COVID-19 vaccines become more available and more individuals are becoming vaccinated. But a lot of people can experience vaccine anxiety. Many wonder how to handle vaccine anxiety.
This video discusses some reasons for vaccine anxiety, as well as how to handle vaccine anxiety. These methods for coping with vaccine anxiety can also apply to coping with anxiety in general.
Welcome back, I’m Dr. Matt B and these are your Emotional Minutes. Today, I’m on Pacific Beach in San Diego, California. There’s not really a lot of people on the beach. Usually, this beach is pretty packed.
We’re still in the recovery mode from the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccine is available now, so more and more people have received a dose. However, there’s still a lot of concern among people and a lot of anxiety about the vaccines. That’s pretty understandable. A lot is still uncertain. I
t’s been a tough year for people, there’s been the pandemic, and a lot of social and political unrest. This can contribute to additional anxiety because a lot of those anxieties can accumulate. A lot of medical organizations and professionals are concerned that people will not get vaccinated because of concerns over the vaccination and anxiety about it.
Anxiety about all this is very understandable. There’s a lot of things we can do to check in with ourselves and handle vaccine anxiety to make sure that anxiety doesn’t completely drive our decision making.
Seek Social Support about Vaccine Anxiety
The first thing that we can really do is seek out social support from individuals we trust. This can help to give you a different perspective on what you’re anxious about. Also, it can make you feel as though you can cope better because you have external support. When seeking social support, focus on what your feelings, concerns, or anxieties. Focus less on information that you might have gotten from family, social media, or things like that. Keep your attention on what your reaction is and what the feeling.
Examine Thoughts About Vaccine Anxiety
Another thing to do is check in with your thoughts and what it is you’re feeling anxious about. We call this process cognitive reappraisal. People may have thoughts about the vaccine doing them harm that prevent them from getting it. For instance, they may not get the vaccine because they think it might make them sick or even kill them. Some people also have concerns that the vaccine might affect their long-term physical health in some way. Checking in and understanding what you are anxious about can clarify that for you. It also leads you to the next step, which is to seek information about what you’re anxious about.
Look Up Facts about Vaccines
Seeking scientific or the most updated information about things that are making you anxious can relieve anxiety. This helps you check if what you are thinking is actually the case or could really happen to you. One good place to seek out that information is asking your doctor or your medical provider.
To tie into that, you can also research good scientifically-based information. Sometimes websites like Healthline or WebMD can be good places to check in about that stuff. This is because those websites have articles written or reviewed by scientists and medical professionals.
Researching those things can help you know whether or not what you’re thinking is accurate. It can also give you a sense of control. By doing this you’re being effective and managing your own concerns about what’s going on.
Match Your Goals
Another way to beat vaccine anxiety finding how the vaccine fits into your goals. A lot of people have talked about how they can’t wait to get back to their “normal” life. They miss seeing friends and family, doing social activities, traveling, and other activities lock down stopped them from doing. Understanding how the vaccine might help you meet those goals can be very clarifying for you and give sense of control.
For me, travel adventures are a really important. Getting the vaccine will really help me get to take trips more often. Traveling for fun, but also traveling to see family members and friends. Consider how you might meet or move closer to achieving your goals if you got the vaccine.
