anxiety

Coping with uncertainty

Caroline Jago general , , , , 0 Comment

Living under changing covid-19 restrictions has impacted us for a number of months now, and is likely to continue to affect the future for many.  As our abilities to make plans in such an unpredictable environment are diminished, how can we learn to cope with uncertainty in order to help our mental health?

Why is uncertainty stressful?

Uncertainty occurs when our sense of familiar shifts, and things are in a state of flux – where no one knows what will happen next, or what a new normal might look like once the dust settles. The human body is hardwired to react to uncertainty in the same way as our brains are designed to assess potential dangers. Therefore uncertainty and unpredictability result in our nervous systems being on high alert; ready to react through fight, flight, or freeze.

Worrying is also a consequence of our desire to be in control – whether in terms of our environment, or the outcome of a situation. But the more we attempt to control everything around us, the more stressed we feel – which can eventually become a vicious circle.

Therefore the first and most vital step towards becoming more accepting of uncertainty – and better at dealing with it – is to understand that almost nothing is certain. Maintaining a sense of perspective is also vital – viruses and diseases have been with us since the dawn of time; and humans have adapted to living along a spectrum of medical, physical, and mental health risks. Some cultures spend lifetimes in challenging environments with little or no access to clean water, food, or sanitation – but still learn how to adapt, survive, and thrive. Such changes in perspective can result in a shift from despair to hope.

Learning how to cope with uncertainty brings many benefits. Making the most of whatever resources we have – and mastering challenges – can increase confidence, build resilience, and develop skills which all contribute to us creating a more fulfilling life.

What can we do about it?

Actions that can help you become more comfortable with uncertainty include:

    • Practising kindness, compassion and empathy towards yourself and others.
    • Staying hydrated —many people don’t drink enough water, and even mild dehydration exacerbates anxiety.
    • Noticing your breathing, and make your breathing slower and deeper. Stress and uncertainty tends to make breathing faster and more shallow, which becomes a vicious circle as the brain is starved of oxygen thus increasing anxiety.
    • Getting moving. Exercise flushes the body’s stress hormones; and even during winter, there are plenty of free routines and tutorials on YouTube for whatever level you feel comfortable with. This also applies to more mindful forms of exercise such as yoga.
    • Reminding yourself of your core values – the personal principles by which you live.
    • Doing at least one thing that aligns with these core values, something you can genuinely feel positive about.
    • Remembering to be grateful for whatever you do have. Imagine what life would be like without the people or things in your life you perhaps take for granted, in order to realise how fortunate you are.
    • If you can, being of service and doing something meaningful for those less fortunate. Reminding ourselves how we can add value to the lives of others, no matter how small, reinforces our own sense of meaning and purpose.
    • Taking action to become part of a solution. This can take many forms – from educating yourself (and maybe others), to becoming involved with groups campaigning for the changes you wish to see. Giving yourself a sense of control and purpose in this way not only gives you the opportunity to engage with something you’re passionate about – potentially with other like-minded people – but diminishes the helplessness which often contributes to anxiety. Be the change you seek!

How will this help?

When you learn to cope with uncertainty, you’ll have more time and energy to devote to the things you do have control over – and this can be key to reaching your highest potential. Remembering that ‘this too shall pass’ can also motivate us to become more appreciative, charitable, and selfless. And because crises disrupt the familiar and comfortable, these shifting sands also offer rare opportunities for growth and change. Such possibilities might not have existed before, at least not in our conscious awareness – but the situation can impair our ability to realise and potentially make the most of such opportunities. However, post-traumatic growth can become a reality if we are able to find meaning and learn lessons in the aftermath of stressful circumstances – and may be the best way we can contemplate the future for ourselves once the pandemic is over.

If you need support throughout this process, I am a qualified hypnotherapist and coach who can support and empower you through this process of change (see my success stories). I offer online sessions wherever in the world you may be, so please feel welcome to call me on 07947 475721 for a free no-obligation 15 minute phone consultation – and soon you will be able to take new coping skills into whatever the future holds.

