Merry and Bright? Why the festive season is so overwhelming and how Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help.

November and December can be notoriously challenging months for those of us no longer so excited about Santa coming. I’m sure we can all think of many reasons for this. A few include:

• Making plans for ‘the big day’

• Gift shopping/money worries

• Work deadlines looming

• The never ending list of pre-Christmas events

• Pressure to enjoy it

• All this while it’s cold and dark!

The Neuroscience Bit

All this pressure puts the amygdala, the fear centre of the brain, on high alert. This part of the brain, which is a part of what’s often referred to as the ‘primitive brain’, reacts to modern pressures, such as financial worries or deadlines, in the same way as it would have responded to being chased by a wild animal back in primitive times. Our sympathetic nervous system takes over and what we commonly know as our fight or flight response is activated. During primitive times, once the life-threatening situation was over, our parasympathetic, or ‘rest and digest’ nervous system would soon come back on.

Because the pressures of modern life are more consistent, especially at this time of year, we can be thrust into fight or flight mode for longer periods when things get too much. When this happens, our rational pre-frontal cortex takes a back seat so we lose some of our capacity to think calmly and logically.

How Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) can help:

SFH encourages you to focus on what you can control and on what’s going well, rather than focusing on problems.

We use a practical, forward-looking approach that sees you take small manageable steps forward, helping you break away from the habit of overthinking and getting caught up in worries.

We share information about the brain to help you understand your anxious responses and take control. It’s reassuring to learn that you’re not simply an anxious, overwhelmed, stressed … (fill in the blanks) person and that there’s certainly nothing wrong with you . It’s just a mechanism of the brain that kicks in to protect you when life gets busy and these feelings take hold.

Hypnosis helps you feel more relaxed, calming your stress response while at the same time, engaging the subconscious mind - the part that controls 95% (approx) of your habits, responses and beliefs. Over time, and with your commitment to the process, this not only helps you to feel generally more relaxed, but you can see a positive shift in certain patterns of thoughts and behaviour.

Whatever the time of year, modern life is overwhelming, and we can all feel overcome by it at times. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help you take back rational control and feel calm in all seasons.

To find out more about how Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help you navigate feelings of stress and overwhelm, fill in the contact form below to arrange a free discovery call

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