STRESS IS ALWAYS BEING TALKED ABOUT, SO WHY DO YOU FEEL SO ALONE WITH YOUR STRESS?
Stress, along with anxiety, is one of the emotional and mental health buzz-words of the moment, and a little stress can help us achieve more than we thought was possible.
But when that stress gets to be too much, it can be bad news for us, both mentally and physically.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE CAUSES OF STRESS
A boss shouting at you and belittling you.
The mortgage rate going up.
The dog getting sick when his insurance has ran out.
These are all external stressors - people and events outside ourselves that cause us agitation, annoyance and upset.
But that sense that you just don't matter, or the worry that people dislike you?
The constant sense of being behind, or not knowing what to do?
These are internal stressors - thoughts and feelings inside ourselves that make us anxious, unease and cause us worry.
STRESS CAN BE ACUTE OR CHRONIC
If you find yourself feeling stressed pretty soon after a traumatic event, you're probably dealing with acute stress. It can seem overwhelming, but it often doesn't last more than a few weeks.
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If you find yourself feeling stressed after dealing with lots of small events, or you can't point to one single event that made you feel stressed, you might be dealing with chronic stress. Chronic stress generally occurs after being under pressure for a long time, and it can take a long time to go away.
STRESS AFFECTS US MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY
Stress can affect people emotionally in different ways.
You might find yourself feeling lonely and depressed, or you might find yourself feeling irritable and bad tempered.
People who are stressed will often feel guilty or ashamed of their behaviour, and try to "fix" it, but since the stress hasn't gone away, they end up behaving in the same difficult way as before, which just leads to more feelings of guilt and shame.
Physically, stress can cause increased blood pressure, increased weight gain, a faster heart rate and poorer sleep. If these continue for long enough, systemic changes can occur throughout the body that can cause long term damage.
SIMPLE SELF HELP TECHNIQUES TO MANAGE STRESS
Stress is very individual, and acute and chronic stress can sometimes need different types of help.
Acute stress management is often about dealing with one specific issue - maybe the aftermath of a car accident, or the bullying behaviour of a manager - and finding the right route, and strength, to do that.
Chronic stress management can require much more work and time, because there are often more complex, longer and deeper rooted issues to deal with. For instance, stress around a relationship may also affect someone's self-esteem, or trigger anxiety around the thought of being alone.
No matter what type of stress you have, it's really important to manage it as well as possible.
Slowing down, and making time for yourself, is a good first step, and if your health is being affected, it may be worth speaking to your GP as medication may be needed.
By helping you deal with the emotional elements to your stress (using hypnotherapy) and exploring ways of dealing with external stressors (using coaching), I can help you deal with the stress in your life.
Coaching isn't about me giving you the "solution" to your problem. It's about you finding the right solution for you, in a safe space where you can work through the different options and perhaps learn to look at things differently.
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As a Cognitive Hypnotherapist, I'm trained in a wide range of techniques to help you do this, and what we use depends on what will work for you.
Maybe we'll use classic hypnotherapy techniques, where you'll be guided in a deep state of relaxation so that you can finally relax and let go of your stress.
Or maybe we'll use eye movement based techniques to encourage a state of emotional change.
Perhaps we'll use provocative questioning to help free you from the strangling grip of your stress and see other ways to move forward.
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If you choose to come and see me, you are free to book however many sessions you like, but I recommend at least two sessions for maximum benefit.