Coping with climate anxiety

Caroline Jago coaching, hypnotherapy , , , , , , , , , 0 Comment

tree at sunset - connecting with nature is part of managing climate anxiety

Almost every part of our existence is a gift from our planet’s biosphere. This includes the air we breathe, the food we eat, the buildings we live in, the elements that form our physical bodies, and the homeostasis that sustains life. Research demonstrates that our mood, health, and behaviour can improve when we spend time in nature. This in turn can contribute significantly to managing stress generally – and in particular, coping with climate anxiety.

Scientists have long been warning about environmental harm caused by human practices. Yet the destruction continues, and the consequences amplify each year. As a result, anxiety about the future of our planet is increasing. This despair about our individual and collective futures – sometimes referred to as eco-anxiety – can exacerbate existing stress, and contribute to a sense of futility.

What next?

Given the urgency of the climate crisis – and a personal lifelong passion for environmental protection – I am now offering help with coping with climate anxiety. There are ways we can manage our overwhelm, both personally and collectively. Actively facing our fears and learning ways we can empower ourselves and our communities can turn this fear into a positive force for action. This in turn inspires hope, as we start to work with the capabilities we already have. There are some excellent resources here to get you started: Climate Psychology Alliance

Seeing a qualified hypnotherapist and coach who is actively involved in the ecological movement can help you make peace with these feelings, and empower you to take positive steps forward (see my success stories in related areas). I am based in Canterbury and London; 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 – and soon you can be a proud part of the solution.

8 ways to communicate confidently

Caroline Jago hypnotherapy , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comment

confident meeting

Not many of us believe we are great speakers, nor do we necessarily find ourselves comfortable when encountering new people and situations. How often have you found yourself rehearsing your words ahead of a meeting? Even though some might feel or appear more confident, it would be fair to say that they too occasionally get cold feet. Nervousness or palpitations can indicate a lack of self confidence – but there are ways you can help yourself.

Low self confidence can affect you in numerous ways: exam nerves, fear of public speaking, job interviews, meeting new people, stage fright, fear of being laughed at – to name just a few. Some of us experience visible or physical signs of low confidence such as sweating, stammering, shaking, or blushing.

So here are a few ways you can overcome this…

1. Start with what you know. If you have a presentation coming up, rehearse what you’ll say the first minute or so, preferably keeping it focused on something you know and understand well. If you start confidently, the nerves will decrease as you gradually settle into what you’re saying.

2. Listen – both to others who speak confidently, and yourself. Listening to the sound of your own voice, and enhancing your delivery with techniques from confident speakers, can teach you to speak with conviction.

3. Be humble. We all make mistakes, so don’t be afraid to occasionally check that everyone understands you – and if you do make a mistake, just make a joke out of it. People naturally warm to those who show their human side.

4. Maintain gentle eye contact. Be sure to include everyone in the room when talking to a group.

5. Crack a joke! A little bit of humour can work wonders, helping to lift any tension. You’ll get the attention of the majority of the crowd, and they’ll see you as warm and approachable.

6. Find points in common with your listeners. Interaction helps with sharing ideas – as well as learning more about others, and how else you can potentially interest them.

7. Smile! Much like eye contact, the non-verbal elements of your communication can make all the difference. You can better express yourself when you smile – and the warmth will come across in your voice as well.

8. Prepare. If appropriate, make a note of the key points you wish to communicate, and have them in front of you to help you maintain your focus. Rehearse a few times beforehand, and even if you don’t end up needing notes, just having them to hand can be reassuring. You might even ask someone you trust to give you feedback.

What next?

If you’ve tried most or all of these and are still struggling, there may be something holding you back at the subconscious level – and this is where hypnotherapy can help you. By addressing the root of low confidence – your self image in your own eyes – hypnosis helps you get rid of unwanted beliefs about yourself, helps clear the clutter in your mind, and can help you discover a new you. By using hypnotherapy, you can take care of most problems related to anxiety.

