of us have cried off making that call to the doctor because of imagined, supposedly unmovable time restraints?

Now, in fairness to the people leaning on this excuse, work schedules are increasingly intense, life gets messy, and even just making an appointment with a doctor these days can be a little time-consuming. This can be undeniably hard to juggle if you’re working long hours, raising a family, and dealing with any number of other commitments. But when you consider that a simple appointment could quite literally save your life, the time thing doesn’t seem quite so important anymore.

In fact, if you’re going to make time for anything in your day, let it be this. Use your lunch break to pop to an appointment, or ditch the gym session for a day to visit the dentist. Even just making the effort to speak to your boss about the need to take time off for an appointment, and offering to make that time up elsewhere, is going to free up the short period of time you need here. You simply need to set your mind on this task, and you’ll probably find that time to attend soon opens up to you.

# 2 – ‘It’s Probably Fine’

How many of us have ignored potentially dangerous symptoms under the assumption that they’re probably nothing? Studies have revealed that men, in particular, are guilty of ignoring an issue until it becomes bad enough to really make itself known. Even then, a surprising number of people will ignore even extreme symptoms to avoid booking an appointment.

But, here’s a shocking fact for you – the vast majority of symptoms don’t just fade back into the wings on their own. Most of the time, the only real way to get rid of symptoms s to speak with someone who can treat, address, or otherwise minimize what you’re experiencing.

Whether you’re struggling with your hearing or you have a strange mole that you’ve been keeping an eye on, anything that’s worrying you is most definitely not fine. At the very least, booking an appointment can help to put your mind at ease or make you aware of anything you should be looking out for in the future. Most often, though, the things you’re trying to ignore genuinely do need some kind of medical intervention. And, the sooner you realize that, the better.

# 3 – ‘I’m too Nervous.’

More than half of Americans report feeling anxious before a medical appointment, and this is yet another leading reason why we’re guilty of putting off those all-important phone calls. After all, no one likes the idea of facing their fears head-on. But there are a few different reasons why you would be better off just biting the bullet on this one.

We’re sorry to break it to you, but putting off medical treatment due to appointment anxiety simply makes no sense, and here’s why – most often, early medical interventions are quick, painless, and easy enough to manage. For instance, let’s say you have an ear infection. Quickly seeking an audiologist appointment can lead you towards a brief course of antibiotics. Alternatively, holding off that appointment can lead to a worsening infection that may spread to other areas (requiring appointments with multiple professionals), and is more likely to lead to permanent hearing loss that requires ongoing treatments like hearing aids.

So, instead of holding off on making that audiologist appointment, it’s always worth working on managing hearing test anxiety and just making that appointment already. Simple techniques like knowing what to expect and practicing calming techniques like slow breathing will certainly see you in and out a lot sooner than you would be otherwise!

# 4 – ‘I’d Rather not Know.’

Along roughly the same lines, a lot of people use the simple excuse that they would rather not know if they have something seriously wrong. This is perhaps the worst of excuses of all, and we’re going to get into why!

Personal feelings aside, the simple reality is that you need to know if there’s a problem with your health. Because if you aren’t aware of that problem, it’s only going to escalate, and then you bet it’ll make itself known. At that point, treatment may not be an option, all because you preferred to bury your head in the sand.

We’re sorry to speak so bluntly, but if you’re making this excuse, then you really need to stop. Trust us when we say that you would rather know, no matter what you’re dealing with. Because that knowledge could quite literally save your life.

If you’re making excuses to avoid medical appointments right now, then you definitely aren’t the only one. But if any of these excuses are in your arsenal, it’s time to take them out, realize their flaws, and call that healthcare professional at long last.