How Hypnotherapy Can Help You Manage Your Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal emotion that everybody experiences from time to time. It’s built into all of us to help us in times of “danger” or “perceived threats” and challenges. We all have experienced it at one point or another and it usually goes away. During periods of prolonged stress, anxiety can become more persistent and last for longer periods of time. It’s important to manage this properly so your anxiety is not drawn out in certain situations where it may be an inappropriate emotion to experience. Acknowledging anxious moments and allowing them to pass is an important habit to develop. It can help us focus in certain instances, so it’s best to not fight it. This article aims to help with commonly available tips to manage your stress and anxiety. Anxiety is manageable, but it takes consistent effort to keep it at bay. Hypnotherapy and Self-Hypnosis is an additional tool you can use to help you along in your pursuit of leading a balanced healthy life.
It is estimated that approximately 33.7% of the population is affected by an anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime. This is a significant number and it’s essential to educate yourself on what you can do to manage this unruly but very tamable emotion. Anxiety is a primitive emotion that comes from the amygdala. The part of the brain that is considered to be the integrative center for emotions and emotional behavior. The neocortex, on the other hand, is a more sophisticated and newer part of our brain. It is more logical and can help us process and manage messages of raw fear that come from our less evolved part of our brain. We can use this part of our brain to acknowledge the feeling of anxiety and use different forms of positive self-talk to work through the situation. At times when anxiety can be overwhelming “cognitive behavior” techniques (CBT) might not be appropriate at that particular moment. It can also be beneficial to distract yourself and stop thinking. Give yourself some time to “get out of your head” and calm yourself down. Do something else to take your immediate attention off of what is troubling you. Self-hypnosis exercices can be helpful during these times.
Strategies To Help Manage And Cope With Anxiety There are many articles on the web that outline different strategies you can apply to your daily routine to help manage your stress and anxiety. The key to all of these pointers outlined below is to be as consistent as possible. Trying not to be to “rigid” with your expectations, but practicing as many of these in a balanced fashion can greatly aid you along in your journey.
Exercise: is a great way to release stress and manage anxiety. It’s a good form of distraction and there are a number of different ways to get a healthy work out in. You can walk, jog, bike, swim and even dance. Doing this three to five times a week for 30 minutes can be highly beneficial.
Ecotherapy: is a fancy way of saying “nature walk”. Studies have shown that when you disconnect from your electronic devices and take daily 20-30 minute walks in nature, it can really help you manage and reduce anxiety. There are many different trails you can access right here in British Columbia and it’s a great way to get your ecotherapy in.
Mindfulness & Meditation: calming your mind and trying to empty it of thought is another great strategy. There are many resources online to help you get started. It doesn’t take long. Even if you begin by doing this for 10-15 minutes a day, you will notice the benefits over time
Eliminate Clutter In Your Home: keeping things in relatively good order is a great habit to develop. Clutter in your environment can add to your anxiety. Not being able to find things or having to dig through piles of “messiness” can worsen your anxiety. A clear organized home can create a sense of clarity for you in your safe environment.
Practice Gratitude: no matter how bad you think you might have it, there is always a much worse scenario or situation. Listing things down that you are grateful for can help keep certain negative thoughts in check. Life is a gift, there is always something you can be grateful for, no matter what.
Keep Negative Self-Talk In Check: Becoming aware of negative thought loops is really important. “Swimming” in these thoughts consistently can be very toxic to your life. Awareness and shifting those thoughts to more positive, healthy beliefs will change your life for the better.
Talk To A Professional: Speaking to a counsellor, learning CBT, reading self-help books and hypnotherapy sessions can be used as additional resources to help you manage your anxiety.
How Can Hypnotherapy You Manage Your Anxiety? Hypnotherapy can help you with managing anxiety. It is used frequently in situations that cause people distress. It can be used before you receive an injection, at your dentist’s office, or even prior to surgery. It’s a great way to calm your mind down and recenter your thoughts when an anxiety creating situation is about to happen.
In addition, an interactive hypnotherapy session can help you become more aware of core subconscious beliefs systems. By becoming more aware and subconsciously “reframing” these beliefs can help you manage your anxiety better long term. Practicing self-hypnosis at home can help create and maintain healthy long term habits that will help keep your anxiety at bay.
If you have any questions, interested in trying out a session, or getting a personalized self-hypnosis recording made, please reach out and feel free to send me an e-mail.
Written By: Sebastian Di Cesare PhD, RHt - a research scientist & practicing Registered Hypnotherapist based in Vancouver, Canada.
