Stop seeing hypnotherapy as a luxury

For years I have been wondering why so many people put their mental wellbeing at the bottom of their priorities list. And I am beginning to understand and even catch myself displaying the same behaviours sometimes. We seem to be giving mental health a different importance to physical health and that is dangerous. And health, in my opinion, should only be seen as one big area. Mental and physical may seem like two separate topics but they link into one another heavily.

Many health care practitioners have understood this and share their knowledge with us via books, publishing research and even social media. But knowledge is not the problem. There is more information out there than ever before. And you can access it in so many ways and perhaps that is one of the issues. I personally feel overwhelmed when I go to a big supermarket trying to buy a shampoo and the selection is just ridiculously large. I buy shampoo refills at small independent shops now. That is just one of the many small changes I have made to reduce overwhelm. Decision making uses a lot of energy.

A big proportion of our actions each day are subconscious behaviours. Habits. The way we open a bottle of water, the way we change gears when driving and the way we eat our breakfast. Research suggests that at least 40-50% of our actions each day require no conscious thought. We just do them. And that is, of course, majorly helpful but it also explains why it is so hard to change any habits, limiting believes and negative thought patterns. Often simple but not necessarily easy.

If you were brought up to believe that smoking and drinking alcohol often isn’t as bad as it is made out to be because your aunt did both and she is 90 years old and healthy then why question it?

See, I have just given you an example here because I want you to understand that a lot of your behaviours and believes are deeply ingrained in your innate structure because this is the way your brain works. It must or it would be constantly overwhelmed. We learn and we filter and we make assumptions and we just do things the way we have always done those things.

You keep on doing the same things and expecting different results. You are unwell, burnt out, stressed, overweight, unhappy, unhealthy, overwhelmed, frustrated. Do any of those words resonate with you or perhaps even several?

So, where do you start? Who you do you listen to? Who can help? Who or what one change can help the best and fastest? As many people (sorry if I am stereotyping here) want fast results. It must be quick, easy, take minimal effort and better be big and visible results, right?

The faster you drive your car, the higher the risk of a crash! Stop rushing! Your struggles most likely did not start and go full speed overnight.

Here is my take on how and where to start changing the way you operate daily to live a healthier life (if you still thought of physical health only at this point then go back to the beginning of this post):

• Start somewhere. The goal should be to start and not to finish. Buy one book, go for a walk, drink an additional glass of water each day, take 15 mins of me-time. Goals are not reached overnight.

  
  

• Accept help. We have always lived in communities but are moving further away from this lifestyle nowadays. Facebook is not a community. Your neighbourhood is and your family is.

  
  

• Pause to reflect. You would not expect a sat nav to help you get to your destination if you have not set a destination. Considering your core values at this point and looking at whether they are aligned with your lifestyle.

  
  

• Stop overcomplicating and overthinking. I know this sounds harsh, believe me. But you must let go of some stuff. Think of it as if you are packing your backpack for a weekend away wild camping and hiking. Have too much stuff and you will suffer the consequences of carrying heavy and struggling to find what you need when you need it. What is most important on this journey? Simplify and reduce.

  
  

• Take your health serious. Health is not a luxury. It really should be on the top of your priority list. It is the glue that holds it all together.

  
  

• Surround yourself with the right people and content. You may want to add a podcast to your list or follow a health professional on social media, perhaps see more of a friend that brings out the best in you. Or perhaps the opposite and you follow so many social media wellbeing accounts that a declutter might be beneficial. Quality over quantity.

  
  

There is not always just one right way to do something, one route to follow or one health practitioners’ advice to follow. There is only ‘right for you.’

Whilst there is much great health advice out there it can also be extremely overwhelming to know how to even live a healthy lifestyle and how to even begin to get there. Now throw in some perfectionism, ADHD, anxiety, or fear of failure then this will be the perfect recipe for not even starting at all. And unless you start changing, nothing will change. You will walk on a spot without going anywhere, not grow and not evolve.

I want you to live a rich and meaningful life. I want you to live the best live you possibly can. I do not want you to just survive, exist or manage. I want you to be content, experience joy and enjoy the life that you have been given.

What has all this got to with hypnotherapy? Clinical hypnotherapy is the biggest part in my one-to-one sessions but as I said before you need to know what to put in your sat nav. Before I became a clinical hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner, here in the south of Manchester, I trained to be an accredited life coach. I use the skills that I acquired in combination with my own life experiences to help both men and women figure out what the main areas of their struggles are and come up with a of a road map (homework included).

