Those of us on the disease-modifying drugs for MS, known as the CRAB drugs (Copaxone, Rebif, Avonex and Betaseron) have all been there (or are still there) -- the point when you are holding the syringe, or the Autoinjector, and thinking, "there is no way I can do this." Your palms get sweaty, you breath faster, you may even feel faint. All of the suggestions and tips about rotating injection sites and using hot or cold compresses really don't come into play if you can't "destress" enough to give yourself (or have someone give you) your injection.
A quick breathing exercise can really help you break the cycle and get past the stress for the fraction of a minute that you need to administer the injection. You may be skeptical (I was), especially if you are new at this or are very scared of needles (which I was). Please give it a try. It may just give you the courage and determination that you need to get the job don. After all, you only need about 30 seconds of bravery and fortitude to complete the process.
Also called the “4-7-8 Breathing Exercise,” this is a technique that many people swear by to induce a state of relaxation. Dr. Andrew Weil calls the Relaxing Breath “the most powerful relaxation technique he knows.”
Why am I recommending this as a something that can help with giving (or getting) injections? It’s all about interrupting the stress response.
Breathing is the best way to trigger a state of relaxation. Think about it -– almost all meditation and relaxation practices start with focusing on breath. There are good reasons behind this. Think about all of the complex effects that the stress response has on our bodies, such as an increased heart rate, rapid breathing, increased blood pressure, changes in the immune system, changes in the digestive system, just to name a few. The only part of that response under our conscious control is breathing. The more stressed we get, the quicker and shallower our breathing becomes. It’s a cycle – we get increasingly nervous and less able to relax. All of these physical responses work to make the actual injection much more scary than it really is.
However, we can all change how we breathe. Making that change (especially after you’ve practiced for a while) can disrupt the whole stress response and leave you feeling relaxed and in control.
The Relaxing Breath is based on a few solid principles. The first is that when we inhale, we become more alert (which is why yawning wakes us up), and when we exhale, we relax (which is why we sigh to relieve tension). When we breath normally, our inhales are about three times as long as our exhales. The Relaxing Breath increases the length of our exhales to create relaxation.
The second principle behind the effectiveness of this technique is that we can use it to interrupt stressful thoughts (about the injection) by giving our brains something neutral to focus on (counting). When you have finished a couple cycles of the Relaxing Breath, you will have greater control over your thoughts and be able to be more rational about the injection. You will be able to remind yourself that:
- Thousands of people give themselves injections every day, so it must not be so hard
- You are giving yourself this medication in order to prevent your MS from progressing, you are doing this to take care of yourself
- The discomfort from the injection will be over within a minute or two after you give it
- You can do this
I recommend using the technique right before you inject yourself, preferably after you have prepped the area and have the syringe ready. Here are the steps to the Relaxing Breath technique:
Step 1: Inhale while you count from 1 to 4. Count (in your head, not out loud) relatively quickly and keep the pace the same through the whole practice.
Step 2: Hold your breath while you count from 1 to 7.
Step 3: Exhale while you count from 1 to 8.
Step 4: Repeat at least once, but no more than four times.
Step 5: Practice at least twice a day.
It’s pretty easy. At first, you’ll want to practice this while sitting down, as it can make people dizzy at the beginning. Make sure that you don’t count too slowly. You also don’t want to do more than four cycles at any one time. The great thing about this technique is that it takes less than a minute.
You can use this technique for other stressful situations, too. I use it when I first go into the MRI tube, until I get used to the closed quarters. I have also used it when I think I feel a new symptom, or an old annoying (and unwelcome) one, like the MS hug. I often find that after a couple of cycles of the Relaxing Breath, the symptom disappears or lessens greatly.
Source:
Andrew Weil, MD. Dr. Andrew Weil’s Mindbody Toolkit: Experience Self-Healing with Clinically Proven Techniques (Audio CD Set). Boulder: Body & Soul Omnimedia. 2005.
