Traditionally Christmas is a season of goodwill, a time when we can stop to think about others, spend some quality time with our loved ones and slow down a bit to relax after a busy year.
However this is not the case for all of us, for many Christmas also comes with extra responsibilities and extra stress from mounting financial pressure, trying to fit everything in when you already have limited time or even feelings of acute loneliness. All these extra pressures can affect your mental health in multiple ways and can have a damaging effect on your mind and body.
This year if feels like Christmas goods have been in the shops for months, we have been bombarded by sales and promotions. Retailers are banking on longer display times to boost sales. So it is unsurprising that stress levels are mounting earlier too.
This time of year may set off some emotional triggers for you perhaps from things you’ve experienced in the past. It may seem like everyone around you is thrilled about Christmas and that makes you feel even more isolated because you don’t feel that way at all.
It’s common that feelings of loneliness rise at this time of year but the important thing to know is that you are not alone. Many people feel the same way, but don’t talk about it and bottle these feelings up instead.
You may also feel some social anxiety at this time of year. Christmas and New Year inevitably mean more socialising with work colleagues, friends and family. For many, just the thought of this creates feelings of anxiety, but the good news there are ways to help you cope with these anxious feelings and stress at Christmas.
Can you imagine how different Christmas would be if you were able to approach it stress free? Hypnotherapy for stress management can help you gain a completely different perspective on life, not just for the holidays. This is an area that I specialise in helping people with.
One of the best things you can do for yourself this year is to learn how to truly relax your body and mind. The first and most important stage of hypnotherapy is to get you into a deeply relaxed state, so that you stop fighting tension and trigger your relaxation response. This is the counterpart to the fight or flight response, and it helps move your body to a physiological state of relaxation
So, I felt that this year it may be helpful if I provide an insight on how to release your Christmas stress and anxiety by sharing a proven breathing technique with you. This will hopefully provide a release so that you can find help and support.
Three Minute Breathing Exercise
Sit or Stand with your feet on the ground.
Slowly take and deep breath in. Notice your body as you inhale.
Now take a long breath out. Feel the difference in your body as you exhale.
Close your eyes. As you connect to the breath, if it is comfortable, gently close your eyes.
Breathe in and out normally. Be aware of your body as you breathe.
Feel how you connect to the ground. Focus on how your feet are connected to the earth beneath you.
Keep your breath flowing. Just be aware of your breath as you inhale and exhale, do not force it just notice the in and the out.
Feel your body sink. As you move through the breath, can you feel your body almost sinking into the ground?
Just take your time. Do not hurry or rush, just take this minute to connect your body and breath to the earth.
If your mind wanders. Do not worry. Just see the thought and focus once again on the breath.
Other thoughts. When they start to come in just notice it, let it pass and again come back to the breath or the feel of the earth beneath you.
Open your eyes. When you are ready, after 1 minute or 10 – it is simply what is right for you.
Take a deep breath in. With your eyes open, breathe in and slowly exhale.
Have a big stretch. If it feels right to you, take the arms overhead and stretch from your fingertips to your toes.
Be thankful. Take the last moment to feel a minute of gratitude. Maybe to the earth beneath you, your body or something that comes to mind.
Try and allocate time to practice this breathing exercise several times a day. The longer you do it for, the more beneficial it will be.This will help you to release unwanted feelings through your breathing, so you can make room for more positive feelings.
How I Can Help
I am an expert in helping people to overcome dress and anxiety with many years of experience with happy clients. Most people say that they start to feel a great change after just three sessions with me and generally notice a change after the initial session. don’t let this Christmas be a stressful time for you. Invest in hypnotherapy as a way to calm your mind and reprogramme your neural pathways and give yourself the gift of truly switching off. I work with individuals and business owners to implement hypnotherapy and relaxation techniques into their daily lives.
Hypnotherapy and NLP with me can get rid of your Christmas anxieties and give you calmness again for this busy period and also address longer term stress issues. During a session, I will also teach you to breathe properly, relax your muscles, work on your emotions and withheld feelings and turn your negative distorted self-talk into positive, so that you will not experience such anxiety again and will be able to face and embrace all situations. In addition, give my clients simple exercises to do at home, which helps to make anxiety management a natural part of their daily lives and routines.
I offer a free initial consultation where we can discuss how hypnotherapy can help you overcome your anxieties – not just for Christmas but for the rest of your life!
Click here for a free consultation with Helen about relieving anxiety through hypnosis.
