How to Overcome Fear of Injections

Injections are inevitable, no matter how much you hate the shot. Injections are a common way to vaccinate patients, and without vaccination, the human body is very susceptible to dangerous diseases. Some other important medical operations that require injections are diabetes treatment, blood tests, anesthesia, and dental treatment. Therefore, overcoming fear of needles is very important because often there is no other choice. One out of ten has a fear of injections, so you’re not alone. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Table of Contents

Preparing for injections

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Confront the fear. Finding out what scares you can help you overcome your fear by making needles and injections normal. ^{[2] X Research Sources} Get information about injections: origins, purposes, even potential risks.

See pictures of needles and injections on the internet for mental desensitization. To overcome this fear, you should consider exposing the actual (sterilized, unused) syringe for a few minutes each day. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
It can be difficult at first, but you will be able to overcome your fear. The more you come into contact with needles, the more you see them as very ordinary items.

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Tracing the source of fear. Some people fear needles because they are associated with a major event. Often people who are needle-obsessed have had to undergo a lot of blood tests or other injection procedures as children. ^{[4] X Research Source} Think about your childhood and talk to your parents about it. Understanding the root cause of your fear can help you cope with this difficulty.

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Rationalize fear. Instead of focusing on the fear of injections, you should focus on the benefits that this method brings. ^{[5] X Research Source} Constantly reminding yourself that you are protecting yourself from something worse than a simple injection. ^{[6] X Research Sources} Or if you’re donating blood, think about the people you’re helping by overcoming your own fears. ^{[7] X Trusted Source Red Cross Blood Donation Services Go to Source}

Make a list of your fears and concerns (“Injections hurt!”), and then replace them with a rational and positive mindset (“Injections make me healthy!”). ^{[8] X Research Sources}
If your children are afraid of needles, you should explain to them the importance of injection methods and should not avoid the pain of injections, but should reveal this truth to your children. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Practice practical pressure. One of the most effective ways to overcome fear, and reduce the blood pressure that leads to fainting, is to practice practical pressure. If you start to feel faint or have fainted at the sight of a needle, practical pressure that regulates your blood pressure can help you avoid fainting again. You need to find out how to do it before proceeding with the injection. ^{[10] X Research Source} When you start to feel scared, you should apply practical stress to calm your nerves before injecting. To practice practical tension, follow these steps:

Sit comfortably.
Contract the muscles of the arms, legs, and upper body and stay contracted for 10 to 15 seconds, or until the face feels tight.
Muscle relaxation.
After 30 seconds, contract the muscle again.
Repeat after doing five times.

Faced with injections

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Bring a friend or relative. Ask someone you trust to go with you when you are about to give the injection. The presence of acquaintances helps you become more confident. ^{[11] X Trusted Source Red Cross Blood Donation Services Go to the source} Have them hold your hand while giving the injection.

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Express fear. Tell your doctor or nurse that you feel scared. Talk about your fears so your doctor or nurse can be more careful. They can talk to you about this and give you advice to relax and think properly. ^{[12] X Research Source}

If you want to donate blood, the fear can be alleviated if you tell the person drawing blood that they only have one blood draw. ^{[13] X Research Source}
Doing this helps you regain control of the situation.

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Distract yourself. Many people focus on injections, but you can reduce your fear by turning your attention to your surroundings or looking in another direction. ^{[14] X Research Source} Talk to someone in the room, such as a doctor, nurse, or a relative or friend. ^{[15] X Credible Source Red Cross Blood Donation Services Go to Source} Research suggests that doctors talking to patients in pain about things other than pain often have the potential to significantly reduce pain levels. patient anxiety. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Focus on your surroundings. Try rearranging the letters on the sign to create as many new words as possible. ^{[17] X Research Source}
Play mobile games, listen to soft music, or read magazines ^{[18] X Trusted Source Red Cross Blood Donation Services Go to source}

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Adjust your posture accordingly. Lying down or elevating the legs during the injection can reduce fear and symptoms. Lie down with your head back and your legs up to help prevent fainting. Immediately after the injection, you should lie still for a while and should not jump up and run outside immediately. Relax and listen to the doctor or nurse. ^{[19] X Research Source}

When lying down, place one hand on your stomach and focus on your breath. ^{[20] X Research Sources}

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Try to relax . Straining during the injection makes you feel more pain after the injection. Relax your arms, shoulders, and jaw. Look the other way, focus on your breath, and breathe deeply. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. ^{[21] X Research Source} When preparing to inject, take a deep, slow breath in and count down from 10 to 0 before exhaling. As soon as the count reaches 0, the procedure is complete!

