There’s no getting away from the fact that winter can have a negative effect on us physically and mentally…
…but did you know that by using a few mental tools, you can not only survive but thrive to beat the winter blues?
Research shows that there is a general increase in stress levels amongst the western population as the year draws to a close, and during the first couple of months of the new year. This time of year is also associated with financial instability, increases in domestic disputes, and mental health problems.
There are many factors involved in this – including the burden on time and money throughout the festive season; dark, cold winter months; and it being the time of year that people generally re-evaluate their lives.
However, there are several ways a few simple ‘mind tools’ can help to ease this burden.
The issue of stress is a complex one, and I don’t intend this to be a complete answer all for the issues. I do know however that taking a few minutes a day to allow the tension to subside can have a significant impact on stress levels. A simple self hypnosis session, taking 20 minutes or so every day, will significantly help – and there’s a fantastic selection of high quality downloads to get you started right here. If you’d like something specifically for winter blues, try this.
The overall result of taking time out to care for yourself in this way will mean more focus, and more energy and drive to get everything you need done.
We are significantly impacted by sunlight and shorter daylight hours, along with spending more time indoors. Again issues such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and medical conditions are beyond the scope of this article; but by using creative visualisation techniques, you can have an impact on how you feel. A simple idea like visualising yourself relaxing on a warm beach somewhere can take a lot of tension out of the day, and bring you back to something like normality…but there are some things we can do to increase the benefits still further.
One issue that seems to come up regularly at the end of a year is that people re-evaluate what they have achieved, and formulate their goals for the coming year. The impact of this can be dissatisfaction with the previous year, and a feeling of nothing changing for the year ahead. Here self hypnosis and NLP techniques can really help.
Your unconscious mind is the store house for all of your memories, emotions and habitual behaviour.
It is also where you keep your beliefs, values and identity. Using self hypnosis and NLP techniques, you can draw a lot of these things into your conscious awareness and potentially change them. The implications of this can be life changing, for example:
- Changing habits such as nail biting, smoking, or comfort eating.
- Letting go of negative emotions like social anxiety, fear of failure, and depressive states.
- Installing empowering ideas, beliefs and values such as self confidence, abundance thinking, or the ability to grow your business and improve your relationships.
By being able to let go of negative emotions around what you don’t want – and increasing your motivation for what you do want – you are creating a self propelling unconscious guided missile that is always driving you towards a better life.
Imagine being able to do this in twenty minutes a day, and it taking as much effort as a nap. However, as with everything else, achieving this level of proficiency takes practice – but you get back what you put in. Think for a moment about all the stress and strain of life generally; and consider the implications of not only surviving but thriving, growing and developing a better future just through a daily twenty minute rest. This powerful form of self care can see you through the winter blues – and beyond.
If you feel as though you have deeper issues you may need help with, I am a qualified hypnotherapist, experienced in supporting clients to make the changes they want in their lives (see my success stories). I am based in Canterbury, Kent and Peckham, London SE15; and also offer online sessions, wherever in the world you may be. Please feel welcome to call me on 07947 475721 for a free no-obligation 15 minute phone consultation to see how I can help.