Fear of the situation can become reinforced the more you encounter it, and hypnotherapy for confidence can help you beat it. By working on your inner confidence and focusing on all your positive skills and attributes, hypnotherapy clears your mind – and this clarity is manifested externally through a sense of self confidence and assertiveness. You can try it out right now with these downloads (with a more comprehensive programme here).

However, there may be events in your past which contributed to your present situation, which may make it more helpful to work with someone who understands your individual history and circumstances. Seeing a qualified hypnotherapist such as myself can help you make peace with these, quickly and effectively. As a performing musician also, I understand especially well such feelings of stage fright; and have helped many of my clients with these issues (see my success stories). I am based in Canterbury and London; 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 – and soon you’ll be able to look back on that old anxiety as a thing of the past.

anxiety

Anxiety can become a vicious circle, constantly reinforcing itself: hypnotherapy for anxiety helps break that cycle.

Hypnosis gently and calmly helps you gain relief and new perspectives on your anxiety. It also offers effective ways to manage anxiety mentally, physically, and in real world situations. Having completed the Association for Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy ‘Banish Anxiety’ course, I’ll give you tried and tested methods you can use in your life to feel calm and rise above anxiety.

Find out more…

 

Blog post:
How hypnotherapy can help with anxiety and depression		 Blog post:
How hypnosis can cure social anxiety

 

 
confident meetingBlog post:
8 ways to communicate confidently

 

 

 Success stories:
Hypnotherapy in pregnancy
Resources:
Reasons to stay alive | Matt Haig (book)		 Resources:
Generalised anxiety disorder (audio download)

How hypnosis can help with anxiety and depression

Caroline Jago hypnotherapy , , , , , , , 0 Comment

Mental health issues are finally gaining wider awareness and understanding generally. But just because the conversation is expanding, there is still a long way to go – and many people still suffering in silence. Anxiety and depression are two of the most common conditions, and while the link between them might not be obvious at first, they are different sides of the same coin.

What’s the difference?

Depression tends to focus on ruminating on the past, frequently accompanied by an inability to find meaning in the present; whilst anxiety tends to manifest as worrying about the future. Both conditions can be exhausting to the extent that they impact upon the most vital elements of a healthy life – such as sleep, diet, and interpersonal relationships.

People suffering with depression can learn to accept and work with ambiguous circumstances, as well as to search for and focus on meaning in their life. Learning to relax with uncertainty also benefits those with anxiety; as does learning ways to dial down the hyper-vigilance that if left unchecked, can result in extreme manifestations such as panic attacks, agoraphobia, or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Unhealthy coping mechanisms such as smoking or excessive alcohol consumption can also arise as a consequence.

What do they have in common?

Both conditions have stress at their root. This is a state we experience when there is a mismatch between perceived demands and our perceived ability to cope. Stress can also be defined as an adaptive physical response to change in the environment. The stress response evolved to protect us, enabling humans to deal with life threatening dangers such as being confronted with a wild animal. Such situations required action – hence the activation of the stress response to fight, flight, or freeze.

Our brains have not evolved as swiftly as our modern lives have, therefore this stress response to demanding situations is still with us. We all experience stress in different ways depending upon our personality type and past conditioning. Exercise can help flush out stress hormones, but it is better to deal with the cause rather than the symptom, and learn better coping strategies. Likewise, learning to recognise depressive thinking styles (such as all-or-nothing thinking, and catastrophising) can empower us to challenge them when they arise.

So how does hypnotherapy help?

Hypnotherapy is different from any other form of therapy because of the way in which the therapy part happens while in hypnosis – itself a natural focused state of absorption. It is a very effective combination of a trance-like altered state of mind with deep relaxation, which allows the chosen therapy to be even more effective. Therapies can include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), suggestion therapy, regression, ego states therapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or hypnoanalysis to name just some examples.

