There are ways that needle phobia can be confronted and dealt with. Read below how to regulate your emotional reaction to injections.
Focus attention away from the situation or emotion
You should be encouraged to concentrate on something else while the injection is being done, by distracting the patient with an injection problem, ask him/her to focus on another object, or talking about a happy event. Helping him cope is much more effective than empathy, which usually increases distress.
Select situations that make things less negative
Distraction is useful for dealing with needle anxiety so it might help one to have his injections in a situation where he can be distracted by something he really enjoys, such as a film, music, or something else he finds interesting.
Modify the situation
The situation could be changed in many ways including;
➧ Finding an alternative mode of delivering insulin.
➧ Changing the timing of injections so he has less time to get anxious beforehand.
➧ Having a health-care professional do the injections.
➧ Bringing a friend who can support him and help him stay calm.
Change the way a situation or emotion is appraised or labeled
One’s appraisals need to be changed from negative (like; the injection will hurt, he/she won’t cope, the nurse will think he’s or she’s stupid) to positive (like; the injection will be over very quickly, he’s/she managed it before, after the injection he or she will feel better).
Regulate physical, behavioral, and emotional responses
There are many things one could adopt to help regulate his responses in injections. For example, he or she could do physical exercises before the injection to make him more physically relaxed. Before and during the injection he or she could use relaxation techniques such as focusing on his breathing. He could also use positive self-statements to cope.