Suffering with Anxiety? - Effective Solutions is what you want

Are you Suffering with Anxiety? 

I have met so many people suffering with anxiety that I really get it. There is only one thing you want when your adrenaline is rushing and you feel awful, that's for it to stop!

I get it ...

Maybe anxiety makes your heart race. You might feel like you can't breathe. Maybe your palms feel sweaty. You feel sick. Your mouth might also feel dry as you are about to meet that person or prepare for that speech. And what makes it worse is that your dry mouth means that your lips feel like they are sticking together so when you do speak you don't speak properly. You might blush, you might feel like you want to hide. Even worse you freeze and can't speak or move easily. 

Some people might breathe faster or hyperventilate. If it gets really bad you heart feels like its ready to jump out of your chest. Thoughts and feelings of doom and gloom might hit you. If it gets worse you may even collapse. This is a panic attack. You recover quickly but now you develop a huge fear that it will happen again so you do everything to avoid the situation that triggered it.

I get it when it comes to the triggers...

You could feel this anxiety in social situations or even before going to a social situation. It may happen when meeting people in a pub, at a party or even gatherings at work. You might be someone who is studying and getting ready to do exams or a test and that might be your trigger. But there are hundreds more triggers for different people such as meeting the boss, having a driving lesson, getting too many demands on you at work, public speaking, seeing a spider or fear of going up in a lift. Stress could be the trigger or you might not be able to identify an obvious trigger. The list is endless so there are many triggers that cause excess anxiety. Anxiety is an irrational fear or apprehension.

I get the difficulties you are facing with this excess anxiety...

Maybe you haven't told anyone how you are feeling because you are embarrassed or frightened of saying anything. You don't want to be judged as being different and you definitely don't want to be labelled.

So you try to cope. Maybe you avoid situations that make you feel very anxious. You might think that you aren't good enough so you don't put yourself forward for a new job or different experiences in life. Your confidence and self-esteem is dented. You might think that you are the only one who feels anxious, but you are wrong as many people are suffering alongside you with anxiety issues.

As your anxiety develops in this vicious cycle you think negatively and feel negative about yourself. This means that you avoid situations that you might have been in before. You make excuses about going places and you might even have a tummy upset or headache that reinforces your need to keep away from that anxiety provoking situation. You worry a lot. The more you worry the more you find things to worry about. It's exhausting.

So you wonder how can you stop this cycle of anxiety that is ruining your life.

I get the urgency that you are feeling to find a solution, but it can seem difficult...

You might consider going to your doctor. Well that's a good idea especially if your anxiety is having a big impact on your health and may be making you feel depressed. If you are worrying about your health or if you are already on medication its also a good idea to get a check up.

I get the fact that you want someone to fix the anxiety issues, but understanding the problem, how it develops and what makes it worse are just as important as finding the solution because you want to be in control. You don't want the anxiety to come back.

So what can you do to reduce your anxiety?

The first step is always to acknowledge the problem and plan to do something. This could be seeing your doctor first. 

There are many solutions, but for lots of people its about finding a combination of safe and easy ways to change things in their life.

Here are five things that will help:

• Get your life in balance. his means eating healthy foods, going to bed on time, exercising, talking to friends and family and reducing the demands on you.
• Practice deep breathing.
• Meditate, or try Mindfulness.
• Find a counsellor to talk to. (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has been shown to help people with anxiety).
• Find a hypnotherapist who can help you relax and give you positive suggestions to change.

I'm Linda from Awaken the Change. I specialise in helping people with anxiety issues to find the solutions so they can get on and enjoy life. I help you to understand why you are feeling the way you are feeling and I provide proven solutions to help you change. 

I offer counselling, hypnotherapy and coaching face to face in Bournemouth or for some people a service online via Skype.

Tracy from Dorset said:

'All of it helped! But especially the hypnosis. I also found the talking beforehand really helped me focus on where I was in my life and what I wanted support with.'

For more information and a free initial, no obligation consultation either on the telephone or face to face, contact me.

Linda 

www.awakenthechange.co.uk

www.awakenthechange.online

Are you suffering from test anxiety?

Understanding test anxiety is the first step to tackling it. In this blog I want to give you some background information that will help you stop the feelings associated with test anxiety.

If you are about to do a test and you are feeling excessively anxious you probably have test anxiety. You might also be suffering with bodily complaints such as headaches, digestive problems or poor sleep patterns. If this is you it's time to do something about it and get some help.

Test anxiety can also be called exam anxiety and performance anxiety. It can happen to anyone of any age or background and it can be related to any type of test. For example, people can become anxious when they have school, college or university tests, assignment deadlines to meet or exams. People learning to drive can become anxious when they go for their driving test. Other people might become anxious if they are in a competition such as running a race, performing in front of an audience or going for an interview.

