Needle phobia (or Trypanophobia) is a relatively common phobia affecting 3.5% to 10% of the population. With COVID-19 Vaccinations on the cards for most adults, this may be something that is causing you concern.
What you can do to help yourself…
- If you are concerned about fainting you can try a practice called applied tension technique. This helps your blood pressure to get back to normal. It is best to try doing this three times a day for up to a week before your vaccine appointment.
- Find somewhere comfortable to sit down
- Tense the muscles in your upper body, arms and legs for 15 to 20 seconds
- Release the tension and relax your muscles for 20 to 30 seconds
- Tense your muscles again; repeat this 5 times.
- If you are concerned about having a panic attack (where your heart rate increases and your breathing speeds up) you can try a calming breathing technique.
- Sit in a straight comfortable position with your back supported, and let your shoulders relax
- Put one hand low on your stomach
- Breathe in through your nose as slowly and as deeply as is comfortable for you
- Pause for one second
- Breathe out through your mouth, expelling all the air before taking another breath in through your nose
- Try to lengthen your out breath, try counting 4 in, 1 pause, and 5 out or adjust this to what works best for you
- Repeat this for 5 breaths
- During your appointment it may help to do the following:
- Focus your attention on something external to your body
- Relax the muscles in the injection site; tense muscles can make injections more uncomfortable
- Let the person know who is giving the vaccination that you have a needle phobia. This will allow them to help you relax
- There are lots of organisations that provide free resources, information and advice online about how to manage needle phobia.
What I can do to help you…
- If you are finding it difficult to book your vaccination due to needle phobia then please contact me.
- Please call or text me (07525 434244), and I would be happy to have a free 20-minute no obligation chat with you.
- I offer remote sessions via Zoom, or telephone sessions to talk through your fears and how you can manage them to successfully receive your COVID-19 Vaccination.