Christmas stress tip

what do you need to do to change?

What's stopping you?

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angiegiles.co.uk
Twitter: angie_therapist
Facebook: Angie Giles Hypnotherapy

About the Author: Angie works as a hypnotherapist, counsellor and coach at the Norfolk Clinic Complementary Healthcare Clinic, 38-40 Magdalen Road, Norwich. Norfolk Clinic reception on 01603 660792 or directly on 07773 610816. She loves helping other people achieve their potential at work and in life and achieving happiness using a range of therapeutic techniques.

freedom; a great thing or a bit nerve-wracking?

angiegiles.co.uk
Twitter: angie_therapist
Facebook: Angie Giles Hypnotherapy

About the Author: Angie works as a hypnotherapist, counsellor and coach at the Norfolk Clinic Complementary Healthcare Clinic, 38-40 Magdalen Road, Norwich. Norfolk Clinic reception on 01603 660792 or directly on 07773 610816. She loves helping other people achieve their potential at work and in life and achieving happiness using a range of therapeutic techniques.

Fear of the unknown

Once upon a time, a long time ago, I was told I had asked too many questions at a meeting. In order to keep the status quo, I learnt to keep my questions inside me, unanswered or answered at a later time when the moment of learning had passed. It wasn't the best strategy for me. 

Since blossoming into the person I am now, I know different.  It was all about joyful curiosity. Someone I respect who has helped me on my journey once explained to me that curiosity is what gets you moving away from the past and toward your future (well maybe not exactly what they said, though it was along those lines). Curiosity can be the key to unlocking someone's potential.

If you're afraid of insects for example, it could be that you did not have the joyful experience (see the picture) of being encouraged to love butterflies and all the other insects around you. Perhaps a wasp sting as a toddler put you off because your curiosity was without any fear at the time. What if that insect fear had developed into an irrational fear that stops you from enjoying time outside in the fresh air though? If you are still fearful of insects, consider how it would be to not have that irrational fear any more. What would that be like? What would it be like for those who have seen how scared you were now hearing and seeing you be fear-free? How liberating! I used to dislike moths, I can now have them flying above my head without the irrational part of my brain kicking in. 

What about an uncertain career or life path? What if you are going through redundancy or facing personal upheaval? The necessity of keeping a roof over your head and regular commitments might push you towards fear. Fear can lead to paralysing inactivity, taking a hasty decision that you later regret and worst of all... panic. Instead, what if you were able to take a breath (literally and metaphorically) and take a different view of the situation? To float above it and feel differently. Perhaps viewing it as the time to make a new start and find how it flows into the next exciting part of your journey. It can be done with joyful curiosity! I have been through redundancy and come through the other side myself. 

Whether you are facing an uncertain future, or you have been held back by fear of something there's always a time to develop curiosity, to make a change and if you want, to get the help you may need to do it. I offer a free initial consultation so you can find out what support I can give you too.  Good luck on your journey of joyful curiosity! 

Email info@angiegiles.co.uk  

angiegiles.co.uk
Twitter: angie_therapist
Facebook: Angie Giles Hypnotherapy

About the Author: Angie works as a hypnotherapist, counsellor and coach at the Norfolk Clinic Complementary Healthcare Clinic, 38-40 Magdalen Road, Norwich. Norfolk Clinic reception on 01603 660792 or directly on 07773 610816. She loves helping other people achieve their potential at work and in life and achieving happiness using a range of therapeutic techniques.

Summer holidays, managers, career and stress

Have you ever thought that going on summer holiday might be more stressful than being at work? A 2010 study by the UK’s Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), questioned 2,500 of its members about attitudes towards taking a long summer break. It found forty per cent of managers don’t feel relaxed after returning from a holiday. A worrying finding was that many workers came back from a holiday more stressed than when they left. Those in both lower and upper management positions had worked while they are on holiday. Around 80 per cent of those surveyed answer work-related emails, around 50 per cent make and take business-related phone calls and 10 per cent go into the office. Over 90 per cent of managers worried about returning to hundreds of e-mails. 

The study revealed it takes approximately two days and seventeen hours into a holiday for those surveyed to feel totally relaxed. Ten per cent of managers said it took them up to a week to fully get into holiday mode. Do you see yourself taking that long to relax? 

