Stress

Reframe your perception of stress

Stress has previously been described as "the disturbance of one’s biological, psychological and social dimensions, secondary to environmental challenges or perceived threats (Jeter, Slutsky, Singh, & Khalsa, 2015)." But with Covid-19 this definition may need updating because now more than ever do we see stress related to our environmental challenges.

Stress is found everywhere within family, businesses, schools, universities or any other economic or social activity. People are exposed to various stressful situations from birth up until death but what can be derived from previous studies is that stress impacts everyone differently

Stressors may be varied and much increased in this modern world and a more holistic view should be used in order to be more effective in the correct ways of educating and assisting people that are experiencing stress. There is no real measure of the ‘normality’ of stress as this is unique to each individual. But what remains clear is that we need the tools to help us to deal with the stressors we now face. I have personally used the tools I offer and they have helped me in such a powerful way that I am more driven than ever to share them.

Research suggests that students will frequently view stress as a negative experience and lean towards adopting ineffective coping mechanisms, struggling to access resources that could help them to manage these challenges. Although stress often tends to have a negative impact on health, eustress refers to a positive mental perception of a stress and eustress can lead to increased performance on a task or activity. Reframing how we perceive stress is one way of overcoming the negative effects, along with tools to calm the bodies nervous system.

Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy (Hypno-CBT), has become known as one of the most effective treatments for stress & anxiety/social anxiety. 

 Hypno-CBT is a collaborative process where you will be learning self-hypnosis and relaxations techniques so you can ultimately be your own therapist, this is done with guidance toward more helpful thought patterns

The body can't be in two opposing states at the same time; you can't be relaxed while you are experiencing stress or anxiety. 

During your treatment you will learn relaxation techniques to calm the nervous system, which you can practice at home ,and then hypnosis to promote feelings of confidence and to deepen the relaxation effects. After this we may look at facing some of your challenging situations while maintaining focus on full relaxation of the body.  This in effect retrains the brain and body to remain calm while experiencing a challenging situation. This is rehearsed and repeated in hypnosis to create new helpful automatic responses helping you to achieve balance, build confidence and control anxiety.

References:

Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. (2000). Positive affect and the other side of coping. American Psychologist, 55, 647-654.
Jeter, P. E., Slutsky, J., Singh, N., & Khalsa, S. B. (2015). Yoga as a therapeutic intervention: A bibliometric analysis of published research studies from 1967 to 2013. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 21, 586–592.
Kausar, R. (2010). Perceived stress, academic workload and use of coping strategies by university students. Journal of Behavioural Sciences, 20(1), 31–45.
Lewin, T. & Mawoyo, M. (2014). Student access and success: Issues and interventions in South African universities. Cape Town, South Africa: The South African Institute for Advancement.
Lincoln, Y.S. & Guba, E.G. (1985). Naturalist inquiry. Thousand Oaks, C.A.: Sage.
Mudhovozi, P. (2011). Analysis of perceived stress, coping resources and life satisfaction among students at a newly established institution of higher learning. South African Journal of Higher Education, 25(3), 510–522.
Nelson, D.B. & Low, G.R. (2011). Emotional intelligence: Achieving academic and career excellence. New Jersey, N.J.: Prentice Hall.