Stress and Anxiety Management

Stress and anxiety are some of the most common problems people seek therapeutic help for, but what is stress and anxiety and how can it be treated? Treatment with Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy has proven to be one of the most effective ways of dealing with stress and anxiety.

Common symptoms of stress and anxiety are: feeling tense, irritable, overwhelmed, tried, fatigued, tension headaches, lacking in energy, low concentration, teary, worrying, negative expectations and fearing negative outcomes. High levels of anxiety can produce physical symptoms such as increased heart beat, shaking, trembling and feeling faint or sick.

Stress can be described as a stream of anxiety which is caused by our negative thinking and effects feelings and behaviour, causing us to view ourselves and situations from a perspective of fear and worry. Stress has a lot to do with ways of thinking, how you perceive what is happening around you and your perceived ability to cope.

Some people may not recognise that their stress is actually anxiety, as there has been a stream of anxiety for so long that it has been accepted and internalised, and therefore, not being noticed or questioned. So, first step is always to become aware of what is the underlying thoughts and feelings? What is the cause of the stress and anxiety? What am I worrying about? What am I fearing? What is my belief about myself, situations and other people?

As a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist & Counsellor I have worked with numerous people suffering stress and feeling unable to cope with their lives. Thinking distortions (such as seeing things in black and white terms, minimising the positive or maximising the negative, i.e. "blowing things out of proportion") unrealistic or negative beliefs cause the stress and anxiety, but they can be addressed.

Unhelpful and unrealistic thinking can be challanged and turned around with the right type of realistic, objective yet supportive questioning. By looking at statements and beliefs we have, or things we might be telling ourselves, we can look at their validity and constructiveness and come up with more true, helpful and better attitudes. By challenging the distortions in our thinking that are making us stressed we can begin to stop them and replace them with healthier and more constructive options that will have a positive effect on our feelings and behaviour.

Learning self-hypnosis, deep breathing and deep relaxation techniques are helpful tools to bring ourselves down to a calm and rational place and you can see things in a balanced and reasonable way. Hypnosis will calm the nervous system down and bring a sense of peace and inner stillness. By learning how to relax and calm down, the mind will become more focused and motivation enhances, so it will feel much easier to deal with situations previously found stressful.