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For me, the lead up wasn’t the most anxiety-inducing part. In fact, it probably was the phone call aspect that really got my nerves up, but towards the day of my test, I did start to get a bit jumpy. I was worried about being late, getting the day wrong, what the nurse would think of the way my hoo-ha looked, how it was going to feel, amongst so many other things. And it’s easier said than done, but thinking like this isn’t helpful to you at all!
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Preparing yourself for the day of the screening
Of course, don’t take my word as gospel. These suggestions won’t suit absolutely everyone’s needs, but they worked for me and helped me to keep my nerves down, so take a read and see if you fancy having a go of any.
Travel past your surgery a couple of times
I’m lucky in that my surgery is just a short walk from my house and I have the option of walking through my favourite park to get there. From the time of booking my appointment to the actual day, I had about a week and a half to kill, so I walked past my surgery a couple of times, just as a reassurance to myself that I knew where I was going, where the doors are and how long it might take me to get there.
Hold yourself accountable
This isn’t as scary as it sounds, I promise. Sometimes, by saying or writing that you’ve booked your test, you’re almost making a bit of a promise to yourself and whoever else may hear/see your claim. This can be as simple as writing in a journal, posting a tweet, doing a little bit of an Insta story or even just telling a friend or family member. By putting it out into the world past your own mind, you’re kind of making a little pact to go through with it!
Buy yourself something new to wear on the day
This may sound a little bit stupid, but in order to feel confident, I decided to treat myself to a new skirt – mainly because I know that wearing a skirt makes the test a lot easier, but also because I’ve always wanted to rock a midi skirt in my every day life, so I treated myself. And do you know what? I did rock my skirt, and I felt so sassy and confident. Of course, you don’t have to buy a skirt. You could pick up a new top, some cool shoes or a piece of jewellery.
Get to know your own body a bit
Right, this is definitely not going to appeal to everyone, but hear me out. I’ve never taken a proper look at my hoo-ha before and I figured that this situation was a good time to take a peek – that way, I could see what the nurse was going to see. I know it sounds weird, but honestly, putting my leg up on the side of the bath and holding a mirror below me so that I could really get a good look was quite the turning point for me. It made me realise that my downstairs really isn’t that spectacular and the nurse probably won’t care.
Chat to friends, family or social media buddies
It’s obvious, I know, but there is safety in numbers, and by hearing other positive smear stories, your mind will be much more at ease. Plus, when you’ve had yours, you’ll be able to add your voice to theirs and possibly even help someone else go through their screening.
Watch Zoella’s live screening video
Whether you’re a fan of Zoella or not, her live screening video is definitely worth a watch. I hadn’t watched a video of hers for ages, but when I saw people talking about this particular one, I was intrigued. In it, she films herself going for her cervical smear and asking common questions to the nurse. It’s a really insightful video and I honestly commend her for doing it. It was something that I re-visited during the lead up to my test, so definitely take a look!
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