Test anxiety has been a topic for discussion since around the 1950's and has resulted in many research studies. A little bit of pressure is good because it helps us to meet deadlines and get focused. It's natural that we all want to find new ways to learn and develop. However, no one wants the excessive anxiety that are associated with measuring our knowledge and skills in tests.

Test anxiety puts people in stressful situations where the situation is thought of as being too difficult and the person believes that they are inadequate and can't deal with the task. This leads from a stressful period to a state of heightened self-awareness.

The person suffering with test anxiety  has a belief that they are not up to their own standards so they start judging themselves and conclude that they are not good enough. They believe that they can't cope with the test or that they haven't got the knowledge or skills to pass. The person feels helpless and stuck. They also feel under threat. This might be the threat of being judged by the people that they want to impress or the threat of not getting promotion if they are doing a test for work or career purposes. Other emotions can be aroused such as worry and a vicious cycle begins of negative thoughts, emotions and behaviours.

Many people try to get past their test anxiety by cramming more and more revision into the day. The problem is that the more people become anxious then the more difficult it is for them to study. So this tactic rarely works when you are anxious because anxious people need to relax.

Test anxiety must start with an acknowledgement that too much studying in a short time isn't beneficial. We all need balance in life to perform at our best. This means eating regularly, getting enough sleep and exercise and having fun and being with good friends and family. But if you are studying then you must also include periods of regular revision.

Once you have acknowledged that you are very anxious about your test then consider developing a timetable or plan so that you can include relaxation time. People may also need additional help from family, teachers, friends or therapists. If you have health related issues then you should also speak to your doctor.

So finally, if you are feeling anxious about a test do something today to stop that cycle of negativity because it will prevent you from doing your best.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and /or hypnotherapy are two methods offered by Awaken the Change.  Contact Linda for a free initial consultation and find out more.

www.awakenthechange.com
www.awakenthechange.online

What does ethical practice mean in therapy?

What does ethical practice mean in therapy?

If you are searching for a counsellor, hypnotherapist or other therapist they may claim that they work in an ethical way, but what does that really mean? Is it good to choose an ethical practitioner and how will an ethical practitioner work? This blog will provide you with information.

Ethics is about a moral philosophy. Although ethics is often linked with the law of the land it's more about what is right, wrong and good and bad. There are several different theories or branches of ethics (for example, Virtue, Deontological and Consequential ethics), but for people looking for a therapist its just about seeking out good care.

It is also about standards that the profession wants all its practitioners to adhere to. This means that  therapists who want to follow standards will join a professional body as these professional organisations will check training, require the practitioner to have insurance, supervision and keep themselves updated through Continuing Professional Development (CPD). But key is their ethical codes and standards that their members must follow.

Consequently it's about the way an ethical therapist provides the service.
The way an ethical practitioner works is based on  principles of good ethical practice.

These principles can be written in may ways but include:

• Respect for autonomy
• Fidelity (Being faithful) 
• Responsibility and accountability
• Integrity (Being honesty)
• Justice 
• Respect for people's rights
• Beneficence (Benefiting the client)
• Non-maleficence (Doing no harm)

So when a practitioner advertises that they are an ethical practitioner they are telling you that they behave in a respectful way and want to do good and help the person. They want you to know about their conduct. You will find that practitioners vary in the way they work, but that's okay because different therapists  have different training and experiences. However ethical practitioners will be members of one or more Professional Bodies and will work to do the best that they can for clients so adhering to certain professional standards. Any member who does not adhere to the standards will expect an investigation and they could be removed from the professional register.

Every Professional Body has a slightly different way of  approaching ethics, but they will have guidance for practitioners. For example, according to the National Hypnotherapy Society,

(https://www.nationalhypnotherapysociety.org/about-us/code-of-ethics/)

the ethical practice that a practitioner and client relationship will follow will include:

• Practitioners approaching their work in the spirit of vocation
• Honouring the subjectivity of the therapy experience
• Honouring the client's subjectivity, views, beliefs, ideas, goals
• Respecting commonly understood boundaries
• For practitioners to be able to undertake a rigorous self-examination on their work and practice

So it is good to choose an ethical practitioner as you can check their credentials through their Professional Body. You will also know that they want to adhere to standards and that they keep themselves updated. 

But choosing the right practitioner for you could also include getting recommendations and checking that the therapist feels right for you. 

I'm Linda, from Awaken the Change. I'm and ethical practitioner registered with the Professional Hypnotherapy Network, the National Hypnotherapy Society, The General Hypnotherapy Register, the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) and the National Counselling Society.

www.awakenthechange.co.uk

www.awakenthechange.online

The Importance of Supervision for Counsellors, Hypnotherapists and Coaches

The Importance of Supervision for Counsellors, Hypnotherapists and Coaches

I believe that supervision is one of the most important aspects of personal and work development. That is why I have trained to be a supervisor and I have supervision for my counselling, hypnotherapy and coaching practice.

