To get vaccinated or not? I’m SCARED, so what do I do?

Asking the question by using the SCARED SO WHAT? personal change model to find an informed answer.

For many people this question might be very real. Do I get the Covid-19 vaccination? Or do I not, and just wait out to see what happens??I’ve heard countless people around me telling me that the answer to this question is a “Personal Choice”.?And I couldn’t agree more.?It is 100% personal and before I made the choice to get vaccinated, I needed more information so I could make an informed decision. The key word is “Informed” decision.

But for so many, the decision is coming without either being informed or by being miss-informed and having the decision made for them because of their affiliation within a family or community setting or a religious or political party.?And for others, the decision not to get vaccinated may be a very well-informed decision due to existing medical factors that prevent them from taking it.

No matter who you are or where you are on the planet, you are most likely being affected by this global pandemic and that has caused Personal Change for you and your friends, colleagues, neighbors, and loved ones.

So, what is personal change??It’s not something that we readily talk about in day-to-day conversations.?And for me, there was nothing taught about how to manage personal change in my early school days nor at any time growing up.?It wasn’t until I attended my master’s program at age 47, did I even begin to discover and talk about organizational change in full detail and what that entails.?If you were like me, I’ve been brought up with key phrases like: “Just deal with it”, “Shrug it off and don’t worry about it”, “Just act like a man”, “you’ve got to not show fear”, “Don’t let them see you sweat”, “Don’t be nervous”, “Grow up!”.???Do any of those phrases sound familiar to you??I’m sure you can think of many more.??But what this is saying vs what your mind and body’s defenses are showing – are counteractive to each other.?And the most likely reason we were told these responses, is because we’re not taught how to manage or deal with personal change.?People cannot tell you what to do, if they don’t know how to think it through themselves.

Our minds and bodies were built and designed to act in certain ways when personal change happens.?Think of it like this.?Your heart races, you get cramps in your stomach, you sweat, you start to breath heavier, your thinking starts to happen in a faster pace, you get goose bumps or hives.?These are all reactions your body and mind may make whenever a positive or negative type of change can happen to us.?So, if we were designed to have these reactions…telling us to “grow up”, or to ignore these signs, is not going to fix the issue of personal change. We’ve got to find a way to process the change and think it through.

Examples of personal change instances could be:?Getting married, buying a new home, having a baby, losing your job, being furloughed, failing a test, not passing your classes or grade, getting sick from Covid-19, a change in your workload or extra projects, being rejected, breaking up with a partner, moving to a new town.?No matter what your age, or who you are, we all experience personal change. Whatever the change scenario, it’s personal and it affects you directly.?

In research, there actually is a name for the fear of change and it’s called “Metathesiophobia” – the fear of change.??But in reality – you don’t have to be SCARED to have personal change.?It can be a positive situation, neutral, or a negative experience as I’ve described above.

Ok, I get it…. Personal Change is real, and we all go through it.?So, what do I do about this vaccine??Do I take it or do I not?

To think this through and find your own personal solution, I suggest we try the SCARED SO WHAT? personal change model, as it has been designed to reflect the way our minds may process personal change events.

The first step is to understand what we are feeling about this personal change by going through the SCARED part of the model.??This will focus on where we are, what we are thinking and doing, and help inform our decision making. It may seem strange to you…because we’ve never really been taught to analyze our feelings for personal change.?So be open and permit yourself the opportunity to explore the options for yourself.

Let’s begin:

S= Surprise?

Am I surprised by this personal change??IE: Am I surprised by people’s reactions to whether I am vaccinated or not??Yes, or no??Are people influencing me or judging me? And how does it make me feel???Positive, Neutral, or Negative?

C= Champion or Conflicted

Am I championing myself or am I conflicted about this change??Regarding taking the vaccine, am I championing it or conflicted about it? Champion means positive or favorable. Conflicted means, confused, unsure, not knowing, concerned.

