We all want to be healthy, but many people delay or even avoid the medical care they need. We put off that colonoscopy, or go years between checkups, for reasons ranging from the practical—cost or transportation, for instance—to the emotional, such as fear or embarrassment.

"Sometimes people have a family member who had a harrowing medical experience," said Janice Ribaudo, MD, a family practice provider at Cedars‑Sinai Primary Care—Los Angeles. “Sometimes it’s fear of what the doctor might find. Sometimes it has to do with our upbringing or culture.”

If you’re having an unhelpful belief about healthcare—say, that it’s not worthwhile to go to your annual checkup because you feel fine—challenge it, Murphy said.

"Just because you feel it," she said, "doesn’t mean it’s fact."

Journal about the belief, or talk it over with someone, listing the evidence for and against it, Murphy said. Sometimes just writing or talking about the benefits of getting medical care can counteract the unhelpful belief.

If you’re embarrassed to go to the doctor because of how long it’s been since your last visit, or because you’re not in the condition you want, Murphy said, remind yourself that healthcare providers are professionals. It’s their job to keep your medical information confidential and to make objective recommendations — not to judge you.

"What you might consider embarrassing is something I hear about commonly," she said. "Providers don’t see it as that much of a big deal because of the nature of our work."

Read: Getting Back Into Care

There are people whose job it is to help you get the medical care you need.

If you already have a primary care provider, start there. These providers can help you prioritize your next steps and connect you with specialists, as needed.

A primary care provider can also help you with the emotional hurdles keeping you from getting medical care, Murphy said. They can perform an initial mental health assessment, if necessary, and make recommendations.

As anyone who has worn a paper-thin hospital gown knows, it can be challenging to feel relaxed while receiving care. But it doesn’t have to be, Ribaudo said, and patients are within their rights to ask for what they need to be comfortable.

For instance, if you’re avoiding the doctor because you don’t want to step on a scale, just say no to the weigh-in. (You might be asked to provide a weight estimate for your medical record.)

If the maze-like process of accessing a new doctor—the stack of forms, the vital signs, the patient history—is daunting, talk with office staff about meeting with the doctor first, Ribaudo said.

"There’s an option to get into the healthcare system without having to jump through all the hoops," she said.

Nervous about a particular procedure? Ask about alternatives, Ribaudo said. A recent patient with localized breast pain was worried that a screening mammogram would cause her additional pain. So Ribaudo suggested a 3D tomography mammogram, which is considered more comfortable.

Typically, the longer you put off a task, the more anxious you become about it, Murphy said. It gets harder to take action. You’ll wish you got that mammogram two years ago, when you were just a bit nervous, instead of letting it languish until you were in full-fledged avoidance.

But taking one step can break the ice and give you the confidence boost you need to keep moving forward.

"The first step could be, 'I’m going to go online and look up providers,'" she said. "The next day, you make one phone call to make an appointment."

"You’re taking the smallest steps, one at a time," Murphy said. "Once you start, you notice it’s not so bad. The anxiety tends to go down."

Read: Don’t Delay Urgent Health Needs