So what is supervision? 

According to the Cambridge Dictionary supervision is

'An act of watching a  person or activity and making certain that everything is done correctly, safely etc.'

So is this picture demonstrating supervision? The answer is it might be because the man might be supervising the people learning to swim. In the world of counselling, hypnotherapy and coaching supervision is very different.

Professional supervision for counsellors, hypnotherapists and coaches is different because the supervisor and person supervised usually talk about practice as the supervision is rarely happening at the same time as the practice. Most counsellors, hypnotherapists and some coaches work alone and their relationship with their client is confidential, so someone sitting in the room and watching the person at work would not be ethical or practicable without explicit consent from the client.

So what is professional supervision?

Lets start with what it isn't...

It's not a cosy chat with tea and cake, but you could include those niceties!
It's not counselling the person being supervised even if they do have personal issues that need to be addressed.
It's not teaching, but it will help both the supervisor and the supervised to learn and develop practice.
It's not necessary to have an expert in the field as a supervisor, although many supervisors are experienced and considered experts.
It's not a day out, although people undertaking supervision will need to plan their day to take time out.

Professional supervision is:

• Regular, pre-booked time, contracted and usually one hour in duration.
• Respecting confidentiality of the client and others so names and identifying factors are not used.
• Professional support for the person being supervised and helping them with any worries or stresses related to practice.
• Enhancing problem solving skills and making better decisions.
• Checking the safety and well-being of the client and the people around them.
• Reviewing policies, procedures, ethics and the law together.
• Reflection on practice for the supervised person.
• Consideration of any charity or employer obligations.
• Checking the relationship between the client and the person being supervised.
• Developing new knowledge and skills.
• Meeting the requirements of the Professional Body that the supervised person belongs to.

Professional supervision is usually with one supervisor and one supervisee, however group supervision and peer supervision is also possible. These days remote supervision is becoming more popular via Skype, so distance is never a problem when looking for a suitable supervisor.

I provide face to face and group supervision in Bournemouth, Dorset or Skype supervision to people further afield. 

Contact me if you would like supervision or want to know more.

Kind regards

Linda 

Awaken the Change

www.awakenthechange.co.uk

www.awakenthechange.online

Stress and anxiety: Are your emotions keeping you in a spin?

Are you feeling stressed and anxious? 

Life is hard at times and everyone feels stressed and anxious at at different times in their life, its a natural response to demands and pressures of life. But when it continues and is significantly impacting on your life it has got out of hand and you get caught a vicious circle.

The more you get emotional so the more you develop irrational thoughts and behaviours. The more you think about things then the more anxious you become.

Everything becomes opinion based related to irrational beliefs rather than based on facts.

So how do you know that stress and anxiety has got out of hand?

Maybe you shout at the kids a lot when they are naughty. Maybe you argue with your partner over silly things. Or you might get irritated with things and people at work easily. Life might feel like a slog. Some people who are stressed and anxious get get aches and pains, headaches, more coughs and colds and feel tired all the time. Sleep patterns maybe affected or diet and the digestion may change. If it continues then some people have changes in mood and may become depressed. Its always a good idea to have a check with your doctor if you are getting lots of health problems as sometimes other things can cause anxiety.

So unravelling this circle of stress and anxiety is important or it can lead to ill health.

Awaken the Change is a caring, evidence based service to help people with stress and anxiety issues and offers both counselling and/or hypnotherapy for people who are feeling stressed and anxious.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT as its often known (a type of counselling) helps you to get out of this vicious circle by helping you to identify and change negative thought patterns, unwanted emotions and behaviours that keep you stuck and spinning. This counselling is a partnership that helps you to review the 'here and now', make sense of it and change. CBT an be quite brief therapy so six sessions could be all you need but it depends on you and any other contributing issues.

Hypnotherapy can also help stress and anxiety by giving you positive suggestions to change and re-frame issues. Its nothing like stage hypnosis. You are in control and you won't do anything that you don't want to do. Hypnotherapy also helps you to relax so you can release tense muscles that might be contributing to aches and pains and headaches. The number of sessions vary but typically clients may need around three sessions. At Awaken the Change you also get taught  self-hypnosis so that you have tools for life to help in stressful situations in the future.

Whatever you do to reduce stress and anxiety can only be good, however as the saying goes 'A problem shared is a problem halved.'  Talk to trusted people around you or get professional help. Stop suffering and find an easy way to feel better.

So if you are feeling stressed and anxious get out of the spin and enjoy life again.