Hypnotherapy is not for everyone, and neither is counselling. There is no shame in working with a therapist to help you figure things out, help you through a difficult time and much more. In fact, many therapists and coaches that I know work with professionals themselves, myself included. And if you know Brené Brown (if not, google her) she shares this openly on stage in front of millions of people. Therapy and wellbeing services should not be seen as a luxury. This stuff is important. And I would even go as far as saying the healthier and more aligned your body and mind are the more other aspects of your life will fall into place. Taking one step towards a brighter and more fulfilled future will have a ripple effect.

Whether it is with me or another health care provider or holistic therapist, I would recommend to anyone to have a think about investing some of your time and money into therapy or coaching. There are also a lot of alternative holistic therapies here in the Manchester and Cheshire area . No ads in this blog but do ask me if you are interested. Nature, Art, and laughter therapies are some of those that spring to mind. Happy to share.

Make alternative medicine mainstream. Why has the NHS and health care system not made this type of therapy accessible yet? Probably too big of a question for this blog but there are a few things I want to mention. Firstly, hypnotherapy is not sufficiently regulated yet. I think we are getting there but it is a long way to go. Look for someone who is accredited and insured. Do not feel embarrassed to ask questions. This is your health and your money so you want to make an informed decision.

And some private insurances have hypnotherapy services included in their available services, Ts and Cs apply. I have been approved by one insurance as I meet the criteria. Some insurances that employers have for their staff also cover some of the costs.

Take ‘alternative’ out of ‘alternative medicine’. Hypnotherapy and other complimentary and alternative medicine often get seen as such. I am in no way against conventional medicine in any way. In fact, modern medicine saved my life when I had stage 4 cancer when I was only 5 years old. But I do believe that there is a time and a place for it. And prevention is better than cure. When I was depressed some years ago because I went through a difficult time in my life and got given anti-depressants it was not necessary! I needed many things but tablets were not one of them. It is normal to feel depressed sometimes. We label so many of our emotions as bad when actually they serve a purpose and are needed to get through something. Yet we try so hard to get rid of them.

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. This is something I have learned from Dr. Rangan Chatterjee. It is his words so I will not elaborate too much on this topic but instead suggest to you to check out his books, podcasts, or social media account. But I will say this: we have gotten so overly comfortable in our modern lifestyles, like googling something and not having to find the answer in a book or ask someone, that if feels so unnatural when we are even slightly uncomfortable.

Here are some prime examples of discomfort being necessary:

• If you want to build muscles you do not stop your exercise before it starts getting harder.

• Finding new friends (this example is from my 10yo son).

• Childbirth.

  
  

I could go on here but I think you are starting to understand. Life cannot always be comfortable and it shouldn’t.

The moment you start to grow, change, or go in a new direction might be uncomfortable and leaving your comfort zone may feel unnatural at first but you will soon get used to it and it will become your new normal.

About 2 months ago I started going to the gym. I have reflected on my values and realised that although health was always in my top 5 priorities it was never taken as serious as it should have been especially given my medical history. My first trip to the gym was hard, stepping out of my comfort zone, I was so nervous. I drove there in my car because even though I commute a lot on my bike it seemed too much all at once, the new route and a workout in a group setting at Alt-T in Timperley. Big step out of my comfort zone.

Fast forward 2 months it has become my new normal to go there twice a week and I have never regretted a single workout. I know that this is not just important for my mental and physical health right now but in years to come like increasing levels of BDNF and therefore potentially decreasing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s among many other long-term benefits. I am a part of a community and the ripple effect this change has had on my life is ongoing.

Oh, and I cycle to the gym now which is a great ride through some woodland, past fields and takes me less than quarter of an hour in which I hear birds singing, see horses and align with my personal core values by not using my car for short journeys and helping the environment.

If you want to start your journey of taking your health to the next level and tackle lifestyle challenges, unresolved trauma, overwhelm and lingering grief with me then BOOK your free 20-minute telephone consultation today and let us find out if we are a good match.

I work in person with my clients in Cheshire and the Manchester area and deliver group hypnosis sessions in Cheadle at Yoga Sangha and in Knutsford at NATURALMAT. Because Hypnotherapy is not a luxury. It improves mental health and wellbeing and for some of my clients even helped them come off anti-depressants (GP led). Sometimes we see small changes, subtle and slow and others report transformative experiences. For most people quality of sleep, focus and calmness improves even if they were not on your list of issues you came to me with.

Stop seeing clinical hypnotherapy as a luxury, it is potentially life-changing therapy.

So start today, start somewhere, start!