Anxiety and Stress appears to be part of everyday life for many people these days. Particularly, with all the uncertainties that are being thrown at us in recent times, quite often we just don’t know which way is up. Life has become more hectic than ever before, and many people live in constant fight or flight mode.

Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. It's a normal reaction to stress. But if anxiety has become severe, constant, or interfering with your daily life, it might be a sign anxiety has taken hold

The great news with anxiety is it’s something that we do to ourselves. Anxiety is not a noun it’s a verb, and many people do it very very well. So, if we do it to ourselves then that means we can stop doing it to ourselves.

Using Clinical Hypnosis and Strategic Psychotherapy I can guide and teach you how you do it and how you can take control of it.

PHYSICAL

Accelerated heart rate, and feeling out of breath, palpitations, tight chest

Nausea, Stomach pains, diarrhoea

Headaches

Sweating or trembling

Feeling nervous, restless or tense

Irritable

Insomnia, difficultly sleeping

Inability to relax

Muscles tension

PSYCHOLOGICAL

Having trouble concentrating

Excessive worry or fear

Obsessive thinking, rumination

Feeling of impending doom

Difficulty concentrating

Decreased memory, mind going blank

Indecisive

Ever had that feeling, boom, out of nowhere you can’t breathe, you feel dizzy, almost as though you are having a heart attack, bullet in the chest or about to pass out. That intense feeling of anxiety or fear consumes your entire being. Those very real feeling can be very frightening. If so what you may be experiencing is a panic attack - frightening yes, but thankfully not dangerous.

For most a panic attack will only lasts a few minutes, although when you are in the midst of it it may feel much longer. For some they may only have one or two panic attacks in their lifetime whilst for others they can happen frequently, which can be disabling and have a huge impact on your everyday life. There is no one single cause of panic attacks however they often occur during times when we have higher than normal stress levels, or a build of many things that are causing us stress, and then spill over they into a panic attack. Rest assured whatever your trigger is we can tackle it.

Good news for you is that although the term is ‘panic ATTACK’ you are not being attacked, this is just a metaphor, a misleading labelling. Your body in-fact is doing something clever in response to what it believes is a ‘fight, flight, freeze’ situation.

Using this knowledge and a range of techniques we use at The Oriented Mind, I can help you understand what is happening, why it’s happening, what you can do to stop it happening, what you can do in the moment and lead up moments and provide you with the tools to build resilience to this happening in the future.

Heightened sense of danger or impending doom

Anxious thoughts

Fear of loss of control, going mad or dying

Rapid, pounding heart rate

Difficulty breathing

Sweating, shaking, trembling, chills, tingling (arms and hands)

Feeling of constriction in the chest, chest pain

Dizzy, lightheaded or faint

Nausea, sore stomach

Headaches

Tense muscles

Feeling of unreality or detachment

Sleep is a major problem in the modern day world, seriously affecting as many as 35% of adults, with 1 in 6 reporting troubles getting to sleep or staying asleep. So if sleep is creating an issue for you, you are in good company.

Whether it is tossing and turning night after night, worrying you are never going to sleep, waking up when you should be winding down. There are many reasons sleep does not come naturally for you; things in your life causing you a specific anxiety load, an active mind always analysing and thinking things over, or simply a belief you are not a good sleeper, night owl, or nighttime is when you are most creative. Maybe you have an erratic sleeping schedule, or you are bad at falling asleep. Or, you are sick or on medications, in pain, or suffering from depression. There are many factors that can effect our sleep.

The following day, well below that magical 6-8 hours of solid sleep, you are often left feeling groggy, ill-tempered, and coupled with a fear that yet another poor nights sleep waits ahead.

Consistent bad sleep diminishes your mental abilities and puts your physical health at risk; memory problems, difficulty thinking and concentrating, moody, impulsive behaviour, increased accident risk, increased likelihood of illness, increased weight gain and diabetes, elevated blood pressure, reduced sexual desire and inability to conceive.

Insomnia can be acute, and can only be present for a brief time, or chronic, lasting a long time.

Whatever is holding natural sleep back, let’s get everything in order and give you best chance of a good nights sleep

There are three main types of sleep problems;

Primary - Where you are struggling to fall asleep, you may need to spend an hour or longer getting into bed. If you have primary insomnia, you might use alcohol or sleep pills to help you get to sleep. Then you might fall asleep, but when the fermentation process begins with the alcohol or when the sleep pills wear off, you might find you develop secondary insomnia.

Secondary/Middle - is when you can get to sleep, but them boom you are wide awake 2/3am and you have trouble getting back to sleep

Terminal - is where you get to sleep but you wake too early and never get back to sleep

It's common for smokers struggling with addiction to make excuses to continue the addictive behaviour, and vaping is no exception. People often convince themselves that vaping helps them relax, concentrate, or cope with stress while rationalising away the risks. However, when you look at the bigger picture, these excuses begin to sound superficial and driven by emotions rather than logic.

Nicotine's addictive properties can make you feel tense and deprived, reinforcing the cycle of addiction. Additionally, smoking and vaping poses significant health risks . Dependence on smoking and vaping not only takes a toll on your physical health but also psychological well-being, leading to a dependency on synthetic drugs.