A= Actions

What ACTIONS am I or have I taken to become informed??Have I done any research, asked a doctor or a nurse, read scientific research, reviewed the local health information, emailed, or called anyone to seek guidance? Or have I done nothing at all?

R= Receptive or Rejective

How receptive am I towards the change??Am I receptive towards taking the vaccine? Or, do I reject it outright and I’m not going to take the vaccine?

E= Explore

Have I explored any more options that could help in my decisioning? Have I looked at any other options that could help me to make a more informed decision if I am rejecting the idea of getting the vaccine??Am I thinking just about myself or am I thinking of others such as friends, family members and loved ones that I may be in contact with and could potentially put at risk by spreading the virus?

D= Decision (In Decision)

Have I made a decision about this change? Have I decided to take the vaccine and made a favorable decision? Or have I decided not to take the vaccine and made a negative decision about it.?Either answer is acceptable and is PERSONAL and is mine to own and action.?Either way, I’ll still be asking myself “SO WHAT” does this mean? Or, “SO WHAT” can I do about it???That is where the next half of the model may help me.

Note: For some people, they may be unsure – and therefore are in a state of “In decision” or inability to make a choice.??If this is the case, you can further your ability to make an informed decision by taking more actions or exploring more options.?The ability to bring more information into your awareness can give you more information to process and answer your own uncertainties.?Usually if you seek more information – you’ll be able to make a decision one way or the other.

Possible outcomes at this stage:

If I have made a favorable decision – then I’m ok to go and get the vaccine.

If I have made a negative decision – then I now have a choice.?I’m most likely not wanting to go and get the vaccine, but I might want to ask myself – Do I have all the right information??What is my source of information or my source of truth??Is it political, religious, familial, or medical?

Think of it like this:

If I break my arm, what would I do??Go to the hospital and trust the doctors to fix it, or stay at home and hope it gets better on its own?

If I find out I have cancer, what would I do??Do I go to the doctors and take the necessary steps through medicine to reduce or treat the cancer? Or do I stay home and hope it gets better on its own?

If I’m having a heart attack, what do I do??Do I go to the doctors and put my life in their hands and hope the science and schooling and medicine will keep me alive, or do I just stay at home and accept what may eventually come?

Some will say that there are many versions of truth.?But in this instance of “Do I take the vaccine or not?” you need to make a personal decision and go back to what your gut and logic tell you.??If you trust the doctors and medicine and science to do all of the situations above, then you’re making a choice to trust in science.??If you are making a decision due to political influence – you might want to think of one of the above situations like this:?If I get cancer – am I going to trust the politicians to heal me, or am I going to seek professional scientific medical care?

And there may indeed be a significant medical factor that will prevent you from taking the vaccine.?If that is the case, you’re making an informed decision based in evidence and fact – vs an emotional one.

In the end, I cannot answer the question for you if you should get the vaccine or not. I can only say that for me, to use the SCARED model helped me to make an informed decision to go forward and get the vaccine.??For you, you must follow your own SCARED process and find your own personal answer.

Would this be more helpful if I could see my results?

TAKE THE QUIZ!

If you would like to have some help in reviewing the SCARED process for this question to take or not take the vaccine – download the SCARED quiz by clicking the image below!

Take this free quiz for yourself.?It will only take about 5 minutes. Answer the questions about taking the vaccine – or whatever personal change situation you are going through.

At the bottom of the quiz, your results will show you exactly where you are in the personal change process.?If you have a lot of GREEN – you’re most likely favorable to take the vaccine. If you have a lot of RED, then you’re most likely unfavorable to take the vaccine.??If you are uncertain and in the middle of Red and Green – then you need to take more ACTIONS and EXPLORE – typically these areas would be more red.??

Likewise, if you have made a unfavorable decision but you then start to take more actions….you could take the test again and have a different outcome!

SO WHAT!

OK, I’ve made a decision. Favorable or unfavorable… I’ve made a decision, so what can I do about it?

