Worried? Stressed? Anxious? Relax

Worried? Stressed? Anxious? Relax. But first some context.

Stress has been given a bad name.

It’s your body’s way of dealing with threats – imagined or real.

Sometimes this automatic process is called the “fight-or-flight” reaction, or the “stress response”.

What’s happening in your body is protecting you, say, when you slam on the brakes to avoid a car accident. It keeps you on your toes during a presentation at work. Drives you to run that bit faster in a race. Or, makes you study for an exam instead of vegging out in front of the TV.

But everything in moderation.

That's why is ask, Worried? Stressed? Anxious? Relax.

Too much stress

Stress causes a surge of hormones in your body.

Notably, the adrenaline increases your heart rate and raises your blood pressure – and cortisol. Cortisol, known as the stress hormone, can be useful, temporarily, as it increases energy by triggering the release of glucose into the bloodstream, helping you to fight or run away. But over a long period of time, cortisol can also cause:

High blood pressure
Osteoporosis
Mood swings
Lack of sex drive

Plus, if left untreated, stress can lead to psychological problems. It can make you feel distrust, anger, anxiety and fear. In turn, these negative emotions can destroy relationships both at home and at work.

Stress, Hypnosis and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Worried? Stressed? Anxious? Relax. Why is this a good thing to do? Because stress can affect how you feel, think and behave as well as how your body works, Why? Because your mind and body constantly interact with each other.

We are what we think, feel and act.

For example, if you’re stressed about a work presentation, you might not think straight, then you feel nervous and your actions change – your hands shake and you sweat.

Typical cognitive (negative thoughts) symptoms are:

Memory problems
Inability to concentrate
Poor judgment
Seeing only the negative
Anxious or racing thoughts
Constant worrying

Your behaviours (actions) change too. You are more likely to:

Eat more or less
Sleep too much, or too little
Withdraw from others - you come across as cold, distant or snappy
Procrastinate or neglect responsibilities
Use alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
Show nervous habits - nail-biting, pacing

We can work together on reducing your stress using Hypnosis to get you to focus and relax, and cognitive behavioural therapy to change how you think and act at key moments.

This helps you to learn the signs of upcoming stress and deal with it. So you feel calm and relaxed when you:

Enter the board room to make a presentation
Meet a date for the first time
Are you in the run-up to taking a penalty
Read the questions on an exam paper

We especially look at your breathing

Worried? Stressed? Nervous? Anxious? Relax. Breathing exercises are an easy win. How? Because they make your body feel like it does when you are already relaxed. Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax.

Worried? Stressed? Nervous? Anxious? Relax. How you work between sessions to become stronger

I may ask you to keep a diary of your thoughts, feelings and actions in stressful situations and how they change over time – and what you can do to help yourself. In other words think about, Worried? Stressed? Anxious? Relax. Even write to these as your heading. Think of 'relax' as what's your best coping mechanism.

For example:

practice being in the boardroom on your own, be familiar with the space, rehearse there.
exercise and smile – try being stressed then. Also getting out and exercising boosts confidence: you’re not hiding away, you're creating dopamine.
if you can take yourself to a place that “stresses you out”. Look around. Breathe deeply. Feel tall. Change how you think and feel in that moment. Forget the past. Relax in the here and now.

And always remember. You’re not alone. You’re part of a team. We work together me, your hypnotherapist, and you, my client.