1 in 6 people in the Uk will experience a common mental health issue each year.
I have first hand experience of living with anxiety and anxiety based depression; to be frank it can be lonely and utterly exhausting.
It is through my recovery and subsequent Hypno-Psychotherapy training, that I discovered just how beneficial and transformative hypnotherapy can be.
Through overcoming and moving past the limiting aspects of living with an anxiety, I found and connected with a desire to help other people through my work, to share the knowledge and experiences I have had in order to facilitate their healing and ultimately improve quality of life for those who need a little help (as so many of us do at some time or another in our lives)
For those lucky enough to have experienced good mental health thus far in their lives, it must be extremely hard to grasp just what it is like but if you are struggling with any form of anxiety, depression or other mental health issue then day to day ‘life’ can be absolutely exhausting and can often be terrifying.
Something …. anything may trigger you: airports, going to meet a big group of friends for lunch, a night out, your work, a song on the radio, alcohol, family …. getting out of bed can take every ounce of strength you have and just getting through the mundane tasks of day to day existence can be highly challenging.
There are many different disorders on the Anxiety spectrum, which I will be discussing further in future blog posts but for now here is a brief explanation of what is happening physiologically during an anxiety ‘attack’:
The Sympathetic nervous system is activated or ‘triggered’ and firing on all cylinders. An evolutionary throwback from our cave-man days: the sympathetic division of the nervous system functions to produce localised adjustments (such as sweating as a response to an increase in temperature).
However, under conditions of stress, the entire sympathetic nervous system is activated, producing an immediate widespread response called the fight-or-flight response.
This response is characterised by the release of large quantities of adrenaline from the adrenal gland, an increase in heart rate, skeletal muscle vasodilation; widening of blood vessels causing an increase in blood flow through the vessels and a decrease in blood pressure, restricted blood flow to the skin, stomach & intestines, dilated pupils and also causing our hairs to stand on end. The overall effect is to prepare the individual for imminent danger and this feeling is most definitely real; they are in ‘mortal danger’ and any attempt at rationalisation is futile.
Unfortunately this ‘internal alarm system’ that evolution designed to protect us in the wild, can be wrongly an inappropriately activated during ‘normal’ everyday situations if an individual is already under a degree of stress or mental imbalance.
These feelings are physical and can be overwhelming: palpitations, sweating, hyperventilating, blood rushing to the head, panic attacks, intrusive and obsessive catastrophic thoughts….it can be hard to come down from this level of sympathetic arousal. In this situation it is imperative that you breathe …. long, slow breaths.
‘In for the count of 7 and out for the count of 10’ is an easy ‘tool’ to remember; the counting helps to distract and re-focus the mind away from the perceived ‘danger’.
It is also important to also look out for and recognise in yourself or loved ones the more subtle signs of anxiety such as: random bursts of irritability, obsessive behaviour and nit picking, hypersensitivity, pacing, silence and zoning out.
The most important thing you can do if you are struggling with any form of anxiety issue is to reach out and ask for help; the most important thing you need to know is that you can overcome this and you can heal.
‘Anxiety’ is not a personality trait it is adapted resilience to our lives experiences and this is something that with the right help we have the power and autonomy to change our lived experience for the better.
I am trained in various different techniques that will help you to identify the root causes of the issue, utilising hypnosis in order to bypass the conscious mind we can create deeper and long lasting change quicker than with other forms of talking therapies alone.
We will work together to determine your therapeutic goals, using a solution focused approach, I will create an individual therapeutic plan that is tailored specifically for you.
If you have any questions at all relating to any form of anxiety or depression and how we may be able to work together to improve your situation, then please do get in touch, I am here to help.
Caroline
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