Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure, when you feel unable to cope, which can cause health problems
We all experience stress at one stage or another. It can be caused by health issues, money worries, constant worrying, loneliness, pressure at work, no work, lack of control, family problems, bereavement, divorce and many other reasons. Stress is recognised to be one of the main causes of sick absence from work and it seems that more and more children are suffering with stress due to school or peer pressure. However, a situation that feels stressful to one person may be motivating to someone else and this can be down to our past experiences, our leant behaviours, our thought processes and our own level of self-esteem.
So how can hypnotherapy help reduce stress levels……………..
Stress is caused by our subconscious protecting us. We may go into a fight or flight response when we are in an uncomfortable situation. Our subconscious can’t tell the difference between what is real and what we are imagining so it sometimes acts as if we are in a life threatening situation when in fact all we are doing is for eg. a presentation in front of 20 people or starting a new job! We are then left with all this extra energy with nowhere for it to go. This can leave us with feelings of stress, anxiety, anger, depression, frustration, insomnia and mood swings
Being stressed is a physical reaction as much as an emotional one. Stress is everywhere in our lives these days. You cannot change that, but you can change your reaction to it. The aim is to find ways of managing stress and using it to our advantage
Self-hypnosis – tips for relaxation
Hypnosis is known to be a powerful tool to help reduce stress. In fact, hypnotherapy for stress can be effective even after just one session
You can complement your hypnotherapy sessions with self-hypnosis at home.
1. Find a place where you can relax and be free of too many distractions e.g. your favourite chair, lying on your bed.
2. Take in a slow deep breath, imagining you are breathing in positive thoughts and feelings and then gently close your eyes. As you exhale, relax your body as much as you can and blow away any worries, stress and negative thoughts.
3. Count down from 10 -1 with each deep breath, feeling yourself sinking deeper and deeper into the chair. When you get to 1, imagine the most peaceful place for you, whether it’s a tropical beach, a beautiful garden or maybe your home.
4. Then repeat positive affirmations. For eg. I am calm…..I am relaxed…..I am in control
Whatever you say to yourself in your mind, make sure it is positive (so don’t say to yourself…I am not stressed… as the subconscious does not recognise the negative.)
After approximately 2 mins, you can count out 1,2,3, open your eyes and continue with your day. I if you do this every day for two weeks, you will find that you start to think more positively.
