A certain degree of anxiety is natural, all our emotions are there to serve a purpose, and we can think of anxiety as being our warning system, there to tell us that something isn’t quite right. The problems start when it gets out of control, when it becomes over sensitive – like a car alarm that sounds every time a leaf lands on the bonnet.

Anxiety levels can rise rapidly in response to a situation that is perceived as life threatening, resulting in the fight or flight response – rapid breathing, an increased heart rate, sweating, dry mouth and clammy hands. This is the bodies physical response to the release of stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, and it ensures that your muscles are fuelled to enable you to fight, freeze or flee from the danger. This is the bodies way of protecting us but it doesn’t always get it right! This response evolved in primitive man and at that time we were much more exposed to physical threats from wild animals and rival tribes. In the modern world we don’t face such threats very often but the fight or flight response can be triggered by other things, financial or work problems for example, and work against rather than helping us.

Most of us live busy lives and trying to juggle work and family life can lead to a gradual increase in our anxiety levels, so gradual that we may not be aware of it but we may notice that we have become short tempered and less tolerant and so might our nearest and dearest!

It is a good idea to check out your thoughts sometimes: are you a positive person or do you always think the worst? Do you look forward to things or just worry about them? Do you find yourself reacting angrily to things? When you get up in the morning, are you looking forward to the day ahead or wishing it was over? If you tend towards negative answers to these questions then perhaps your anxiety is beginning to become a problem.

High anxiety levels reduce the amount of conscious control you have over your feelings, thoughts and behaviour and leaves you feeling negative, angry and depressed – not a great place to be! It can also: lead to obsessive and irrational thoughts; increase phobic responses; increase symptoms of OCD and IBS; build up to full blown panic attacks; and contribute to substance abuse and eating disorders.  All of these issues can have a huge impact on quality of life and not for in a good way.

The solution focused approach can help you to understand what’s happening and we work together to reduce your anxiety, helping you to recognise unhelpful patterns of behaviour or thought and giving you the tools to make the positive changes you wish to make.

Hypnotherapy is a very relaxing experience in itself, helping you to unwind and let go of your anxiety. This altered state of consciousness enables access to the subconscious, bypassing the barriers it puts up to change and helps you to keep your focus on becoming a more positive, more confident person more quickly and easily.

If you would like more information, please contact me and I will be very happy to talk to you and answer any questions you may have.