Awaken the Change provides face to face or an online service for some clients who are experiencing stress and anxiety.
www.awakenthechange.co.uk
www.awakenthechange.online

Learning about hypnosis

Learning is an essential ingredient of life. We learn as a baby to demand food from our mothers. We learn behaviour that gets us things when we are a child and we learn when we go to school or university. But learning never stops there. The problem is that we think we know things until something goes wrong in life or we feel unhappy.

Hypnosis is not magic or scary but it can help you to learn amazing things about your abilities and feelings in life.

Hi I'm Linda, a hypnotherapist. I'm proud of what I do because I an help people to learn how to use the power of their minds to make change. And all this is done through suggestion. This can be self suggestion or suggestions given in certain ways from others such as a hypnotherapist.

Positive suggestions can help people to learn how to stand up and give a speech, how to get that sense of achievement and confidence back or how to help the body to look after its self.

But as a hypnotherapist my job is also to keep learning. I do this through attending conferences, reading and other professional development activities. I also have professional supervision and I'm a supervisor myself. Sometimes I also need to learn from myself and reflect on what I am doing and how I am feeling. That's important when I meet so many people with problems. This is about my self care.

This weekend I went to the UK Hypnosis Convention in London. It was a great way to mix with like-minded people and learn. Now my toolkit of helpful techniques is much bigger I'm sure I will be able to help my clients to learn more and deal with their issues.

So if you want to learn more about hypnotherapy contact me. I offer free sessions either in small groups or one to one explaining hypnosis and how I work. You could learn something amazing like I did when I first learnt about hypnosis.

Regards
Linda

The Importance of feedback for good mental health and development

Hi I'm Linda. I help people to stop the pain related to too much stress and anxiety and help them to get on with their lives.

One way I do that is by acknowledging the importance of feedback.

Getting and giving feedback is essential to our development, it's part of of what humans needs.

Today I would like to talk about lots of areas that we need feedback especially if we are feeling anxious or uncertain in life.

Feedback is about communication. In the communication loop someone sends us information, we receive it and send back a reply. This is feedback.

Many people who come to see me have low confidence, low self-esteem or are feeling anxious or depressed so feedback is an important acknowledgement to recovery.

Our bodies give us feedback. So if you are depressed or feeling anxious your body language often portrays this. Some people look sad. Some people dress in dark colours and don't bother with their appearance. Anxious people often breathe quickly or fidget, or have darting eye movements as they are on alert for danger. People who lack in confidence and self-esteem can make their body look small or less noticeable.

We also give feedback through our speech. This could be the volume. Depressed people may speak quieter. Anxious people may be frightened to speak out so they say nothing. This may happen to people who have a fear of public speaking or feel anxious in social settings with strangers.
The tone of the voice is a way of getting feedback as well. Maybe some depressed people have a monotonous tone of voice. A very anxious person may have a higher pitch of voice. If an anxious person is suddenly confronted with their fear or phobia, such as with a fear of spiders, they may scream. This is all feedback to others.

We all give ourselves feedback. Some deep thinkers, depressed and anxious people or people with a problem will keep telling themselves negative things in their head. Its our critical self that talks about things you should or ought to do. This has been called our mind monkey working. The problem with giving ourselves this negative self talk is that it may not be true. This is because we assume some things. For example, if you keep telling yourself all the things that you think other people are saying about you then you are mind reading. The truth might be that the other person is thinking positive things about you or thinking about someone else, but you continue to give yourself this negative feedback. There are many cognitive distortions that are giving you the wrong feedback.

Lots of people tell me negative things about them which I often work out are not true either. In these cases people who are anxious or depressed say that they aren't very good at anything but with prompting I can usually find lots of positive things about them. Its how they are feeling that allows them to keep telling themselves negative things.

Receiving feedback can be difficult for some people even if the feedback is complementary. This maybe because the person hasn't had positive feedback much in the past or because they have the belief that they don't deserve it.

But we all need to know when we do something wrong or positive feedback when we have done some thing right. Its part of learning. I love to help people to learn so I would like to give you a few tips on how you can give people some positive feedback.

Firstly notice the good things. If you have a work colleague or a friend that has done something well stop and say thank you but make sure that you say what is pleasing you and why so they can accept the feedback. You could even send a kind email and acknowledge hard work. As long as the feedback is genuine and not every day this will help the person to grow.

Secondly notice peoples body language. If someone doesn't look their usual self then politely enquire if they are okay and if there is anything that you can help them with. Everyone has an off day but is there a pattern emerging? Acknowledge any problems or difficulties that they maybe experiencing but refrain from giving lots of advice especially if you are not an expert in the subject, rather signpost them to people that can help. If its a health related problem getting a check up from a doctor is always a good idea.

So feedback is something to think about. Its always important for our health, well-being and development.

Linda
Awaken the Change