If you are afraid of needles, you are not alone - a lot of people feel that way.
It’s a natural human instinct: your body wants to protect you from pain and does so by sending a “danger” signal to your brain when you look at something that might hurt you. The good news is: as it’s such a common fear, there is a lot of advice out there from people who overcame that fear!
So, if you want to be less afraid of needles (for example because you want to start HRT or get vaccinated), here are a few ideas.
- Do you faint, throw up or show other strong physical reactions when you see a needle? Do you feel physically sick for multiple days before a doctor’s appointments or have even cancelled necessary appointments because you were so scared? In that case, you may deal with a needle phobia. This is a diagnosable anxiety disorder and is different from the “normal” anxiety around needles. The safest approach for you is to talk to a doctor/therapist. They can work out a treatment plan for your anxiety disorder and will make sure to keep your physical safety in mind.
- Let your doctor/nurse know about your fear at the start of the appointment. If fainting/throwing up is a possible risk, make sure to tell them about that as well. There are things they can do to prevent physical reactions in anxious patients. For example, they may instruct you to lay down, tense your muscles etc. They might also use a numbing cream or use a smaller needle to make it as pain-free as possible for you.
- Distract yourself. You don’t have to look at the needle if that makes you uncomfortable. Remember that it will only be a few seconds. You can ask the nurse/doctor if you’re allowed to look at your phone, squeeze a stress ball etc. while they use the needle. Or you can just close your eyes/look at the wall and imagine your “happy place”, silently count to ten, recite the alphabet etc.
- Try to think positive things about the needle. Why do you need it, what are the benefits? Tell yourself about the good things the needle does for you and that you deserve these good things (health, safety, happiness etc.!). The pain will only last a moment, the benefits will last much longer!
- Reward yourself after the appointment. This allows you to tell yourself “When this is over, I will…” and redirect your attention to something happy.
- Try to learn a breathing technique that calms you, so you can use it during the appointment. You can find videos and articles with different ones online. Here is one example: Close your eyes. Take a deep slow breath in through your nose, and hold it for four counts. Breathe out slowly through your mouth. Repeat.
