Strategies to manage your stress

How does hypnotherapy help with stress?

This is not intended to be an article full of "technical" or "scientific" information. I simply want to give a brief overview and some information on how hypnosis may help alleviate or control the symptoms. Stress is one the largest financial cost to industry and more work days are lost due to this than any other ailment.

Not exclusively for the workplace as people who do not go out to work also suffer from stress. Many housewives and mothers also suffer and often suffer in silence. What is it and how do you recognise if you are suffering from stress?

On the psychological plane we are all acquainted with the feeling. It can display itself as tightness, as anxiety a fear of what the future may bring. It may be a trapped feeling like being in a situation where there seems no reasonable way out.

It often feels like there is too much to do and not enough time to do it. This will sound familiar to many. Under stress, we sometimes feel very irritable, getting easily upset or angry. In addition, as the stress increases, we may begin to feel that we simply cannot cope anymore.

It is interesting when analysing what is causing your stress to consider the 80/20 rule developed I believe by Wilfred Pareto a 19th century economist.

He discovered 80% of the world's wealth was concentrated in the hands of 20% of the population. What was even more remarkable to him was that this 80/20 divide seemed to hold true in nearly every area of life.

Check to see how many of these 80/20 patterns are true for you:

• 80% of your time is spent on 20% of your problems.
• 80% of your successes come from 20% of your efforts.
• 80% of the wear on your carpets takes place in 20% of your home.
• 80% of the time you wear 20% of your clothes.

Much to think about but briefly just consider or think about, what are the 20% of your activities that cause you to feel 80% of your stress?

Who or what reduces your energy?

By now I think you get the picture and you can search the internet for more information.

In order to deal with stress in life, it is very beneficial to develop your own programme. Here is my idea of a five-part programme and you would benefit from using all five.

1. Learn self-hypnosis.
2. Start eating a sensible diet.
3. Do stretching exercises.
4. Start doing aerobic exercises.
5. Have personal plan utilising coping strategies (I list a few).

You can buy self-hypnosis material online or choose a hypnotherapist to teach you. For best results practise this twice each day as just going into the hypnotic state and remaining there quietly can have a profound effect on our system. Many people are so busy they have simply forgotten how to relax and would really benefit from chilling out twice a day.

Some ideas for coping strategies are listed below:

1. Avoid overthinking.
2. Show gratitude.
3. Develop optimism.
4. Practise kindness.
5. Develop social relationships and nurture them.
6. Live in the now and enjoy it.
7. Take care of your body.
8. Exercise daily, even gentle exercise.

A few stress busters to make you smile:

1. Accept that some days you are the pigeon and some days the statue.
2. Keep your words soft and sweet in case you have to eat them.
3. If you can't be kind at least have the decency to be vague.
4. Never put both your feet in your mouth at the same time,you won't have a leg to stand on.
5. Never buy a car you can't push (my favourite).

Enough from me. I hope you get the picture, there is help available, go find a good hypnotherapist.