Change. We all want it. Many of us try to do it. But most of us fail at it. Making a change in your life can be one of the most difficult things you’ll ever do. Whether changing something so small that only you will notice or making a shift so big, it changes the course of your existence, change is important. Without change, we get stuck in the same habits, realities and problems that cause us so much anxiety and stress. Change is healthy. Change is good. And yes, change is difficult.
We explore how hypnotherapy can help to bring about the personal change you need to make that all-important difference in your life. In this post, we examine why change is so difficult, how it can help you and what you need to do to take that first step towards something new.
Why change?
Change is a part of life. Whether it’s growing up, moving jobs, finding a new relationship or switching from Kettle Original chips to Red Rock Deli Sea Salt, changing the things that make up our lives is all part of the journey. As human beings, we’ve evolved to adapt to our surroundings, to roll with changing realities or shifting environments. Winter coming? We change into warmer clothes. Getting a little tubby? We change our eating habits. Dislike the movie that’s on? Simply change the channel.
But when it comes to changing who we are – changing what makes us ‘us’ – things can be a little trickier. You see, as adaptable as we are, we’re also incredibly stubborn. We can choose to (and very often do) keep things as they are, never trying anything new or taking risks. But that almost never ends well. Whether you feel that certain parts of your life are stagnating or you’re simply unhappy with who you are, change can fix it.
What makes personal change so difficult
Personal change means changing something about your character, beliefs or values. It involves examining what aspect of your personality you want to change and then taking action to make it happen. But making a life change isn’t easy. In fact, it’s incredibly difficult to achieve quickly and successfully. Why is this?
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Change can be terrifying
Change brings uncertainty. It upsets the status quo and introduces things we’re unfamiliar with. This is why change can be so scary: We can’t tell with certainty what it will bring with it. This uncertainty can lead to anxiety, stress and fear, so many people end up abandoning their personal change journey early on.
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Not changing is easy
Most people avoid change. We’re creatures of comfort who love to keep things as they are, no matter how bad they are for us. Avoiding change means not having to do any work, simply accepting our lives as-is, good or bad. But it is often the effort in change that provides the greatest reward, not necessarily the outcome.
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Change means breaking those bad habits
There’s nothing tougher than shaking off those old habits – especially the ones that have been with us for many years. As we’ve grown used to thinking in particular ways, doing certain things or behaving in a specific manner, they have become deeply entrenched into our lives. Change means confronting and shedding those habits. And that isn’t easy.
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Confusing personal change with regular change
Often, people who are genuinely making an effort to find personal change accidentally confuse it with regular change. Sometimes, the two can appear to be the same when they are, in fact, very different. Here’s an example: Regular change involves switching from that Friday fast food excursion to quitting takeout for a month. Personal change involves developing a mindset to avoid eating unhealthy food altogether, forever. Life change is always much more difficult to achieve than the regular version of change.
The huge benefits of finding personal change
While finding personal change is difficult, the benefits are magnificent. Aside from the sense of achievement and pride accompanying successful change, making significant life changes inevitably leads to more happiness and a better level of well-being.
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Personal change is healthy
Studies have shown that even the act of pursuing change, irrespective of whether or not it is successful, can lead to lower levels of stress, an improved outlook on life and even physical benefits. Personal change finds its way into most areas of life. It affects our relationships, ambitions, and, most importantly, our minds. These bonuses can lead to overall better health, both physically and mentally.
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Changing is always the beginning of something big
Progress begins with doing something. Success follows doing something different. Whether you’re changing how you see the world or shifting how you want to live in it, finding personal change often marks the start of something important. Change is addictive. Once you’re able to successfully find the change you want to see, you can apply it to other areas of life, using your ‘personal change recipe’ to replicate it.
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Finding personal change means finding yourself
Personal change begins with understanding who you are and being able to look at yourself and recognise what about you, you want to change. This requires an honest, unbiased assessment of yourself, and this can be uncomfortable. However, once you’re able to see what it is that needs to change, you can take the plunge and do it.
Hypnotherapy and personal change
How many times have you looked in the mirror and promised yourself to pursue change, only to fail at the first hurdle? If you’re like the millions of others who have fallen into the same trap, you need help finding that change.
Hypnotherapy is the perfect change ally. The practice is designed to help us reprogram the mind so that we condition it, not only to accept change, but to actively pursue it. Through specialised techniques and practices, hypnotherapy is able to address the issues blocking the pursuit of change, breaking down the barriers preventing us from making the necessary shifts in our thinking and providing the relaxation and peace needed to discover the change we need.
Quitting smoking, overcoming anxiety and eating right all require changes to be made in our routines, actions and, most importantly, minds. And what better tool to achieve change than hypnotherapy?
Change with Hypnocare
At Hypnocare, change is one of our most important tenets. But we also recognise that change can be difficult and may even disturb aspects of our lives. That is why we take a holistic approach to our hypnotherapeutic practices, considering multiple aspects and elements of our client’s lives before embarking on the hypnosis journey.
Much of what we do involves change across many different levels. This means understanding how to achieve change without disrupting other aspects of life too much in the process. Reach out. Chat to us to learn how we go about helping our clients to achieve the change they want to see in life.