Hypnosis allows you to enter a state of deep relaxation, which in itself is a very useful therapy for managing stress. It also allows one to become calm and focused, as all parts of the mind work together and concentrate on solving the problem at hand; and therefore make the most effective use of the chosen therapy as it is applied. All parts of the mind work in harmony for the good of the whole being.

Are there any other benefits?

Hypnotherapy is a proven method for overcoming both anxiety and depression; as well as being positive, rewarding, safe, and gentle. Someone who has undergone hypnosis will not only learn to manage their symptoms but will have more confidence, increased self esteem, and a clearer and more positive perspective on life. Hypnosis calms the nerves, the mind, and the whole body; while alleviating the stress and anxiety that an individual may experience. It is a fascinating process that explores the resources of the subconscious mind – and the beliefs, behaviours, and thinking patterns of the individual become more positive and empowered as a consequence.

Under hypnosis, an individual can both visualise and feel themselves free from anxiety or depression. Hypnotherapy will allow you to live a richer and more rewarding life without these conditions stopping you from reaching your goals. You can try it out right now with these downloads for anxiety or these downloads for depression. However, if you prefer therapy focused on your individual personality and circumstances, I am a fully qualified hypnotherapist who has undertaken specialist training in both anxiety and depression, and have helped many of my clients overcome these conditions (see my success stories). I am based in Canterbury and London; 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 – you don’t need to suffer in silence.

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

Depression in young people

Caroline Jago general , , , , , , , 0 Comment
depression in young people

teenager with sad face mask

School holidays can be a testing time for families. Parents try to find new ways to keep children and teens occupied, while young people themselves may be missing school friends. They may try to assert their own independence. Or they may simply be bored, no matter what activities are available. But what if problems are a symptom of something more concerning?

Many people wonder if depression in young people is real. In the case of teens, adults may attribute symptoms of depression to normal teen emotional swings. But experts and paediatricians point out that children and teens really can get depressed, and may be afflicted with the true illness of depression.

What causes depression in young people? 

As in adults, depression in young people may have multiple causes, or one cause that varies among individuals. There are some factors that are unique to certain stages of life, however.

Children

Children, like adults, may become depressed because of genetics. They may have inherited a tendency toward depression, and perhaps there was a trigger that caused it to surface.

Children may become depressed due to parents’ relationship difficulties, as they are uniquely affected by their immediate family’s dynamic.

Bullying at school is also something children may have to face that is not a factor for adults. The same goes for cyber-bullying, which can have devastating consequences. Low self-esteem can also develop through comparing themselves to peers on social media.

A child with a tendency toward perfectionism may be more prone to depression as well. Children with this tendency may ‘beat themselves up’ unnecessarily over failures or perceived failures.

Teens

This age group is considered particularly prone to depression, possibly due in part to the hormonal upheavals of the teenage years. But be careful. It’s easy for adults to take this information and think ‘it’s just hormones’ and therefore think the depression does not need to be addressed. Experts agree that depression, regardless of its cause, is something that should be addressed and treated.

Teens may also be dealing with the bullying/self-esteem issues mentioned above, or even just ‘harmless’ teasing. They may be experiencing their first crush; or rejection from the opposite sex, or indeed same sex. And realising one’s sexuality and then facing the prospect of coming out is an additional and potentially enormous minefield for those affected. (This download might help in this instance.)

Other causes may be purely physiological. Maybe nothing is particularly wrong in the teen’s life, but his or her brain just seems to run in a depressed mode.

What are the signs?

Here are some warning signs of depression in young people.

Children

Parents should be vigilant for any talk about suicide or morbid fascination with death. Other sources point out that television and films should be carefully monitored. Parents should be wary both of potentially depressing subject matter, and of the psychological effects of TV viewing in general (studies show that children who watch six or more hours of TV a day are more prone to depression).

