Author: Tim

You wake up in the morning and feel a sense of dread – for no particular reason. If only you could step outside of yourself, even for a few moments, to analyse what is going on.

Is it a fear of something that might happen that day? (… but it’s just a normal day.) Is it worry about something you messed up yesterday? (… but you didn’t mess anything up yesterday.) Is there something overwhelming that you have to achieve today? (… but, like I said, it’s just a normal day.)

That sense of dread first thing in the morning (or at any time of day) that does not seem to relate to anything – that is a symptom of high levels of anxiety. A doctor might diagnose it as “Generalised Anxiety Disorder” (GAD). But giving it a diagnostic name might help you identify what it is, but it doesn’t take away the awful feeling that you are left with.

Why We Get Anxiety Over Nothing In Particular

When there is a build-up of stress, worry, regret, justified anger and so on, the subconscious recognises that something is wrong. The “stress bucket” becomes full. The subconscious does not know what is wrong, it just senses there is something wrong.

So our subconscious starts to make us anxious. Why? Because anxiety makes us look out for things that might go wrong. When wake in the morning, our subconscious immediately makes us anxious so that we start looking out for the threats to our lives. Of course, there are no threats to our lives, but because of all the overload of stress, the depths of our brain reacts as if there is … just in case.

The anxiety, of course, simply adds to the stress and makes the situation worse. We can get stuck in a seemingly never-ending life of waking up each morning feeling the anxiety that invades our minds and bodies.

What To Do About Morning Anxiety

As with any form of anxiety, there are (in broad terms) three general routes to follow. You can try one or more of these to help:

1. Medication – go to your doctor, explain the symptoms and ask for medication to help.
2. Self-help – look up “self care for anxiety” on Google and find a plethora of advice (see, for example, the advice from MIND listed below).
3. Therapy – find a hypnotherapist, CBT specialist, counsellor or some other type of therapist who specialise in anxiety.

Hypnotherapy for Anxiety

I specialise in helping people who are only just coping with stress and anxiety. I use hypnotherapy to help that get back to their normal selves again. I would be happy to have a chat if you would like to Contact Me. I work out of my clinic in Fleet, Hampshire and also online.

There are other hypnotherapists out there – and if you choose someone else, make sure they are properly qualified, follow good ethical practices and are fully insured. Check them out on the National Council for Hypnotherapy website or the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy website.

References

MIND advice on self-care for anxiety

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/self-care/

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/generalised-anxiety-disorder-gad/

National Council for Hypnotherapy

https://www.hypnotherapists.org.uk/

Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy

https://www.afsfh.com/

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The world is a scary place, and it can seem even scarier when you watch the news or read a newspaper. News can increase anxiety levels.

Some of the people I see in my hypnotherapy clinic have simply stopped watching the News. They have realised that it just adds to their stress and so they have stopped. Others seem to watch the news several times a day, and it makes them very anxious.

Anxiety often occurs when there is something we are aware of that might go wrong, but is out of our control, like waiting for the results of a job interview, wondering whether you are going to be sick during the Covid lockdowns, or staying up late waiting for your teenager to come home when they’ve gone out on their own for the first time.

The News is a bit like that – something bad might happen that effects you and your family, and it is out of your control. The News can make you anxious.

But many of us like to be informed about what is going on in the world. We like to keep in touch with the News – local, national and international. And of course, there is nothing wrong with doing that, provided we can control any additional stress that we might experience.

It’s all about getting the right balance. Do you ignore the News, just read the headlines, or read everything in detail? It all depends on what you want, and how much it effects you.

I see people in my hypnotherapy clinic every week who are struggling to cope with anxiety and stress. I help them get back in control of their lives. If you are interested in finding out what hypnotherapy can do for you, check out my website and Contact Me. I will be very happy to have a chat with you.

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Social anxiety can ruin lives … Daisy walks down the street worrying about what the other people think of her. She worries that they think she is ugly. She worries that they might stop her and become angry. She worries that they look down on her. Daisy has only a few friends, and although she worries less about what they think, she still worries. Daisy doesn’t get out much.

Now Daisy isn’t a real person, but her social anxiety is real in many people. They get anxious around others – maybe in crowds, or on the phone to strangers, or even just walking down the street. This is social anxiety – anxiety that is triggered by the presence of other people, particularly people they don’t know.

Whether anxiety is triggered by other people or anything else, it is still anxiety. It is the primitive part of the brain starting to take over, trying to stop you doing something that might be dangerous. Of course, other people are not likely to be a threat, but that does not stop that primitive part of the brain reacting in the way it does.

So if you have a bit of social anxiety, remember that the other people around you are not judging you. They are not going to stop you and get angry. They probably don’t even notice you as you pass them by on the street.

If you have difficulty in getting over social anxiety on your own, you might consider hypnotherapy. I help people with all types of anxiety using hypnotherapy, helping them get back in control of their lives and feel normal again. You can Contact Me if you want a chat about how I can help.

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