Anxiety explained

Life is full of situations that can cause you stress and anxiety and nearly all of us get anxious from time to time.  You may have noticed that some people manage this events whilst others are easily overwhelmed.  The people who manage stress are no different to you, except that they have learned effective stress management skills.  Solution focused hypnotherapy can help you  to learn anxiety and stress management skills.  By reducing stress and anxiety this can have a beneficial effect on the immune system and by increasing your serotonin naturally this will further boost your immune system.

Generally anxiety is oriented towards things that have not happened yet, whereas depression looks to the past although sometimes it is not quite this simple, you may look at past events and they may make you feel anxious. Anxiety is caused by stress which is a reaction of the autonomic nervous system to real or imagined danger and is the human body's instinctive defence against attack and some people are more predisposed to anxiety than others.    In the event of threatened danger or physical attack the fight or flight mechanism kicks in and your body releases adrenaline in order to boost your ability to fight off the attacker or run away quicker than normal.  Once the danger has passed your body should return to normal.  When this does not happen it can disrupt our sleep patterns, affect digestion, your relationships both at home and at work and can lead onto conditions like IBS, insomnia, raised cholesterol, grinding of your teeth and Trichotillomania (hair pulling).  It sometimes causes an individual to suffer from OCD and phobias.

Prolonged anxiety is often accompanied by changes in the brain chemistry and the flow of Serotonin is stopped when we are depressed as we don't produce any chemicals at all.  When we are anxious we produce an overload of adrenalines, stress hormones and therefore have increased levels of Serotonin.  Therefore we want to work within both of these parameters and have a healthy balance of Serotonin. 

Stress which is a high state of nervous arousal characterised by nervousness, uncertainty, anticipation, impatience and trepidation, triggers the 'fight, flight, depression' response, which is there to protect us in times of danger and was very useful in the days of cavemen when you could have been chased by a sabre-toothed tiger but when we experience high levels of stress today we are on permanent 'alert' and you need to reduce the level of emotional arousal surrounding this so that it is not constantly looking for danger.  Hypnotherapy can help you to perceive stress differently and help you to create more positive responses.  This could be caused by worrying about redundancy, family, financial worries.

Symptoms of anxiety and stress include:-

 

• anxious feelings especially in your stomach
• low self esteem
• irritability and angry outbursts
• constantly worrying
• thinking negatively
• being unable to switch off
• drinking alcohol
• smoking more than usual
  
• feeling breathless
  
• imsomnia - not being able to get to sleep, stay asleep or waking up early
• talking more or faster
• changing your eating habits - eating too much or not eating enough
• not wanting to socialise
• finding it difficult to concentrate
• muscle tension and aches and pains throughout your body
• migraines and headaches
• bladder or bowel problems
• being forgetful

Stress has been linked to most health problems, including heart attacks and strokes.  When you are over-stressed this can lead to low work performance, sleep issues, absent mindedness, lack of interest in life, drinking more alcohol or drugs and many other unwelcome results.  Whereas people who respond well to stress and know how to prevent unnecessary anxiety are typically top performers.  Some of the results that you may see when using hypnotherapy to help you ease stress and anxiety include:

• increase your energy levels and focus
• allowing you to deal effectively with authority, roles and limits
• increasing your tolerance to frustration during difficult circumstances
• allowing you to adapt to the situations that arise in your life and move forward
• helping you to develop a sense of belonging
• letting you show friendliness, care and love
• allowing you to enjoy your leisure time
• allowing you to relax and sleep better
• releasing your sense of humour and the ability to laugh at yourself
• allowing you to demonstrate a reasonable sense of independence and self sufficiency

Hypnotherapy for anxiety and stress gives us the ability to cope in a variety of situations and a calm and effective manner and enable you to become more focused and in control.  You will be able to control your anxiety levels and have a calmer, more confident approach to any situation that you find yourself in.   If you have been suffering from anxiety and stress then you should discuss this with your GP.  Hypnotherapy can work alongside medication prescribed by your doctor, i.e. anti-depressants.

It is important when you are suffering from anxiety to find ways to relax and help give clarity to your feelings.  With Solution Focused Hypnotherapy we do not focus on the issue that has caused you to feel anxious but on the desired outcome.  One of the main principles within hypnotherapy is that you have the power within your subconscious mind but may just need a little help from a hypnotherapist to harness this.  Hypnotherapy can enable you to experience deep relaxation which should allow you to feel more in control.