Stress and anxiety are often named as the culprits for
people taking days off work and also for people not reaching their potential in
life. Fortunately for those people, hypnotherapy is a valuable and powerful
tool that can assist with overcoming what can be a debilitating condition. But
what are stress and anxiety? This blog will answer those questions and go into
detail about what causes stress and anxiety, and how hypnotherapy can help
overcome them.
Feelings of stress come from any situation in which we feel
frustrated, angry or anxious.
All people need a certain amount of stress in their lives or
we would not be motivated to do anything at all. However, chronic stress (which
occurs when a person is under constant stress for a long period of time) is
responsible for many emotional and physical difficulties. At least 10% of the
population have reported suffering from chronic or constant stress, and a
survey that took place in 1999 came up with some interesting (but not totally
surprising) results. 30,000 people aged 13 - 65 from 30 different countries
around the world were studied and the survey discovered that:
- Women who work full time and have children under the age of 13 report the greatest stress worldwide.
- Nearly one in four mothers who work full time and have children under the age of 13 feel stress almost every day.
- Globally, 23% of female executives and professionals and 19% of their male peers say that they feel 'super stressed'.
In fact, research has found that women are more likely to
suffer from stress symptoms than men. However, acute stress reactions are often
seen in men, especially in the current socio-economic environment. This type of
stress is also a factor in cases of depression.
Stress can be categorised in the following ways:
Hypostress: This is when a person is bored or unchallenged
and lacking in motivation. People doing repetitive and tedious jobs may find it
hard to be motivated in other areas of their lives.
Eustress: This is the one type of stress that is short term
and gives people the strength to complete a task. It occurs when people
increase their physical activity and creativity. Eustress is a positive stress
that increases performance and motivation.
Acute Stress: This is the category that is generally
identified as stress. People feel it through tension and physical disturbances,
and it can be treated by various methods that generally take six weeks or so.
Episodic Acute Stress: This can be more damaging than
standard acute stress and has symptoms associated with hypertension, stroke,
heart attack and gastrointestinal disorders. Episodic acute stress is treatable
in many cases but can often take up to six months to be brought under control.
This often happens with medical intervention.
Chronic Stress: This is a serious state that seems to have
no end and is characterised by an increase in the incidence of serious diseases
from immunocompetence conditions to cancer and diabetes, and although it is
treatable, it can take years to bring it under control.
Traumatic Stress: This is the result of a massive acute
stress that is often cumulative. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder comes under
this category but that will only be treated by qualified professionals within a
multidisciplinary team.
When a client comes to me for hypnotherapy because they are
stressed, one of the first things that I do is see how the stress is affecting
them both mentally and physically. The most common symptoms of stress are the
psychological changes which may present as depression, acute anxiety, confusion
and an inability to concentrate, sleep disturbances which is fairly self
explanatory but includes insomnia, and sexual dysfunction which can manifest as
a lack of libido, inability to achieve orgasm in women, impotence in men, and
there is also some evidence that suggests stress can contribute to infertility.
There are other ways that stress can manifest, and many other symptoms, but I
won't be going into those today. The most common ones are those which are
outlined above.
Much of the treatment for stress that incorporates hypnosis
will revolve around helping the client to learn to relax and also learn some
triggers that will assist them in dealing with the physical symptoms of the
condition. The therapeutic process also serves to empower the client to make
the changes that they need in their life.
Obviously, every person is different and will have their own
issues around dealing with stress, and it is also true that all of my clients
must be prepared to take some responsibility for realising that they will need
to change their lives in some way in order to remove the negative symptoms from
their lives. This in itself can cause anxiety (which I will go on to in a
moment). However, hypnotherapy can (and does) help with this. I always ensure
that I assist my clients in understanding the importance of taking time to
relax and how much clearer their thoughts will become when they do this.
So, anxiety...
Feelings of anxiety come from apprehension or fear, the
source of which is not always recognisable. Anxiety can occur when when
subjected to long term stress or when feeling threatened by something or
someone. People also experience anxiety when they are not aware of what they
are feeling anxious about.
We all feel anxious at some point during our lives and this
is a normal and instinctual response that serves as protection to aid survival.
This works well in situations such as being mugged (we will either run away or
fight, depending on what seems like the best option) or when driving and
obeying the rules of the road. But sometimes our subconscious mind can work
overtime and respond to situations that are remotely similar to one that has
made us anxious originally in the same way.
Anxiety can affect a person's whole being, emotions,
behaviour and physical health. It primarily creates feelings of fear that will
make a person want to avoid situations that it is trying to get us to avoid.
Anxiety can then be made worse by persistently thinking negative thoughts that
then increases the feeling of anxiety. Anxiety then become cyclical which means
that the more anxious a person feels, the more anxious they become and hence
the more negative the person feels. The person then creates a greater need to
avoid the things that make them feel anxious. This can become everything in a
person's life. Therefore it can be a precursor to depression.
Anxiety can be accompanied by a number of physical symptoms
as well as the emotional feeling of it:
- Trembling
- Tense muscles
- Churning stomach
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
- Headache
- Backache
- Heart palpitations
- Numbness/pins and needles
- Sweating or flushing
So, how can I help a client coming to see me to rid
themselves of anxiety? After some investigation into what is causing the
anxiety I would then use a hypnotic screed (essentially a script that is
tailored to the individual) that would involve taking the client to a special
place where they feel safe and confident. The hypnosis would then involve
suggesting that the client build a shield around them that deflects all
feelings of anxiety. The client should then be able to apply that to their real
lives. That is, of course, a very brief description of therapy that could take
place over a number of weeks.
So there you have it... Stress and anxiety explained, and
how as your hypnotherapist I can help you overcome them.
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