Hypnotherapy for Anxiety

Have you ever lost sleep to the worry monster? Those dread feelings in the dead of night that drag you out of sleep, with brain working overtime on the ‘what if’ of the tomorrow.

And it can happen during the day too. No matter how hard you try and focus, the thoughts and feelings can creep in, making you feel out of control.

For some of you, there are very real reasons to be anxious, especially when unemployment, or uncertainty over your job or home, or health worries, makes life difficult. Or you may have become anxious about something day to day, like driving or flying. But some people have no idea why they are anxious, and this can be very scary.

Anxiety, basically, is feeling fear. Usually, this fear is about the future. What might happen, and how bad that might be for you, or the people you care about.You can also feel fear about what is actually happening to you, and it’s consequences.

Anxiety is the body’s response to perceived danger, the fear you are feeling. The fight or flight response that makes your heart go faster, your palms sweat and your mouth dry. The chemicals that your body makes are meant to help you run away, quick, from the danger. But you don’t run away, because you sort of know that you are not in mortal danger, you are just emotionally scared.

It may be no surprise, if any of the above is familiar, that anxiety is very common. In 2000, 1 in 6 of the UK adult population were diagnosed with either anxiety or depression. (Source: www.statistics.gov.uk.)

What causes this? And more importantly, what can you do to help yourself? My 5 steps to manage the worry monster may help you manage yourself better.

If you are feeling extremely anxious most of the time, it may be useful for you to know that recent studies have shown that the best way to deal with severe anxiety or depression is a mix of conventional medical treatment, and some form of self help or therapy. Hypnotherapy for anxiety may be useful for you, and if you'd like to talk in confidence about your problem, go to my contact page here

Gain Control

Have you ever wondered just how you are making yourself anxious? I imagine most people tend to ask themselves why they do this, however my solution focuses on the how, and the internal process of ramping up to a state of anxiety.

This is because the how is actually in your control, and when you begin to understand how you are doing your anxiety, you can learn how to do something different.

Sometimes it is not what is happening to you that matters, but how you are dealing with it. This is why some people are able to overcome problems, as they are managing their responses to life, to get a better result. You may know someone just like this.

So, even when bad things are happening, you can be more in control. And even if you have no idea why you are feeling anxious, once you are in control, what caused it matters less.

Step 1: What do you want?

The first step is to decide on a state of mind or feeling that you would prefer. For most people, this is calmness, peace or some other sense of well being. Have a sense of what you would want. This is an internal thought, or feeling, rather than something around you.

If you can’t imagine what you want, then ask yourself what is the opposite of how you are feeling right now. Write it down.

Then, write down what might change in your life, when you have your goal. How, by having it, things may change positively for you, and for the people around you.

Now, you have a sense of what you want, and how it is going to benefit your life, to get it. At this point, if you believe it’s useful, spend some time imagining being different.

Step 2: Respect the fear.

It isn’t your fear that is the problem, just how it’s gone overboard. Having the ability to feel fear is human, and you need it. Imagine crossing the road, with no perception of what might happen unless you look both ways?

So some fear of consequence is good. Write down a few of the ways fear in general could be good for you.

Step 3: Listen

Imagine if the fear were a message, what would it say? Sometimes, you can be ignoring something in your life that you are actually quite worried about, and should be, but don’t want to think about. It’s as if the fear is doing the worrying for you.

Problems sometimes go away if ignored, however if you are worrying about it, chances are that your problem needs to be listened to. The fear can also be a message about what might happen if you do confront the problem.

If it helps, confide in someone you trust, or get help to decide what is best. Doing nothing may be feeding the fear and doing something can bring feelings of control.

Step 4: Calming Tips

Finding one thing that you can do which makes a difference can be very empowering. If you find one thing, there may be others, and this can lead to you managing your fear much better.

If you are healthy, learn to practice 7/11 breathing. Breathe in for 7 seconds, and let it out for 11 slowly. Make sure you don’t hold your breath in the middle.

Exercise can help, even if it’s just going for a brisk walk.

Remember your outcome, and the good feelings you want. Find that small nugget of the good feeling inside you. Focus on it, and imagine it spreading through your body. Give it a colour if this helps. Practice this is in quiet times so that you can recreate the positive feelings when you need them

Step 5: Don’t watch the news.

Particularly, the late night news if you are having trouble sleeping. This may seem like an odd one, however your fear will be on the lookout for bad things happening to reinforce it.

News tends to be those bad things that happen, so make some choices about the inputs into your life. If you like to keep ahead of current affairs, do so at lunchtime then focus on other things.

Just one simple change can make a difference, so it may be that one of the five tips works for you. Give it a go, and be prepared to get help if you need it.

I can help if your anxiety is getting the better of you, just call or email me for a confidentail discussion

Sue Roberts
07721 410813
sue@freedomfinders.co.uk





Sue Roberts cognitive hypnotherapy for anxiety Burnham Slough & Maidenhead