  • Sleep disturbances or changes in sleep habits
  • Sudden increase or decrease in appetite
  • Angry outbursts and/or irritability
  • Lack of interest in social activities or friends
  • ‘Touchy’ about perceived rejection
Teens

Some of the signs of depression in teens are like those in children; some are different. As with children, parents of teens should be keenly aware of any indications of suicidal thoughts. Music, films, and television are also sources of potentially depressing images and subject matter – although it’s important to emphasise that an attraction to these may be a symptom rather than a cause. Also, many teens attracted to ‘alternative’ subcultures can find solace and support there. Non-mainstream interests can be a positive indication of independent thinking and inner confidence.

Other signs may include:

  • Weight loss or gain
  • Over-exercise
  • Binge eating and/or obsessive dieting
  • Angry outbursts/yelling at parents
  • Withdrawal from social activities and family
How can hypnotherapy help?

If your child shows some of these signs over a period of time, consider whether they would be open to seeing someone who could help them. Hypnotherapy can be an extremely effective way of working with depression in young people on a number of levels. In particular, it’s significant that in hypnotherapy they don’t have to talk about their issues if they don’t want to, or feel able to. But, like adults, they appreciate the deeply calming relaxation involved in hypnotherapy. And this can help them gain perspective and develop control over their issues, and then work towards clarity and understanding. If they want to give it a quick try, this download might be a good starting point.

I am a qualified hypnotherapist, experienced in working with depression (see my success stories). I’ve completed the acclaimed Uncommon Knowledge course ‘How To Lift Depression Fast’. And I have good experience in with working with young people, including treating depression. I am based in Canterbury and London; and also undertake online sessions, wherever in the world you may be. I offer a free no-obligation 15 minute phone consultation, so please do get in touch on 07947 475721 if depression affects you or your child – I can help.

How hypnosis can cure social anxiety

Caroline Jago hypnotherapy , , , , 0 Comment
social anxiety

man sitting alone in crowd

Why do we have emotions? Wouldn’t life be simpler without them? No, like everything else in human makeup, emotions exist to keep us safe and alive, and able to thrive. Contained in the word “emotion” is the word “motion”. And emotions get us to move, either towards something or away from it. OK, but what does this have to do social anxiety?

Well, we all have the same basic human needs – warmth, security, love, connection, food and shelter. We also have further needs for status, significance, attention, stimulation, creativity and so on. Some emotions draw us to things we feel will meet these needs, and continue our survival. And other emotions drive us away from experiences or situations which, we feel, would do the opposite.

But sometimes our feelings direct us the wrong way. Our emotions mainly get it right and drive us toward what’s good for us and away from the bad. But not always.

Your basic human needs draw you towards social contact – but social anxiety drives you away 

Someone with social anxiety both wants and doesn’t want social contact. Their feelings are pulling and pushing them in different directions. A socially anxious person instinctively knows, as we all do, that they need social contact, but at the same time they fear and avoid it. We avoid what we fear – but we then start to fear what we avoid.

Furthermore, the more you avoid something, the greater the fear becomes. It’s as if your ’emotional brain’ looks at your behaviour and thinks: “We’re avoiding this situation so much that it must be really dangerous. So I’d better ramp up the fear some more, to quite make sure we keep avoiding it.” So we avoid what we fear, but we can also come to fear something just because we avoid it so much.

To complicate matters further, you can fully believe something is good for you but still flee from it. Likewise, you can fully believe something (or someone) is bad for you but it, or they, continue to attract you. It’s primal emotional conditioning geared towards survival that drives our fears, rather than ‘faulty thinking’. So they don’t respond much to reasoning. It’s more effective instead to access and modify these primitive drivers through hypnosis.

Social anxiety treatment with hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy offers a safe and relaxed way for someone to experience a situation they would normally avoid. For someone with social anxiety, a party would be a typical example.