Now that you’ve made a decision about your own personal change scenario, you most likely will be saying to yourself or others “OK, So what does this mean? Or So What can I do about it?”

SO WHAT is much like a strategy plan one would do in a business environment.?The only difference is, this is YOUR SO WHAT!?

QUOTE: "Change is constant, it’s personal. How you manage it makes it bearable and achievable". (Van Ulbrich, 2018)

Once you’ve made a decision, regardless of favorable or unfavorable….you still need to formulate your actions or strategy of what you will do to execute or facilitate the change.

It’s so simple, that you can do it on a napkin or a piece of paper.?Or be as detailed as you want.?Let’s look at it like this:

S=Strategy

What is my strategy for navigating my personal change??In this scenario, will you take the vaccine, or not take it??Either way, you have actions and options that need exploring.?Each decision has a cause and effect.??What are they for you?

O=Options

What options will I include in my strategy or to support my strategy??If you going to get the vaccine, which one will you get? Where will you go? When will you get it? What options or opportunities are there??If you are NOT going to get it, what will you do? Carry on and do nothing to protect yourself and others, or will you take steps to ensure you try to prevent from getting the virus?

W=Way Forward

Do I have a way forward to execute this personal change??This is for you to answer to yourself, do you have a way forward to manage this change??If yes, great – move forward.?If no or your not sure, then have a re-think about your strategy and options.?Maybe ask others for input or support.

H=Hope/How

Do I have hope or know how my SO WHAT will work??This is a stopping point for you to ask yourself honestly.?Do I have hope or know how this is going to work??Yes, or No.?If yes, move forward. If no, then revisit your strategy and either remind yourself or make adjustments.

A=Actions

What actions will I take to ensure this works? List out the steps or actions you’ll take in either getting the vaccine or preparing yourself for not getting it and other precautionary steps.

T=Taking Ownership

How will I hold myself accountable to execute this personal change??How will I ensure that I fulfill my SO WHAT plan??Will I set a timeline? Involve others?

For some of you, a visual tool or aid is more helpful.?Click the below image and scroll down on that web page to the SO WHAT template and download.?You can save it on your laptop or computer or PDA device and begin to fill out your own SO WHAT on your own terms.

For others…. you can simply write it down on a napkin or piece of paper. Whatever is easier for you is the way to go!

Summary:

In the end, I alone must make my own decision to take the vaccine or to not take it.?I will have to hold myself accountable for my actions because each decision has a cause and effect not only to myself, but to others.

You must make your own decision as well. I’ve heard countless people saying that this is “The government, trying to force their agenda on me”.?And they are 100% right….the global community and governments ARE trying to force this agenda of saving lives.?So they are correct.?But in an age of so much miss-guidance, miss-information, willful negligence, we all have a duty to manage personal change more effectively.?And in the absence of being taught how to manage personal change via our upbringing or educational resources, perhaps SCARED SO WHAT? can help guide you in your thought process so that you can make an informed decision.?Or at least be cognizant that you either are making an informed, educated and science based decision, or if it truly is political, religious, or some other form that is basing your decision making.

Whatever your own outcome – don’t just ignore what your mind, body, and conscience are telling you.?Think it through. Remember, change is constant, it’s personal. How you manage it makes it bearable and achievable…and in this case it might just make it survivable.

Don’t be SCARED….think it through and ask yourself “SO WHAT, Can I do about it?”

If you would like to have the SCARED SO WHAT? quiz and templates so that you can use over and over again, simply go to www.scaredsowhat.com, bookmark the page and the resources are yours. SCARED SO WHAT? is free for everyone for their personal use. There are also You Tube videos you can review that break down each area of the model and identify what is Personal Change.?All links are on the main website.

You can also see the academic sources by clicking below:

Igniting a SPARK with SCARED SO WHAT? - The International Journal of Sales Transformation

Introducing a new model for personal change: SCARED SO WHAT? - The Change Management Review

A new model for Personal Change: SCARED SO WHAT? - The Oxford Review