one of my worst pet peeves is when im like 'i have a serious needle phobia' and commenters are like 'oh me too, you just need to look away and think about other things'
feels like goin 'i have depression' and they're like 'oh me too you just gotta think happy thoughts easy peasy'
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if all you have to do to cure your depression is think happy thoughts then you never actually had depression, you fool
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I share your dislike of needles. (It's not 'fear of needles'; it's more like a searing, implacable hatred of needles.)
So I also I hate people posting images of people getting jabbed with needles on social media.
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oh man yeah i have an uncontrollable flinch-away response seeing any images of it. if i dont flinch away i get filled with intense nausea
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But depression is a chronic event, fear of needles is a limited time event. Sort of like drinking a shot of alcohol you don't like, only a brief moment of pain and it's over
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"having a phobia" is a chronic condition, triggered by specific circumstances. I consciously know getting a shot is nbd and I have good pain tolerance, but my body *absolutely* freaks the fuck out and I can't control it. It's genetic, I inherited it from my dad.
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i read somewhere that phobias are actually the most treatable psychological dysfunction out there: depression is fractal complicated, but exposure therapy seems to just work for phobias IIRC
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I think this is true for some phobias, but mine is genetic. I had no traumatic exposure to needles, I was good at getting shots as a kid, but the phobia kicked in when I was a teen with no warning.
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I have such an extreme phobia of needles that I have ditched my blood work appointment 3 times in a row for the last 6 months despite desperately needing the work to likely feel better/recover. It's hell.
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I'm so sorry. I recently (finally) found some success with this method, sharing in case it helps!
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I have a severe needle phobia, and for the first time (besides blackout-levels of anti-anxiety meds) found a routine that helped:
1. 10% numbing cream 40 min before
2. Ice on the area for 10 min up until the shot
3. A vibrating device ('buzzy') next to where needle goes in
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