The current economic climate and fear of redundancy encourages people to feel they need to be in touch with what’s going on at work and hitting targets. However, it’s important to allow time to unwind. Only you can do that for yourself, no one else can do it for you! 

Do you deserve a bit of relaxation and time to feel revitalised? I bet you do, but how can you balance work and holiday? If you really believe you cannot stop working entirely, set yourself a limit for checking emails, correspondence or calls. Putting aside one afternoon to focus on just work is a good idea. Discuss with your partner so they know the pressures you are facing too and how they might be able to help. Planning with a partner or a relative to take the children out for an afternoon to enable quiet for work concentration can be one way to ensure you keep to any time limit you set. In the same way you plan work in, make sure you plan in free time with family and switch off your office technology too. 

Plan time for your wellbeing and fun with family and friends. It might be an unfamiliar work ethic, though I know the most capable managers in the long run are those that make time to truly relax and have happy memories of summer holidays to see them through the most demanding career. Those unread emails can wait.   

I can help you with managing stress, insomnia or just feeling more in control. See below links:

angiegiles.co.uk
Twitter: angie_therapist


Facebook: Angie Giles Hypnotherapy

About the Author: Angie works as a hypnotherapist, counsellor and coach at the Norfolk Clinic Complementary Healthcare Clinic, 38-40 Magdalen Road, Norwich. Norfolk Clinic reception on 01603 660792 or directly on 07773 610816. She loves helping other people achieve their potential at work and in life and achieving happiness using a range of therapeutic techniques.

Seeing beyond fear

How do you see beyond fears that might otherwise hold you back? 

I'm curious to know what fear stops you from doing? 

If it has stopped you from asking for help, tell it to stop. 

Trust that you will lead yourself to what you need and when you need it.

  

How do you cope with unexpected change?

The ups and downs of life and work can be just like a rollercoaster at times. There might be a feeling of safety and peace as you glide upwards and the views at the top seem breathtaking, only the direction suddenly changes, so you go hurtling downwards with the inevitable twists and turns that happen along the way. It can be exciting for a short time and some people thrive on the adrenaline-filled rush of rollercoasters. If there are several events or situations that happen it can feel a whole lot different, too much stress over a prolonged period. How you cope is often dependent on your upbringing and also on how many of those other stressors there are in your life at the time.

Some people get to the point of not quite knowing how to cope with the upheaval and stress that change brings. If there is one thing that changes in life and work have taught me, it is there is no one solution to each and every person's circumstances when it comes to change. What I do know is that from my work with clients, change can be unsettling. Too much change leaves some with a feeling of having the ground taken from beneath them. I say there are no rights or wrongs to how you deal with change. I do suggest feeling what you feel and allowing time to 'grieve' the loss that often goes with a major life or work change.

One thing that can happen when someone is under pressure is to turn to unhealthy coping strategies. This could be to drink, over-eat, under-eat or take recreational drugs. Forgetting about problems for a while is the aim, but there are consequences on your body and health as well as on your relationships. Find other ways to let your frustration or hurt out. You could go for a walk, run, cycle, read, talk to a trusted friend. You could write down your thoughts and feelings (just for your eyes) so that they stop spinning around your head. Get to bed early and eat healthily and regularly.

If you can, do your best to let people know what you want at a particular time. It is your responsibility to say what you need rather than expect people to read your mind. If you want time on your own, that's OK. Explain your need for a bit of quiet and reflection so you can come to terms with the changes you are facing. If you need to surround yourself with people to help you through it, that's OK too. Try to be explicit about your needs with those who care about you. Other people may not know quite what to say or do to support you if you are going through a major life upheaval. Their need may be to give you a hug when it is the last thing you need right now. Allow them the chance to support you in a way that you will appreciate by telling them as clearly as you can. They do care and you can help them to help you.

Change is inevitable with home, life and work not staying still. Things move on. You can choose to see a change as an opportunity. Once the initial shock and disbelief have worn off, things will begin to fall into place: acceptance. The change could direct you in a new, positive direction. You could start to feel excited about the next twists and turns and highs of the rollercoaster of life and work, still to come.

