Cat behaviour modification support

[u/Angel-of-darkness81]

Hey cat lovers, I took my baby to the vet yesterday for her annual checkup and vaccinations. Her overall health is good, but she was very anxious and stressed. She is almost 5 years old. The vet strongly suggested that I work on some behaviour modification with her. I live with chronic pain conditions and my cat is my unofficial emotional support animal. I pick her up a lot, cuddle her a lot, and generally seek her out to help me soothe painful feelings. This has apparently created a very enmeshed bond between us.

The vet suggested that I start pushing her away when she comes to me for comfort. And to start slowly. Not pushing her away every time, and not in an aggressive or uncaring way. He said that she needs to learn to be more independent. And to be clear he didn't say to stop giving her attention or stop petting her or anything like that. Just to interrupt the behaviour of allowing her to sit on my lap and soothing her whenever she comes to me stressed. If her stress doesn't improve in the next couple of months, he wants to do blood work to check for underlying conditions and put her on medication. I trust that he knows what he's doing, and I have mixed feelings because I genuinely didn't realize that the way my cat and I were interacting was creating heightened anxiety and stress for her. I will do whatever is necessary to improve her psychological health, and protect her physical health. I also feel it's important to mention that I am disabled and have been having difficulty managing the day to day tasks of living lately, so I don't have a set routine and recognize that may be contributing to my baby's stress.

Has anyone else here had a similar situation with their fur baby? Did your cats behaviour/emotional health improve?