Stress and anxiety seem to be reaching almost epidemic levels in our society. Here are a couple of my favourite tools to help deal with overwhelm, stress &/or anxiety. Both can be done in a matter of minutes and are simple and effective.
Reduce Anxiety with the Staircase to Relaxation Technique
This is a visualization and can alter the mindset by picturing or imagining a beautiful, relaxing, peaceful scene. Don’t worry if you feel you’re not a ‘visual’ person and you don’t get a clear picture in your mind (many of us don’t). This exercise will work in the same way, if you just get a sense or feeling that you are walking down the steps and then are in your special place.
How to do it;
Make yourself comfortable in a place you won’t be disturbed for a few minutes and close your eyes. As you breathe in and out, spend a few moments focusing on your belly rising and falling as the breath enters and leaves, without changing or forcing the breath in any way.
Now imagine that you are standing at the top of a flight of ten steps leading down to a special place of relaxation. This could be somewhere you’ve been before or just somewhere you want to imagine, but somewhere where you feel peaceful, happy and relaxed. Perhaps it’s a beautiful beach, a scene in nature, a cosy room, or it could be somewhere you imagine would be the most relaxing place you could possibly be in.
As your breathing slows down naturally, just imagine on each outbreath taking a step down your staircase, holding onto a rail if you feel you need to. As you slowly descend, count down from 10 to 1 on each outbreath, looking forward to the scene that awaits you at the bottom. With the final step imagine stepping into your relaxing place.
Use all of your senses to create as vivid a place as possible. See the colours, shapes and quality of light. Hear any sounds that add to your sense of relaxation. Notice any smells or tastes that remind you of calm. Notice how your body feels in the place, whether it is warm or cool, notice sensations like sand under your feet on the beach or a warm, soft blanket in your cosy room.
Imagine sitting down in this place for a while. As you notice the different aspects of the scene, notice the relaxation spreading through your body, perhaps from your feet to your head. Notice how your mind has also quietened.
When you are ready, you can imagine leaving your scene, drifting back up the stairs, counting back from 1 to 10 and walking back into the room. Open your eyes and have a stretch. Notice how you feel. Know that you can return to your peaceful scene whenever you need to, it’s there waiting for you in your mind.
Relieve Anxiety or Fear with the Backward Spin Tool
Anxiety and fear can be felt as a physical feeling in the body. Normally it’s a feeling of movement and usually it’s moving too fast. Often it can be a spinning feeling that keeps repeating within the body. This tool is useful for helping you to move out of a fearful or anxious state of mind and into a more positive and helpful state.
How to do it;
Locate where you feel the anxiety moving in your body and notice which way the feeling ‘spins’. You can use your hands to model the direction of the spin.
Next imagine that you can move the spin outside of your body. Imagine it still spinning in the same direction but it is now outside of you.
Once it is outside of you imagine reversing the spin in the opposite direction (and the movement of your hands if you’re using them).
Now imagine bringing this spin back into your body, rotating in the opposite direction. Notice how it feels different. Imagine adding some laughter to the spin (this starts to release ‘feel-good’ hormones in the body and changes the feeling even more). Notice how you feel calmer.
These techniques are so simple but people report immediate relief and a mind shift when using them. They are taken from a couple of great books I use and recommend;
49 Ways to Think Yourself Well by Jan Alcoe & Emily Gajewski.
The Anti-Anxiety Toolkit by Melissa Tiers.
- 2 min read
Feeling stressed?
We all experience stress at one time or another. A certain amount of stress is good for motivation, keeping us alert and ‘on our toes’ and able to perform at our best.
If however, we feel unable to cope with the amount of stress we are experiencing we have a problem. If stress becomes unbearable &/or goes on for a prolonged period of time it can cause a feeling of overwhelm and lack of control. These feelings can result in mental &/or physical health problems if they do not get dealt with.
What causes stress?
The causes of stress can be varied. There may be a series of small challenges that build up to cause you stress or it could be the result of big life changes, a shock, an overwhelming amount of responsibility or high pressured environments. Other causes include; financial worries, relationship problems, work pressure, injury, illness or a bereavement. Also, positive events that require a lot of planning such as a wedding or a house move can cause stress levels to soar!
Let hypnotherapy help you...
We will identify the root cause of the reaction to stress and decide how you would prefer to feel about the situation/s or triggers. You will be given practical and effective mindset strategies and relaxation techniques to use to cope and deal with stress. You will also be provided with a personalized audio recording, which will reinforce the work we've done in the session and help you to feel calmer, more relaxed and able to cope by shifting thoughts and feelings into a new perspective.
