Just take a Shot

Many of us have a fear of needles. Just the thought of an injection makes us feel anxious. Telling ourselves to ‘harden up’ or ‘stop being stupid’ doesn’t help! You may be putting off booking your vaccination simply because of a fear of needles….if this is you, here are some tips on how to get through your Covid jab….

Breathe. Count as you breathe in – really expand your lungs, you might get to 4 or as much as 8. Then hold your breath for the same count, then breathe out for the same count, next hold on empty for the same count. During each part of the sequence imagine drawing a side of a square. Keep breathing, counting and drawing squares! This distracts your brain away from the fear and worry.

Focus on the fear/anxiety feeling. Yes, this sounds counter-intuitive! Rate the level of fear– 1 being low, 10, super high. Notice as the feeling goes up and down. You may even want to imagine the feeling as a colour and/or a shape and then imagine the colour/shape changing. Weird but it works!
Be aware of your ‘inner critic’ – we all have one! That constant narrative in your head, it might be going on about what ‘might’ happen – ‘what if I get sick?, ‘what if …..” Argue with it like it is a person…’how do I know’, ‘what are the facts? Etc. Also remind yourself of why you are having the vaccination – to keep your family safe, to protect the vulnerable people in the community, to protect yourself.

If these techniques aren’t enough, I can help you ‘reprogramme’ yourself! I have one exercise that I have recorded on my Facebook page – or make an appointment for a virtual consult - facebook.com/livingbydesign.nz