but then, sometime in high school I had to get blood work done for my anemia a few times. The needles just had to sit there while they filled up the vials and I realised that a) needles hurt and sting, but not as much as my fear of them and b) if I didn’t know when they were going to happen, I wasn’t as tense about it, which meant that they didn’t hurt as much.
Now, when I’m getting a shot, I try to look away, close my eyes and take deep breaths. I make some small talk with the doctor or nurse so I don’t sit there wondering when the pinch is going to come. Afterwards, I used to have to convince myself that it really didn’t hurt much, but now I just concentrate on the lollipops my doctor gives me. [Totally works, BTW. Maybe you need to bring your own lollipop!] Any one who’s an old hand at this will know what you’re trying to do and help you out with it. Of course, I say all of this and I’m still horribly scared of pills and will do anything to avoid them. I’d rather have a shot any day!
