Stress Management Hypnotherapy

You may notice that whenever you are experiencing stress, you find it difficult to concentrate, you begin to procrastinate and decision-making is hard. Have you ever wondered why this is? It is a stress response that kicks in automatically when your brain sends a message to your body.

This is a natural response to threat or danger that is part of the survival instinct. As soon as you feel under threat, your body kicks in and shuts down some of the body functions. This is to allow your body to cope with the stress it is under.

Some of the functions affected include immune response, salivation, digestion, the production of growth hormones and sex drive.This instinct goes back to the time when humans lived in caves and faced threats from wild animals, such as the sabre-toothed tiger.

The ‘flight or fight response’, as it is known, occurs when danger is sensed and the brain tells the body to prepare to either fight, run away or stay as still as possible. As soon as you sense danger, your body produces a hormone called adrenaline. One of the purposes of adrenaline is to prepare you for stressful situations.

Signs that your body is producing adrenaline in these situations include palpitations and rapid breathing. This activates the body functions that are essential for short-term survival while those that are less essential are turned off.If the appropriate behaviour is not put into action and the fear lasts for more than a few minutes, the body releases a different hormone called cortisol.

This has a similar impact on your body as adrenaline; rapid breathing and palpitations. In addition to these, your immune system shuts down and your blood pressure is raised.

This results in exhaustion.In most instances, this is a temporary situation. It ends when the danger or threat is removed. However, if your body is subjected to too much cortisol and adrenaline over a long period of time, then this impacts negatively on both your body and your mind.

This can have a serious impact on your daily life.The negative effects of too much adrenaline include high blood pressure, palpitations, sweating, insomnia, weight loss, nerve damage and anxiety.

Too much cortisol can also impact negatively on your health. Some of the effects include brittle bones, weak muscles, weight gain, headaches, chronic backache, skin infections, depression, irritability, fatigue, impotence and an irregular menstrual cycle. Furthermore, it can also decrease libido and fertility.Unlike the cavemen, most people do not have to worry about the threat of wild animals.

However, there are many situations people face in their day-to-day lives than can result in the body having the same reaction. For example, some stressful situations may include financial worries, job insecurity, relationship problems, parenting issues and a lack of control over your life.In these situations, many people develop unhealthy lifestyle habits to cope with the stress.

These include smoking, drinking, gambling and drugs. Although this is a distraction in the short-term, it can lead to further problems down the line. These habits become addictive and can cause more stress and health problems. In some circumstances, they may lead to abuse and violence.If you are in this situation, you may have repeatedly asked yourself if there are better ways of handling the stress more effectively.

However, there are several options to help you cope with stress.

The first and the simplest is relaxation.

This is proven as a method of managing stress that has additional benefits. There are many ways that you can relax so it is important to find the one that best suits you and your lifestyle. Some options include exercise, meditation, listening to music, yoga, swimming or tai chi. You could also try other activities that give you pleasure, such as jigsaws, crosswords, gardening or creative activities.

Another effective option is to have stress management hypnotherapy sessions with an experienced hypnotherapist.

It is in your subconscious mind that the automatic stress response begins. During stress management hypnosis, you can learn how to control your response to stress.

This reduces the negative impact that stress has on you. Once you know how to do this, you can use self-hypnosis whenever you want for instant benefits.If you learn self-hypnosis or have sessions with an experienced hypnotherapist, you will find that there are many wonderful benefits. The first of these is having a better balance in the chemistry of your body.

This is known as homeostasis and it has an immediate positive effect on your stress levels. Hypnotherapy also has a positive effect on your thoughts and emotions.

This will help you to focus on positive thoughts and to think more constructively. As a result, you will sleep better at night and develop the ability to view your difficulties from a new perspective. In turn, this aids the effective management of stress.