Overcoming fear with a fear hierarchy

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Draw the fear hierarchy. Here’s how to document the level of fear you experience in relation to needles and injections. This helps you visualize the progress clearly, allows you to move yourself at the right pace, and takes note of the things that scare you the most. Write down the different parts of needles and injections that scare you and rank them by how much stress they cause, on a scale of 1 to 10. For example, you could do the following:

Hand injection – 10/10.
Holding needles – 9/10.
Witnessing other people being injected in real life – 7/10.
Watch the video on injection procedure online – 5/10.
See pictures of needles and injections – 4/10.
Thinking about injections – 3/10. ^{[22] X Research Source}

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Start from the lowest rating. After drawing your fear hierarchy, you may have already started thinking about your fear, and this is an important step in dealing with the phobia. When you’re ready, you can start from the lowest tier in the system and put yourself in the situation that causes the least stress. When you start to feel uncomfortable, practice practical stress or relaxing deep breathing to lower your blood pressure and control your fear. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

Put yourself in this stressful situation until the anxiety begins to decrease significantly. Once you are out of this situation, continue watching the video of the injection process, or put the needle down, take time to breathe deeply and relax.
Congratulate yourself on your good progress and encourage yourself before moving up the ladder.

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Move up the ranking slowly. Now you can slowly move up the hierarchy and track your success. Only continue when you feel really confident with a lower rating, and don’t worry if you have to repeat a situation many times before you really pass. You should try to be persistent with this method.

Overcoming fear takes time, practice, commitment, and encouragement. However, this will help you overcome anxiety and stress later on.

Overcome fear with medicine

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Use pain relievers. Some people who are afraid of needles are very sensitive to pain and just the usual pain when injecting can be aggravated. ^{[24] X Research Source} In this case, you can ask your doctor or nurse to apply numbing cream, or anesthetic cream, or warm compresses to the skin 20 minutes before the injection. ^{[25] X Research Sources}^{[26] X Research Sources}

Requires the use of thin needles or butterfly needles. Butterfly needles are more accurate than needles commonly used with patients who are afraid of needles. ^{[27] X Research Source}

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Take an anxiety reliever. Sometimes a doctor may recommend an anxiety reliever in cases of acute needle phobia. If the patient experiences sudden fainting when exposed to the needle, this medicine may be needed for a short time. You should not use it without your doctor’s recommendation, instead try to face your fear without resorting to medication.

If you are taking an anxiety medication, you should take it before the injection and not drive after the injection. ^{[28] X Research Sources}
If you’re concerned about fainting, you can take a beta-channel blocker to help, and still be able to drive afterward. However, you should still consult your doctor before use.
Practicing practical pressure is a way to reduce blood pressure and fainting without medication.

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Consider therapy or counseling. An acute fear of needles can become severe if it prevents you from injecting medication to maintain your health and prevent illness. Fear of needles is a recognizable condition, and behavioral therapy can help you overcome your fear. ^{[29] X Research Sources} In severe cases, psychotherapy or hypnosis may be necessary. ^{[30] X Research Source}

Advice

To become confident about needle exposure, it’s a good idea to have a mild medical procedure that includes injections (such as a flu shot). ^{[31] X Research Source}
Don’t look at the needles only to make things worse.
Relax and know that everything will be fine. Tell your doctor about your fear. Try to be braver.
Always think on the positive side when injecting. This is an effective disease prevention measure. The procedure only takes two to three seconds and all will be back to normal.
Try listening to music or reading a book.
Always be aware that everything is normal and it will pass before you can count to 3!
Do not think too negatively about injections!
There are worse things in life than needles; such as scrapes, boils, or bee stings. Most people who are afraid of injections are not afraid of pain, it is just a state of precaution, so you should try to relax.
Don’t get too stressed, as this will cause the needle to go deep into the muscle, causing pain and making the fear worse.
Try touching the needles first to see that they don’t cause too much pain.

Warning

Always talk to your doctor about your fear of injections. Straightforward and honest on this matter.
Common side effects of vaccination include nausea, high fever, headache, and fatigue.
Patients who become unruly need to be sedated. ^{[32] X Research Source}

Steps