"I wanted to write to you to say thank you for helping me in my time of need.
I came to you suffering very heavily with anxiety which was starting to affect my life in a very big way. Being fairly successful in my professional life and as someone that never worried about much I found it very difficult to deal with this new mind set and to always be worried about the ‘unknown’. I was thinking 10 steps ahead on even the smallest of things and worrying unnecessarily about what might happen. After a few sessions with you I was thinking straight again, you taught me how to process the possible against the probable, how to value myself and most of all you made me realise that I wasn’t weird, everyone goes through strenuous times in their life. Your approach was first class, you could tell that i didn’t trust people and built a relationship with me. You talked to me in a very direct way instead of fluffing things up and you put my mind at ease.
Thank you so much for your help, I am now back to myself and I wouldn’t have got back to normal as quickly as I did without you."
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, unease and worry, and it’s a feeling we all experience from time to time. However, sometimes anxiety can become so frequent, aggressive and forceful that it can begin to erode our happiness and chip away at life.
It's really important to note that experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life, especially if something particularly triggering has happened, it doesn’t have to be a huge event, as a trigger can be any size. However, if the anxiety does become persistent or excessive, and starts to interfere with daily life, that’s when it can be diagnosed by a Doctor as an “Anxiety Disorder”.
There are several different varieties of anxiety disorders, each with its own specific symptoms and characteristics.
Some examples of anxiety disorders include:
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): excessive and persistent worry and anxiety about everyday events or activities, often with no clear cause.
Panic disorder: recurring panic attacks that involve sudden and intense fear or discomfort, often accompanied by physical symptoms such as chest pain, sweating, and shortness of breath.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD): intense fear or anxiety in social situations, often accompanied by physical symptoms such as sweating, blushing, or trembling.
Specific phobias: intense and irrational fear of a specific object or situation, such as heights, spiders, or flying.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): recurring and unwanted thoughts, images, or impulses (obsessions) that are accompanied by repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions).
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): anxiety and other symptoms that occur after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, assault, or military combat.
Skin picking / hair pulling (Trichotillomania) , repetitive movements that can lessen the anxiety felt.
So everyday anxiety can become a greater problem, because it’s not just simply restricted to the negative feelings of dread; there are a whole variety of potential anxiety disorders that may be developed over time with emotional investment, it’s one of those things where sooner is better than later.
Do you suffer from anxiety?
Anxiety and panic attacks may affect your life in all sorts of usual and unusual ways. Sometimes anxiety can happen in ordinary social situations or perhaps when speaking to a group. There is a variety of different triggers, that we design with our unique self in mind, and even then, anxiety can occur for no specific reason. A little bit of anxiety is completely normal and natural, especially if we are venturing into the unknown, but long-term or continuous anxiety is not and can seriously effect the life of a sufferer.
Most importantly, there is no, 'One size fits all'. Something that may cause you concern or worry, may not affect your friends or colleagues in the same way, so their advice, however sage, may not be for right for you. So don't worry, it doesn't mean nothing works, it means that your remedies so far just haven't been right for you.
The physical symptoms
The physical symptoms of anxiety can range from rapid breathing, sweating, light headedness, heart palpitations, sheer panic, flushing, worrying, irrational terror, feeling faint or dizzy, and often a deep down feeling of impending doom. Yes, it's true! Anxiety can and will present itself physically for some people.
Some of the physical symptoms to look out for are:
Excessive worrying i.e. Persistent anxious thoughts usually accompanied by other symptoms, such as fatigue or insomnia.
Insomnia – Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, waking early or during the night.
Irrational fears Linked to a specific thing or situation i.e. a phobia.
Muscular tension You may notice this by the ache in your jaw, shoulders, or some other part of the body.
Stomach troubles – Although anxiety may start in the mind there are lots of ways it can show itself physically, as with irritable bowel syndrome IBS and its accompanying symptoms.
Panic attacks – These can come with a whole host of unpleasant symptoms such as heart palpitations, trouble breathing, sweating, dizziness, nausea to name just a few.
last but not least, Procrastination - Putting things off because we are scared, with then leads to things getting bigger and bigger and causing us even more fear
One of the most common forms of anxiety is social anxiety, also known as social phobia, which can affect as much as 13% of the population.
South London Therapy not only offers state of the art therapy with a highly qualified therapist, it offers compassion. You will have a treatment plan tailored to suit your own unique and individual situation, without judgement. A plan designed at your pace.
So often we are the harshest critics of ourselves, and yes, our own worst enemy, and so often we are too anxious of how we will be 'seen' or judged, so much so, that we can persuade ourselves not to risk making that call, and then we get cross when we haven't called... So that sometimes there is no winning.
So just call. It's OK, it's my job to put you at ease....Leave that bit to me.
Why Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy can be a really effective treatment for anxiety because, not only is a, “problem shared a problem halved”, it actually works by helping to reframe our negative thought patterns and give us permission to actually promote relaxation rather than fight against it.
During a hypnotherapy session you will be (ideally) guided into a state of deep relaxation, also known as a trance state, now the ‘deepness’ will vary from person to person, if you’re not ready for ‘deep’ and find that a bit “Yikes” that’s no problem, we will always go at your rate and pace… Sometimes I see clients that come and can’t even close their eyes without fear, soooo, we do eyes open work, until we feel comfortable- the work is just as effective.
Once you are in a different ‘state’ to the usual feeling, ie; feeling calmer, we will start to ‘download’ the best suggestions for you and work with imagery. We may use a whole host of techniques to create that calm and peaceful feeling to begin to reframe negative thoughts and beliefs, and we will do it together, no surprises.
Hypnotherapy can also help with anxiety by addressing underlying emotional or psychological issues that may be contributing to the anxiety, such as past traumas or negative self-talk. By helping you access their subconscious mind, hypnotherapy can help you to gain insight into what may be the root causes of our anxiety and develop new coping strategies to a healthier ways of thinking.
Within the scope of Hypnotherapy we will work together to effectively understand and rationalise the 'crazy' fears or believed negative outcomes and we can allow the space to put things in the ordinary perspective, so if it's just moving things a tiny amount or tackling a monster head-on…
We'll deal with it your way.
Anxiety at whatever level is uncomfortable and can be a problem to live with. Over time anxiety and its related disorders can take a toll on mental and physical health and general well being.
Giving Tracey a call could be your important first step to an anxiety free future. Don’t delay, just call.