Following hypnotherapy clients report feeling;
Emotionally & mentally balanced
Able to deal with confrontation in a calmer manner
Assertive and able to maintain stronger boundaries when with others
Confident and in control
Able to get a good night's sleep
Generally more relaxed and less anxious
How many sessions will be required?
It really depends on each person and their unique situation but most issues can be helped in between 3 and 6 sessions of hypnosis or often 1-3 sessions of Rapid Transformational Therapy. We will discuss this and create a treatment plan together.
- 3 min read
Sugar is something we consume every day. It's in our coffee, in our tomato sauce and in that chocolate bar we treat ourselves to. It can be easy to overload on sugar, sometimes without being aware of the negative effects excessive sugar is having on our bodies and minds. Many of us are addicted to sugar and we actually get cravings and withdrawals from it- similar to drug addiction!
Sugar’s effect on the brain;
Sugar fuels every cell in the brain and influences brain chemicals, too. Overloading on sugary foods may alter the brain receptors that regulate how much we eat. In laboratory studies, rats that binged on sugar had brain changes that mimicked those of drug withdrawal. In humans, just seeing pictures of milkshakes triggered brain activity similar to that seen in drug addicts.
Researchers think a pattern of withholding and bingeing (not the sugar itself), may lead to addictive-like behaviour and even brain changes. Sugar influences the same "feel-good" brain chemicals - including serotonin and dopamine - as illicit drugs. When these chemicals are released into the bloodstream they last for a short time and when they are depleted this causes a mini-withdrawal, which can cause you to crave more sugar. The more sugar you consume the more your body adapts, so similarly to drug addiction, you need more and more sugar to get the same 'high'.
Other negative effects of excessive sugar on the body;
Apart from the confusion that the body and mind goes through when you’re addicted to sugar, there are other health risks from over indulging in sweet treats. Excessive sugar in the diet can cause low energy, mood swings, metabolic imbalance, obesity or weight gain, heart disease, diabetes (type 2), high blood pressure, tooth decay and has been linked to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Sugar is highly acidic and because of this can cause inflammation in the body. And… if the above list isn’t scary enough, sugar is known to ‘feed’ cancer cells, speeding their growth in the body. Read more here; http://bit.ly/2hdOUHg
The yo-yo effect of sugar;
A 'sugar high' happens when, for example you eat cake and the sugar in that treat - called a simple carbohydrate - is quickly converted to glucose in your bloodstream. Your blood sugar levels rise and spike when simple carbs are eaten alone - for example when you grab a mid-afternoon chocolate bar or biscuit. All simple carbs are absorbed quickly, especially the processed, concentrated sugars found in syrup, fizzy drinks, sweets and table sugar. Simple carbs are also found in fruit, veg and dairy products - but fibre and protein in these foods cause slower absorption and provide wholesome nutrients, so the sugar spike doesn’t happen.
The 'sugar low' happens because after a sugary snack, your pancreas releases the hormone insulin to move the glucose out of the bloodstream -- and into your cells for energy. As a result, experts say, your blood sugar level may drop pretty dramatically. That afternoon chocolate bar has set you up for more bad eating. When you have a very high spike followed by a very low drop, you tend to get hungry again. Low blood sugar leaves you feeling shaky, dizzy and searching for more sweets to regain that sugar "high."
So how much is too much?
For adults the total sugar daily consumption shouldn’t make up more than 5% of your daily calorie intake- that’s a maximum of 30 grams (roughly 7 sugar cubes). And for children it’s 19 grams (5 sugar cubes) for 4-6 year olds and no more than 24 grams ( 6 sugar cubes) for 7-10 year olds.
How to limit your sugar intake;
Take the following steps to kick the sugar habit. The less you eat, the less you will want as your taste buds get re-trained;
Make sure you eat a balanced diet with enough fruits and vegetables
Drink extra water
Check food labels and choose those that don’t contain sugar
Eat high protein foods- they digest more slowly and keep you feeling fuller for longer. Choose lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts and beans
Include fibre- whole grains and fruit and veg again. This will keep you full for longer and help fight any sugar cravings
Avoid obvious sugary foods and drinks- fizzy drinks, chocolate, cake, sweets and also be aware of the added sugar in convenience foods such as baked beans, tomato sauce and pre-packaged meals.
Also, starch converts to simple sugar- so cut down on foods containing white rice and flour such as pastries, bagels, white bread, crackers and also chips and crisps.
If you feel that you need a bit of help with kicking the sugar our Sugar Reduction Hypnosis Programme can help. Read more on our treatments page.