About the Author: Angie works as a hypnotherapist, counsellor and coach at the Norfolk Clinic Complementary Healthcare Clinic, 38-40 Magdalen Road, Norwich. Norfolk Clinic reception on 01603 660792 or directly on 07773 610816. She loves helping other people achieve their potential at work and in life and achieving happiness using a range of therapeutic techniques.
Twitter: angie_therapist
Facebook: Angie Giles Hypnotherapy

Help with feelings about pregnancy and morning sickness

Reports earlier this year said Kate Middleton may have turned to the help of hypnotherapy for dealing with her feelings about food after severe morning sickness meant she became dehydrated and was hospitalised. Only in the worst cases do GP's suggest medication might be used. A trip to hospital is only involved only when the impacts of the sickness present a potential risk to the mother or her unborn child.

What help can a mother find to deal with how she is feeling (alongside the main medical care on offer for her and her baby's physical safety)?
Asking for help from those close is a good idea, particularly if you have another child and are finding yourself under pressure to continue with everyday tasks. Finding a way to distract your mind from worries about the pregnancy or the morning sickness are also useful. Another way is gaining support through the benefits of hypnosis during the first trimester. Learning self hypnosis techniques as well as finding a practitioner to help with maintaining a positive focus and getting through those early symptoms. Hypnosis should always complement the main care on offer through the NHS. See the NHS website link here on morning sickness/nausea in pregnancy and how to help yourself or if someone you know is feeling the effects. Suggestions include foods and drinks to avoid and other steps you can take to help yourself and seek support from those close to you.

If you would like to know more about hypnotherapy and how it can complement existing medicine, I offer a free initial consultation in Norwich, Norfolk, UK. Based at the Norfolk Clinic, 38-40 Magdalen Road, Norwich, NR3 4AG, an established and well respected complementary health care centre in Norwich. Telephone 01603 660792. See Angie Giles Hypnotherapy web page for more information.

What tomorrow brings...

20% of population are not getting enough..... Sleep!

Around 20% of the adult population are said to be sleep-deprived at any one time. Experiencing mild to moderate sleep disturbance also causes problems in cognitive thinking and reaction times comparable to being drunk. Maybe you weren't expecting to hear that, but it has been shown to be true. Maybe you have felt drained when working to deadline or on a tough project and sleep has been the last thing on your mind.

So what if you are waking up several times during the night? what do you find yourself doing? Tell yourself you should stop thinking about something?

Do you turn over, plump up the pillow and fall asleep again or does your brain start to rev up and charge into action? Do you have to get up and make a drink or read a book to feel sleepy again? Can you sleep better in a chair than in your bed? Do you dread going back into bed? You are not alone. I've worked with people who suffered sleep deprivation and its' knock-on effects on their lives. It can be helped, it doesn't need to continue to have the impact it is.

If there are lots of things going on in your life, perhaps some things you have not tackled before, it can be difficult to drop off to sleep again. You see, I think of it like this, your brain is waking you up to help resolve the problem consciously. If our unconscious mind, the part that has all our previous experiences and values safely tucked away, cannot resolve a problem during REM sleep (the deepest part of sleep, when Rapid Eye Movement occurs), it requests the conscious mind get in on the act to help solve the problem. It's doing it's best to help in this situation. Perhaps this is not what we ideally want at 4am in the morning, so it can feel frustrating and tiring!

In the past, during difficult times in my life, I have found my normally regular sleep pattern destroyed temporarily. I found myself waking up in the wee small hours as if I was in an unpleasant dream. Then whatever had been playing on my mind earlier in the day came back to me. I was left considering what it was that I was being asked to solve. I was fortunate as sleep eventually descended after a while. Perhaps in part as I took a few simple steps to deal with the problem.

Writing my thoughts down was one way of tackling that shut-eye intrusion. Have you tried it? What did you find happened? Also making sure you switch off equipment like TV and phone at least 30-45 minutes before bedtime.

What else do you use to help with sleep disturbance/ insomnia? Or are you a master at super sleep habits? I look forward to hearing your own stories of sleep, how you get back to sleep or drop off to sleep in the first place? What do you think has helped you deal with sleeplessness?

I'd love to hear what experiences with sleep (or lack of) that you have had.

Believe and you can achieve

If you have a goal, keep reaching for it. The journey is as important as the destination and coaching and hypnotherapy can allow you to visualise and make those dreams a reality. 'Believe and you can achieve'