By freeing yourself from smoking and vaping, you will feel calmer, clearer, and more in command of yourself. Our hypnosis session aims to help you overcome these old addictive thoughts and direct your focus towards a healthier lifestyle.

Smoking and vaping are both harmful to health and can also have negative effects on mental health.

Health

Respiratory symptoms - coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness

Reduction in taste and smell

Dry mouth and throat

Nicotine addiction - cravings, irritability, anxiety

Stained teeth and bad breath

Increased risk of infection

Increased risk of cancer

Mental Health

Increase risk of anxiety and depression - worsen existing symptoms

Mood swings, irritability and difficulty concentrating with Nicotine withdrawal

Coping mechansim for stress, yet increases stress levels

Impaired cognitive functions - memory loss, difficulty concentrating

Increased risk of mental illness

Poor sleep quality

Vapping can increase craving and reward seeking behaviour

Depression can feel like a heavy burden that impacts every aspect of your life. It's more than just feeling sad or going through a rough patch. Depression can make it hard to function day-to-day, affecting your work, relationships, and overall sense of well-being. Many people today find themselves struggling with persistent feelings of hopelessness and fatigue, making it difficult to see a way forward.

The good news is that depression is treatable. At My Bondi Hypnotherapist, we offer tailored treatments to help you manage and overcome depression. Using Clinical Hypnosis and Strategic Psychotherapy, we can address the underlying causes of your depression, helping you to break free from its grip. Our approach is designed to empower you with effective strategies to regain control of your emotions and your life.

By working together, we can help you find relief from the heavy weight of depression. You don't have to navigate this journey alone. Let us support you in rediscovering a life filled with hope, balance, and well-being. Visit us at My Bondi Hypnotherapist to start your path to recovery today.

Depression can manifest in various ways, affecting each person differently. Here are some common symptoms to watch for:

• Persistent Sadness: Feeling a deep sense of sadness or emptiness that doesn't seem to go away.

• Loss of Interest: Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed, including hobbies, socializing, and even daily routines.

• Fatigue: Experiencing constant tiredness and a lack of energy, even after adequate rest.

• Sleep Disturbances: Having trouble sleeping, whether it's difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping too much.

• Appetite Changes: Noticeable changes in appetite, either eating too much or too little, often leading to weight changes.

• Difficulty Concentrating: Struggling to focus, make decisions, or remember things.

• Feelings of Worthlessness: Experiencing intense feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness.

• Irritability: Increased irritability, frustration, or anger over small matters.

• Physical Aches and Pains: Unexplained physical issues such as headaches, back pain, or digestive problems.

• Thoughts of Death or Suicide: Having frequent thoughts about death, dying, or suicide.

When anger takes hold, it can feel like external factors are the sole determinants of our response and that we have no control over it. Even when we recognise the consequences of our anger, we may still feel powerless to prevent it from taking over.

We may feel like the victim and that we need to protest against the wrongdoing. It's common to have difficulty stepping back from our anger, which can flood us with negative emotions and cause us to project negativity into the future.

Communication can also be a challenge, leading us to create an "us vs. them" mentality. However, it's important to find ways to manage anger without sacrificing long-term relationships.

Pattern interruption can help us re-establish our power and recognise that our anger is often based on dichotomous personal views and a feeling of loss of power.

Hypnosis is a helpful tool in managing anger by addressing the underlying emotions and thought patterns and develop more effective coping skills.

Anger problems can manifest in different ways and may vary from person to person. Some common signs and symptoms of an anger problem include:

Frequent episodes of explosive, unpredictable, and uncontrolled anger, often resulting in physical or verbal aggression towards others or objects.

Difficulty managing or regulating anger, resulting in intense emotional reactions that are out of proportion to the situation at hand.

Chronic irritability, frustration, or resentment towards others, leading to a negative and hostile outlook on life.

Feelings of guilt, shame, or remorse after an angry outburst, which can lead to a sense of helplessness and low self-esteem.

Difficulty with personal relationships, including strained or broken relationships with family, friends, and colleagues due to anger issues.

Persistent negative thoughts and behaviours, including criticism, blaming, and defensiveness.

Physical symptoms

Headaches, increased heart rate, muscle tension, and sweating during an angry episode.

We all get stuck sometimes and would rather do anything than face certain tasks. We think about all the reasons why we shouldn’t do something, give ourselves excuses, wait for inspiration, or let ourselves off the hook to go do something more fun. We then generally beat ourselves up for not completing the task. But no matter what we do the task still exists and can load up and create anxiety and stress.

With Clinical Hypnosis and Strategic Psychotherapy, we can look at how you are approaching tasks and fill in the gaps, so you get to successful outcomes, learn how the successful people in this world tackle it.

Often deemed lazy or self sabotaging

Fear of failure

Feeling overwhelmed

Difficulty concentrating

Becoming or being easily bored

Having uncertain goals

Lack of motivation

Avoidance to the task

Making excuses

Poor time management

Stressed and anxious

Critical self talk

Low self esteem