As part of my new blog series, Face the Fear, I will be interviewing women about how they have faced their fears and what they went through to get to where they are now.
This series is tapping into the minds of incredible women, who have one way or another faced their fears. You can read the original Face the Fear blog post to find out why I wanted to write this and what my own fears are.
Today I’m interviewing Aoife, you can find her over at her blog, prettypurplepolkadots.wordpress.com, Instagram @prettypurplepolkadots and Twitter @PrettyPPD.
Tell me a bit about yourself? What do you do, what do you love, where are you from?
I’m Aoife, I’m 27. I’m from Ireland but live in Germany and work for the civil service. I love the colour yellow, cooking, reading, my two cats, and seeing a little more of the world each year. I’ve been a book blogger for seven years now and I think it’s safe to say I love that too!
What is the fear you’re going to be writing about today?
Going to the dentist.
How long have you had this fear/what made it start to develop?
With about five years. When I lived in Dublin I had a few problems with my teeth. Chips, cracks, you name it I had it. I went to see a dentist about it and when I sat into the chair he laughed. As I was leaving, I heard him mutter to his dental nurse “looks like I’m finally going to get that extension paid off.”
I didn’t go back to any other dentist for five years.
When/why did you realise you had to face your fear?
A work friend of mine, who is like a mam to me, took me aside. She said she used to work as a dental assistant before changing careers, and she had noticed some problems with my teeth. I had a (good) cry, and she said she knows someone who specialises in anxious patients, and would happily come with me.
How did you face your fear?
I started going to the dentist in December 2018. And yeah, there’s a LOT of work to be done so I’m still going. But my work Mam comes with me still, and she is superb. She explains everything going on to me, helps to calm me down, and even when I started crying the first time I saw the needle for the anaesthetic she had the guy stop, let me chill out for a bit, and then distracted me as he started again.
Thank you so much Aoife, for sharing your story, this is a fear I definitely sympathise with!
If you’d like to get involved in this blog series, please email me at beth@booksnest.co.uk and I’ll send you through everything you need.
I conquered this fear too! I finally went to the dentist after 10 years of not going. But I stood up for myself when stating which dentist I wanted (I knew the female dentist and knew she would be better for me) and it turned out much better than I expected. So glad you’re conquering your fear too, Aoife!