Glasgow Anxiety Therapy

We feel self-confidence when we believe that we can do the things that we need or want to do. When we believe that we can  learn new skills and achieve our goals, working hard in a wide range of areas - home, work and personal life, then this builds our self-confidence in a real and long-lasting way. This belief allows us to take on difficult challenges and persist, even in the face of frustration. So in many ways, self-confidence is built by doing stuff, by building competence. It is linked to self-esteem. Poor self-esteem, where you judge yourself harshly, can be modified in a more helpful way with cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy. The only person you have to be good enough for, but sometimes we lose this perspective.

If you want to build your self-confidence, then taking on something challenging is a good way to do it. On the way, you might find that you notice your self-talk is unkind and critical. With cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy, this self-talk can be modified to be more helpful and realistic. Setting goals and working persistently to achieve them, building your self-reliance and self-discipline on the way, build a deep and sustainable self-confidence. Instead of giving up, its about finding ways to persist. And as you build your self-confidence, your self-esteem will be given a boost too.

Take a look at the people who you consider to be confident. What do you see?  Would you say that they give up in the face of difficulties? Do they have a wide range of interests and skills? How do they spend their free time?

If you feel that your confidence or self-esteem need a boost, then cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy can help.

We worry about all sorts of things. In this area, we tend to be very creative. We worry about blushing or the shape of our noses. We fear that we will make a fool of ourselves in front of our friends or colleagues if we are asked to speak. We get anxious about going to the loo, or not finding a loo. And all of these worries, and more besides, interfere with our lives, and make us unhappy. Even worse, we get into the habit of worrying, so that all these unpleasant thoughts are the first that pop into our minds and overwhelm the good experiences. Worrying like this can damage our self-esteem and self-confidence, making us unwilling to take on new challenges and this takes a lot of the fun out of our lives.

In all of these cases and many more, cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy works fast and effectively and therefore offers terrific value for money. Why not give it a try. You have nothing to lose but your worries!

The Princes Trust recently reported that children like structure. And lack of structure is damaging to their future success and wellbeing.

The fourth annual Prince`s Trust Youth Index reveals how one in ten young people feel that while they were growing up they  "lacked structure and direction".

Structure included a set bedtime. Children do fight against this, but parents can be encouraged to persist, because children with lower level grades at school were more than twice as likely to make this claim (26%). This increases to 39% per cent among those who left school with fewer than five A*-C grades at GCSE.

Young people with poorer grades are also twice as likely as their peers to claim that they did not have regular meal times (30% compared with 14%). We seem to have got out of the habit of having tea at a set time each day. If everyone knows when the meal is going to be ready, then people will be encouraged to be available at mealtimes.

Martina Milburn, chief executive of youth charity The Prince’s Trust, says "The absence of structure and routine in a young life can have a devastating impact. Without the right support, directionless teenagers can become lost young adults – unconfident, under-qualified and unemployed.” So lack of structure damages the self-confidence and self-esteem of young people, setting them up to achieve less in later life, and find life a struggle.

Children learn things without realising it. A meal on the table at a set time demonstrates planning in action, demonstrates an element of control over one`s life, it encourages a sort of community activity and teamwork.

Young adults without the ability to make deadlines, stick to routines can become unhappy adults. I recall that as a child I thought routine was boring. But now I think that it keeps us mentally healthy. If you have no structure in the day, nothing planned, what is the point of getting out of bed?

So this applies to adults too. I generally recommend setting a fixed time for getting up every day. The next thing is to ensure that we have something interesting to do to fill the time!

 Anxiety appears in many forms. Whenever it comes on, whatever it is called, it is fear. It may seem extraordinary that a person may not be able walk to the end of his road, but that is the power of fear. It may be out of proportion, but it is paralysing.   But it doesn’t have to be forever. Anxiety in all forms can be treated. This text comes from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Anxiety has a purpose. It makes us more alert, more aware, more ready for action. The fight or flight hormones rush through our body, getting us ready for action. That’s very useful in the jungle. And a little bit can help if we have to give a talk to colleagues. Too much and you want to run away. That’s panic.

The good news is that you can learn how to regain control. Methods have been developed over the last 50 years or so, and proved to work. So take courage. Decide to take action. Because you can get better.

In hypnosis, you can look at the things that make you anxious and learn to respond in a different way. Because of course, anxiety triggers more anxiety. And fear of anxiety is paralysing too.

With the sort of hypnotherapy that I practice, you can expect to feel significantly better after just a few sessions, armed with some practical techniques that will last you all your life. You will rebuild your self-confidence as your anxiety recedes. Why wait?

This is National Anger Awareness Week. Most of us get angry from time to time. But if we get angry often and easily, unable to resist the urge to flail out and unable to control our actions, then we need to take things in hand.

Anger not only damages relationships, but our own health too. All those fight or flight hormones flooding into the bloodstream cause a range of problems - high blood pressure, lowered resistance to illness, chronic back pain, stroke, insomnia, skin problems, depression, alcoholism. These risks have been shown to be associated with failure to control anger responses.

So in Anger Awareness Week, here are some tips.

When you notice the signs (the red curtain coming down, the faster heart rate, the dry mouth and many more) step back. If you can leave the room, so much the better. When your fight or flight hormones are flooding your bloodstream, you have a choice. Try flight instead of fight.

Go for a run or a brisk walk. This gets those hormones used up and out of your body.

Count backwards from ten.

Breathe slowly. Breathe in deeply, hold it at the top till it is uncomfortable, then breathe out slowly. Simple, but effective.
If you tend to breathe lightly just in your chest rather than down in your belly (like athletes do) then learning belly breathing would be useful. Yoga teachers know how to do this.

As a cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist, I can help you to change the style of thinking that could be contributing to your anger. Maybe other people just don`t respond to you as they should. Or they ought to do the things you want them to do. If you hear yourself say Ought, Should or Must, then  your demands of others might be unreasonable. If you feel hard done by, this will make you angry. The more you think these thoughts, the more miserable you will be. And when you feel bad, you get angry, your self-confidence plummets, your self-esteem drops.

Challenging these ways of thinking will help to feel calm and in control, confident, strong and empowered. You could learn how to do this by coming to see me, or try some useful self-help books, like David Burns `Feeling Good`.

Some people say that they have always been very negative and pessimistic. It seems unchangeable, they were born that way. And of course it is true that we each have different temperaments. But being pessimistic is in part a habit. It is a particular way of thinking. And the good news is that you can learn a new way of thinking so that you don't always fear the worst outcome and feel your self-confidence taking another beating.

It is not so much about positive thinking, but realistic thinking. Pessimists sometimes discount the evidence in front of them. Just a few sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy, and you will find that you can think in a more helpful, realistic way, and feel better.

Research by Harvard psychologists show that the wandering mind is not a happy mind.

People are happiest when they are involved in what they are doing - living in the moment. That might be talking, listening to music, taking exercise. They found that people were least happy when they were resting, working, or using the home computer. Watching telly, doing the housework is neutral. Doing stuff builds our self-confidence.

Unlike other animals we spend a lot of time thinking about what is not going on around us. Most of us spend a great amount of time thinking about what might happen in the future, or raking over the past, they report. And it makes us feel bad.

How does this help us? Well, it reminds us that we should live in the moment. If you find you are ruminating about the past or worrying about the future, then getting involved with other people, going for a walk, working on a project. Anything where you can immerse yourself in the experience will make you feel much better. Find an interest that will engage you. And coming along for a session of cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy will help you if you have trouble with this idea.

Most of all, don't stay at home on the sofa.