You've always been considered a scaredy-cat, even in situations that aren't really something to be scared about. You vividly remember the time when, in high school, you were sent a letter that informed you that you'd be given an academic award. You were terrified, and tried to practice your composure, but when you got up to accept the award and shook the principal's hand, you wet your pants.

That was the first in a long line of embarrassing situations, and you're hoping to relax as much as possible when it comes time for your varicose vein treatment. When you first went to the dermatologist, he had quite a hard time getting ultrasounds and x-rays, because your legs were shaking.

No, this time you need to be brave, because if you shake (that pant-wetting instinct has, thank goodness, subsided) during your varicose vein treatment, you could end up scarred. You imagine having to be restrained by several (preferably handsome) doctors while the procedure is being done.

You had a few options for your varicose vein treatment, but most of them you rejected because it would involve you coming back multiple times. You don't think your nerves could hold up that long. So, you've decided that it would be better to choose a laser procedure as your varicose vein treatment.

So, the date of the procedure has been set, and you now have two weeks to start learning some courage. You spend most of your time in front of a computer anyway, so it's a good excuse to mentally prepare. You want to know how much this procedure is going to hurt.

Well, you see that the reviews have been mixed, as they would be, since people have different thresholds of pain. One thing that everyone seems to agree on is that it's quick jolts of pain, much like being burned after quickly touching something very hot, or getting slapped.

You walk into your kitchen and eye the stove. Should you practice touching a very hot pan while you cook? Well, it's worth a shot. While cooking dinner for your family, they watch as you slowly touch your very first hot pan. You scream as you've never screamed before. Your kids run to shut all the windows so that the neighbors don't call the cops.

One hour, and several burns on your finger later, you've brought the scream down to a whimper. Good, very good. The next step is conditioning yourself against slaps. You instruct your husband to slap your leg every once and a while when you least expect it. He tries to make a naughty game out of it, and you tell him no, you're most definitely not in the mood for such things. You need to focus on conquering fear!

It's now the day of your procedure, and you're pretty sure that you're ready. You walk stoically into the procedure room. The nurse actually comments on your calmness. When the procedure begins, you have a momentary "fight or flight" response, but you hold up well. You are a champion!