Stress & Anxiety

It’s probably no surprise that over the last few years I have seen increasing numbers of clients suffering from stress and anxiety issues.

Daily isolation, confinement, and frustration about what we can do and what we can’t do has put our coping mechanisms under added duress. Many young people are feeling that everything must be done perfectly and their goals are simply impossible to achieve. And for those who were already stressed and anxious before covid, the dial on the anxiety channel has crept towards the chronic level!

But you can get help. Our minds are truly amazing, and we can learn to interrupt these patterns of anxiety and teach ourselves to relax, allowing stress and strain to drain away, making our daily journeys easier and more joyful.

Reconnect with your natural ability to slow down and recharge. Clear obstacles to self-care. Resolve old issues that may be triggering your body’s “Fight, Flight and Freeze” mechanisms and making you vulnerable to stress and anxiety.

Hypnotic Coaching can help you resolve, release, relax, and regain a sense of control and personal agency - the perfect antidotes to stress and anxiety.

Here are two simple techniques that can help interrupt the downward spiral of anxiety: 

Jaw to the Floor:

When you begin to get that old feeling; sweaty hands, thumping heart, tight gut, relax and loosen your jaw and imagine it dropping to the floor. This stimulates the Vagus nerve, which informs the brain from your nervous system. The action of dropping your jaw counteracts the fight or flight response when you’re anxious.
With your jaw relaxed, take in a full breath and count to four, then exhale for 8 counts. Make sure you’re breathing from your diaphragm. (You can experiment with the count numbers for inhaling and exhaling until you find your mind is no longer ruminating.) Be careful not to take too many deep, rapid breaths, as this can cause you to hyperventilate. The extended exhalation is important. Just be gentle, take your time, and spread them out.

Stop the World:

A common theme when you feel anxious is an internal monologue: repetitive negative self-talk that keeps the anxiety pattern going. The simple method below helps you interrupt negative loop playing in your mind.
Start by picking a focal point to stare at. Now slowly expand your peripheral vision from that point, up to the ceiling and down to the floor and across the walls. Remember to BREATHE. Next, expand and imagine the spaces all around you. This may take a few attempts but eventually you’ll notice the internal monologue has stopped and you are free to tell yourself something compassionate and encouraging.