If you can experience what it would be like to feel relaxed and spontaneous at a party a few times while in hypnosis, this is a sufficiently strong indication to your emotional brain that this situation isn’t dangerous. This kind of social event can now be reclassified as one you can go safely towards, it decides – before you’ve even been to an actual party. Likewise, someone who hasn’t left their house for years can, under hypnosis, “experience” going outside before they walk out of the door in real life. The process is under their fully control, in sync with a relaxed mind and body. And when they then leave the house or go to a party for real, it will already feel familiar, and therefore safer.

When I work with someone with social anxiety it’s generally apparent the fears have gone the moment they open their eyes. They know the experience in hypnosis of the feared situation wasn’t “real”, of course. Nonetheless, their subconscious now has a positive new blueprint for responding calmly to social situations in future. And then being socially relaxed becomes the new normal.

Next steps

The new 10 steps to overcome social anxiety course has a hypnotic download for each step of the way. This is partly to develop and hone social skills during hypnotic rehearsal, and also so people experience hypnotic “safe” social experiences before they go into these situations for real. In this way the being driven away from feelings of fear can gently be replaced with the happier drawn towards feelings of pleasure and positive expectation when it comes to socialising and meeting new people.

I am a qualified life coach and hypnotherapist, experienced in coaching clients to help them make the changes they want in their lives (see my success stories). And I can help you move forward too. I am based in Canterbury and London; 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 if social anxiety affects you or a loved one – I can help.

All about mental health

Caroline Jago general , , , , , ,
mental health issues

woman alone on bus with distorted reflections in windows

I’ve been focusing strongly on mental health so far this year, including starting a NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Awareness of Mental Health Problems. I also attended a couple of good events that I’d like to discuss.

Before I do, it’s such a positive sign that these discussions are even taking place. People are increasingly open about their mental health struggles. I’m no fan of celebrity culture, but I applauded Mariah Carey’s bravery in revealing her bipolar disorder recently. This – and similar revelations by those in the public eye – will give courage to many who have struggled with the same symptoms but not known what to do. Or not even realised that there was a name for them. For far too long the media has ridiculed sufferers, and ignorant attitudes have prevailed. All too often sufferers are told ‘pull yourself together’, ‘man up’ or ‘move on’. None of which helps those struggling to manage their symptoms, which often result from factors outside their control in the first place.

Mental health in the workplace

It was with interest that I ventured to the recent Minds@Work event – in their own words, ‘a community of like-minded professionals coming together to break the stigma of depression and anxiety in the working world.’ Handily they have put all the talks up on their website, including stories from two gentlemen whose mental health had impacted upon their careers – and how they had overcome this adversity. There was also an excellent demonstration of best practice from insurance firm Legal & General. They not only employ sixty Mental Health First Aiders, but have a great campaign underway called ‘Not A Red Card Offence’, engaging famous sportspeople to help shift the stigma (the power of celebrity again). Impressive!

It’s encouraging to see the business world starting to grasp the nettle. In fact, I’m increasingly seeing executives seeking treatment. People start to buckle under the strain of a culture where being a workaholic is seen as a positive attribute. In reality, it inevitably strains relationships with their families and other loved ones – especially if they resort to coping mechanisms such as drugs, alcohol, or gambling.

Mental health in the music industry

The next event was close to my heart: a Mental Health Workshop run by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA). As a professional musician myself, I have seen firsthand the impacts of a lifestyle that’s often over-romanticised. Long days composing, rehearsing, or touring, with longer nights performing, take their toll on health and relationships. The near impossibility of earning any reasonable income from one’s talents doesn’t help. (Did you know a band/artist earns only 0.001p from each play on Spotify, for example?) So this event was intended to provide a taster of skills based on neuroscience and cognitive behavioural psychology to empower musicians as they progress against such unfavourable odds, courtesy of Music for Mental Wealth. It was good to see some of the techniques I use with my own clients gaining wider traction. And I’m optimistic that these sorts of conversations are becoming more common.

