Stress and anxiety

COVID-19, an unprecedented global pandemic, has had an enormous effect on virtually everybody’s life. From people not being able to see their family and friends or go out to the pub or restaurants, to children unable to attend school.

COVID-19 anxiety 

It has caused us to worry about our health, our jobs and our future. We find our lives changing daily and constant media cover can leave us feeling anxious and depressed. Although we need to keep up-to-date with the latest news watching too much can have an adverse effect on us and our mental health.

Measures like having to wear masks, social distancing and not being able to use leisure facilities all contribute to having a negative effect on our lives and way of thinking.

This pandemic has had an impact on us emotionally, physically and financially with strict government measures imposed on us and will probably continue into the foreseeable future. No wonder so many of us are feeling symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety.

How can hypnotherapy help?

Hypnotherapy is a very popular and effective way of dealing with these issues; it is drug-free and perfectly safe. You will be guided into a deep state of relaxation and then positive suggestions will be put to your subconscious mind enabling you to overcome your stress or anxiety.

Small amounts of anxiety or stress are unavoidable and usually do not necessarily cause any problems. However, if your body is under constant stress it can be very detrimental to your health, both physically and mentally. 

If anxiety is left untreated, it can cause widespread damage to the body due to stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline which enter the bloodstream. Over time, it can cause many problems such as weakening your immune system and making you more susceptible to viral illnesses, infections, and even lead to strokes and heart disease.

Typical symptoms of anxiety can include

Physical symptoms 

• headaches
• pains in the chest 
• loss of appetite 
• feeling nauseous and dizzy 
• irregular heartbeat 

Mental symptoms

• trouble sleeping 
• tearfulness 
• ruminating 
• panic attacks 
• feeling tense and nervous 
• changes in behaviour
• trouble concentrating 
• continually worrying 
• not being able to enjoy things you used to enjoy 
• problems with concentration

It’s vital to deal with the symptoms before they do too much damage.

Coping with symptoms 

Effective ways to deal with these symptoms include; using calming breathing techniques, exercising such as running or walking, yoga, talking things over with friends or family and importantly, having a healthy diet with regular healthy meals and plenty of water. 

Try not to focus on things that you cannot change and instead try to see the positive elements in your life. Avoid using stimulants such as cigarettes, drugs or alcohol as they can all contribute to poor physical and mental health.

Hypnotherapy can be a very effective tool to help with stress and anxiety. Just by teaching you how to deeply relax, it is very beneficial to help us cope with our busy lives. 

Anxiety is actually fear and can be learned subconsciously, so hypnotherapy can be used to try and get to the bottom of why you’re feeling this way and then reverse these fears and feelings. When you are in this very relaxed state, positive suggestions will be put into your subconscious to train your brain to eradicate these fears. Your subconscious is the part of the mind where experiences and information is stored, which makes Hypnotherapy an excellent method of altering these underlying feelings. 

If, for example, you have had a bad experience in the past causing you to feel anxious in social situations, it can cause a lifetime of anxiety around that experience. Being able to alter your subconscious will help alleviate these negative feelings and change them to positives.

During hypnosis, your hypnotherapist will help you feel calmer and more confident when you are in, for example, social situations: encouraging you to look at life in a much more positive way, rather than continually worrying, ruminating and thinking negative thoughts. They will help you to change your thought patterns by building up your self-confidence. As the anxiety lessens, you will find the unpleasant symptoms will begin to subside and you will start to feel so much better. Bad coping strategies that you have turned to in the past will then dissipate.

Many medical associations now recognise hypnotherapy as a very beneficial and drug-free treatment for stress, anxiety and many other conditions. Hypnosis is an effective and safe complementary technique widely used to treat a number of issues.