Hypnotherapy for business owners isn't coaching, although there is an overlap.
Coaching, admittedly still a talking therapy, is somewhat more mechanical. Numbers. Targets. Goals. But what I’m keen to explore is what sits in your nature that can hold you back.
Eight states of mind where hypnotherapy helps
(1). Imposter syndrome
You somehow feel you’re not worth it. What’s the point? It usually appears as overcompensating or avoidance. In business overcompensating can appear as offering extra time or services to clients without charging. Whilst avoidance can be not taking on jobs, not selling or promote yourself because of self-doubt. You harm your business growth.
(2). Perfectionism
It’s all very well having high standards. Being relentless. But you need to know where the cut off is. Why? Time is money. You’ll end up taking too long and can you bill all that time?
And as you search for perfectionism another negative can appear. You can grind yourself to a halt with procrastination - another thief of time
(3). Work life imbalance
You simply can’t switch off. Ironically many of us set up a business to have a balance. Be closer to home. Do the school runs. Feel you’re in charge of your time. But it’s not work out that way. You have this sense that there’s always more you can do. You’re sitting there at family meals but your heads full of orders, invoicing, things left unsaid on Zoom calls. Basically you’re burning out. Lots of business owners don’t take enough annual leave, rarely take lunch breaks, and often continue working in evenings and weekends.
(4). Worrying too much
You can easily go from that feeling of being your own boss and being free of the corporate machine to feeling it’s all on your shoulders. And some. You start to worry about what could be, the hypothetical scenarios. Business owners tend to be good at thinking things through and problem solving. This can be a really valuable skill at times. But when you are constantly thinking about “what if ….” for a never-ending amount of situations, with a never-ending amount of possible outcomes, most of which will never happen, that can be come really exhausting and paralysing. You’re burning yourself out over thoughts.
(5).Letting go
You start your business. It’s your vision. Your dream. But do you really have to oversee everything? Every delivery? Approve every email? You’re going to suffocate your staff. At some point you have to stop working in the business and work on the business.
(6). Boundaries.
You have to know your limits. And feel comfortable being you. For example:
- Don’t blame yourself too much.
- Struggle with confrontation
- Turn work away
- Realise work is not a popularity contest
- Push back on customers.
(7). Switching off
With everything going on you have to learn how to stop. Slow. Things. Down.
Relaxing and getting a good night’s sleep becomes even more important. Being exhausted, battling insomnia, and not enjoying life are all symptoms of a restless business state of mind.
(8). Resilience.
When you learn to relax with hypnotherapy for business owners you can start to understand yourself better. Build a greater capacity to withstand, or to recover quickly from difficulties.
Or to realise that things have gone too far. That you need to stop, re-charge and go again.
Resilience doesn’t mean being tough. It’s about being honest with yourself. Either knowing you can dig deep, or that you have to step away. When you relax it’s easier to keep a sense of proportion.
Signs you need to check your resilience before you break:
- suddenly you find yourself getting ratty with the kids
- chewing your nails down
- living on snack foods - you’re piling on the pounds
- you don’t care about your health - you’re shedding pounds
- drinking too much coffee
- drinking too much alcohol
- taking too many drugs
- your blood pressure goes through the roof
- sex drive goes through the floor.
Three areas where I typically help business owners.
(1). Assertiveness. This is learning to say no without saying no - especially when you have a demanding client or one that matters to you and they know they do. It’s to stop the tail wagging the dog. In other words being assertive means being able to stand up for your own rights in a calm and positive way, without being either aggressive or passively accepting 'wrong'. We can work on getting your point across without upsetting others or becoming upset yourself.
(2). Self-esteem. For the moments when you doubt yourself. You think to yourself, “Can I really do this?” We can work on self-belief. Not letting negative thoughts in. Don’t waste your time. Enjoy what you’re doing.
(3). Anxiety. The feeling of worry and nervousness about the future stops you from enjoying the here and now. And part of enjoying the here and now is planning for the future and not giving it too much meaning. Don’t be distracted. Hypnotherapy for business owners is great for this. Teaching you to relax. Control what you can and not worry about the things you can’t control - the weather, the world economy, the government, the markets.
Who am I to help business owners?
I’m James Thomas. After leaving advertising I set up my own business and worked in Singapore, Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Edinburgh and Stockholm.
I then retrained to become a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist and started my business in the back room of my house. I now have offices in Leeds, York, Lincoln and Louth.
I’ve helped architects, plumbers, management consultants, accountants, civil engineers, commodity brokers, pilots and even NHS Trusts.
I’m at jamesthomas@thegentlemind.co.uk and on 07787563099.
Get in touch to talk about how we can work together to make your business a calmer place to be.