Find the help you need

So if you or anyone close to you is feeling the strain of a mental health issue, remember you’re not alone. You can get help from a number of local sources and support groups. Ask your GP for advice in the first instance too. Although medication works for some people, it doesn’t really represent a long-term solution. A qualified therapist can help you get to the root of the issue and teach you coping mechanisms as appropriate. This may entail making some lifestyle and work-life balance changes. But as the old adage says, no-one on their deathbed wishes they’d spent more time at work. If you need to take action on this front immediately, I recommend this download.

Hypnotherapy or coaching might be right for you regarding these (or any other) issues. I am a qualified life coach and hypnotherapist, experienced in coaching clients to help them make the changes they want in their lives (see my success stories). And I can help you move forward too. 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. And if you work for an employer who runs staff well-being events, I also undertake corporate sessions – feel free to put me in touch with your HR department.

In the meantime, thanks for reading; and let’s do our best to support anyone we know – or suspect – who may be struggling with their mental health.

Managing stress with hypnosis

Caroline Jago hypnotherapy , , , ,
Managing stress

peaceful woman in nature

Managing stress is arguably one of the greatest challenges facing us as a society in modern times. How can hypnotherapy help with the increasing levels of stress we all face?

It’s important first of all to put in perspective. Stress can be good as a motivating factor. It can help us overcome challenges, keeping us on our toes and ensuring that we meet our responsibilities. After all, it serves an evolutionary purpose – the fight/flight mechanism helped our ancestors survive when encountering predators. However, the human brain hasn’t evolved nearly as fast as our way of living, so the same response is triggered by a traffic jam as by a sabre-toothed tiger! And we need to learn ways of managing this.

Techniques for managing stress

Breathing techniques are the most immediate tools to learn in managing stress. These allow us to activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system – the body’s natural calming down mechanism. And we can also practise self-hypnosis. This is important for several reasons. Firstly, it makes us make time to relax. And the more the mind and body practice relaxation, the better they get at it. Our neural networks work in much the same way as our physical bodies do in automatically taking the most familiar route. So make it a good one! You can try out self-hypnosis right now with these stress relieving downloads.

In managing stress, it’s also important to identify any fundamental human needs that may be being neglected. The obvious but often-overlooked ones are sleep, nutrition, exercise, socialising and play (yes, play!) As stress tends to come from different directions it’s not always easy to identify a single cause, but this process can still help people take a step back and look at their life in a fresh perspective.

Hypnotherapy can also help people return to the source of their stress, as it often originates from an early age. Trying to meet the expectations of parents and other significant people in a person’s childhood is a common cause – and these stress responses have magnified in later life with an increase in responsibilities. Identifying patterns formed in childhood can, however, improve abilities in managing stress in the here and now.

Hypnotherapy is deeply relaxing in itself – some people say afterwards it is the most relaxed they have ever felt in their lives (see my success stories). I am based in Canterbury and London; and also offer online sessions, wherever in the world you may be. You contact me on 07947 475721 for a free no-obligation 15 minute phone consultation, so please do get in touch if things feel overwhelming for you – I can help.

(First published on Hypnotherapy Directory, 20 October 2017)

Hypnotherapy in pregnancy

“Caroline tailored an audio session for me when I was expecting my first child and was very nervous about the birth experience.She came up with a brilliant programme that I listened to repeatedly, which involved calming breathing techniques, visualisation and positive affirmations. I can’t speak highly enough of how it helped my nerves during the pregnancy. When the big day came, I found myself feeling petrified but I listened to Caroline’s audio and it literally rescued me from a blind panic. The breathing techniques and visualisation helped bring me to a relaxed state where I finally felt able to get in the car and go to the hospital, then carried me through to theatre. I truly don’t know what I would have done without Caroline’s audio hypnotherapy. I can’t recommend Caroline highly enough and am truly grateful for her confident reassuring techniques.” (MM)