I'm 23 and I've had a needle phobia since I was about 5/6 I believe. I think it stems from when I had to get an vaccine to go to another country and it made me throw up and then I developed a tic for a few months.

My phobia is due to mixture of reasons. Of course a needle in reality isn't THAT painful. Especially when you need to get it to help stop a pandemic. But I also have extremely sensitive arms. Someone poking me lightly genuinely hurts, but more in a cringey way than actual pain. 

I also have health anxiety and the thought of something being injected into me scares me as I worry it will kill me or give me some kind of irreversible damage. 

My phobia of needles actually was getting better over the years. The last time I had a needle in my arm before the vaccines was when I was like 19/20 and was to draw blood. I actually did pretty well and got it done within 1-2 minutes.

But then I developed horrendous general anxiety over the course of the pandemic. At the time that I got my first vaccine (Aug 2021) I was jobless, friendless, in a failing relationship, and experiencing bad anxiety every single day.

It was really hard to get the first one, but my mum forced me. It took about 20 minutes to get the needle in my arm, and once it was over my hands started tingling and I nearly fainted. I then experienced such bad anxiety for a week after that I barely showered/ate and stayed in bed all day.

I was certain I could never get the second vaccine. But today I did it.

My gran booked a very expensive holiday for the whole family for her 70th birthday years ago for May 2020 which then of course got moved like 3 times. It is now happening next month and I need the vaccine to go.

I very highly considered just not going as I was that afraid. But I finally somehow got myself to do it today after months of my mum nagging and even yelling at me. 

I was at the clinic for 2 1/2 hours today trying to get it done. I even walked out twice wanting to leave. I'm grateful that the nurses were so patient and kind with me. But yep, I finally did it.