According to an article in the Express & Star, figures released to them under the Freedom of Information Act have shown almost 1,000 police staff members in the West Midlands alone have had to take time off work citing stress as the cause in the last three years with over half of these being front line officers.
Post-traumatic stress is something that perhaps we may expect our police force to suffer from with the things they have to see and do in their day to day work but over reasons given included depression and anxiety.
The figures are from the period of April 2006 to March 2009 and show 959 police force staff from the West Midlands police force, ranging from constables to operations centre offices and telephone operators. West Midlands police explained some of these absences were for external reasons such as bereavement and they have a counselling section to help staff.
A retired police superintendent John Mellor, (more…)
The singer and actress Mandy Moore was reportedly so nervous when she released her new album, Amanda Leigh, that she decided to seek help from a hypnotherapist to help overcome the mental tension she was feeling.
Last weekend on Sunday 26th April, Mandy Moore also held a special concert in Los Angeles for 300 fans to mark the release of the album. Before taking to the stage, Mandy underwent hypnosis to overcome her nerves.
Stress management is something that we all have to cope with in some way or another, whether it is through stress of special occasions like Mandy, family problems, issues at work or with finances or anything else.
Hypnosis can help people to take time out and relax. If stress management is something you feel you might need help with every now and then, a good hypnotherapist will be able to teach you some self hypnosis techniques to help you relax and manage your stress yourself.
We don’t all release new albums and have to take to the stage like Mandy Moore, but our modern day lives means we all have our own levels of stress to cope with.
Next Sunday, 22nd March, is Mother’s Day and for many of us, it is the time to wonder what to give our mother as a gift. Flowers and chocolates are the typical gift but with mothers often on a diet and flowers perhaps feeling a little ‘usual’ many of us are unsure what to purchase on this special day.
When we think of what sort of gift to give for Mother’s Day, it is often nice if we can find a gift that is lasting or one that will be truly enjoyed, and hypnotherapy can fulfil both these wishes.
Stress is something that everyone is feeling to some degree or another (more…)
Often when you visit a hypnotherapist, you will only need one or two sessions as hypnosis is renowned for being a fast therapy, especially in areas such as smoking cessation or weight loss.
However, in some areas, the hypnotherapist may suggest that self hypnosis could be a good idea to help you maintain or control the issue in hand. This is particularly useful in areas such as stress management or anxiety attacks.
A good hypnotherapist will (more…)
Many people are suffering from stress, feelings of inadequacy and low self esteem. It is possible that these feelings are being felt more profoundly because of the current economic crisis. When we feel this way, it is possible to feel that life is passing us by.
Self esteem is part of feeling self confident and when we lack in self esteem or self confidence, it can be hard to look for ways to help without thinking of years of (more…)
Website ReallyWorried.com shows the UK Worry Index, the resulting index devised from a survey of over 1400 people. According to this index, the global financial crisis means that the cost of living is now at the top of this UK worry index.
The survey showed people are worrying more about money than they are about their health and drinking more than the previous year too, possibly in an effort to cope with our worry. Resorting to alcohol can breed more problems and this could be made worse as the survey showed 38 per cent bottle up their feelings.
Talking about problems or looking at ways to change our patterns of thinking can really help and counsellors are finding that (more…)
Christmas is approaching fast and hopefully most of our Christmas shopping is done, however, no doubt in the final week’s run up to Christmas there will be plenty of people rushing round for a last minute present.
As the years have progressed, it seems to be getting more and more difficult to find a meaningful and thoughtful present for anybody at the time of year. In this age of gadgets and technology, most people seem to have everything that they actually need and another DVD or CD to add to the collection hardly seems a thoughtful gift.
One rather unusual gift, however, could be the gift of therapy. At this time of year, no doubt your friends and family are complaining about how stressed they are or how they want to lose a little weight and how in the New Year they will give seroius thought to how they will give up smoking or get fit. These are the things that really matter to our friends and family and the things we cannot just buy.
What we can do though is to help them find a way to achieve their goals. It is probably not the first thing that springs to mind when putting together a Christmas list, but a hypnotherapy session to quit smoking, hypnosis for relaxation or stress management or a visit to a hypnotherapist to help with weight loss could be an ideal present and could be presented as a gift voucher at Christmas.
Hypnotherapy is relaxing and yet at the same time can help us to achieve those life long goals and New Year’s resolutions permanantly and easily. If you really want to quit smoking, it can be done in just one or two sessions. Weight loss hypnosis can help motivate you to exercise, stop those cravings for cheese, chocolate or whatever food is your downfall or simply change your attitude to food.
This is the sort of gift that will last a lifetime – and certainly be more memorable than yet another DVD.
Everywhere we look at the moment, people are feeling the strain of everyday life. It may be family troubles, pressures at work or something completely different, but more and more therapists are seeing clients for anxiety or stress related problems.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy are both useful therapies when it comes to handling stress, but here are a few tips to help you handle stress:
•   A healthy lifestyle: there are not many of us who really have the time to fit in hours of exercise every week, but to adopt a healthier lifestyle means making small changes to our diet and our exercise levels, as well as getting enough sleep. This help sour bodies to cope with stress
•   Avoid taking on any more: if you are feeling a little anxious or stressed, try to avoid taking on any more. All of us wish to please and do not want to let anyone down, however, this can only add to your stress so learn to say no without offending or upsetting anyone
•   Take time out: it is important to find a little time to relax, even if it is only ten minutes to chill with a cup of hot chocolate and a magazine. If you can, find time to meet up with friends for a cuppa. Having a break will mean you are more productive afterwards and make you feel better. Laughing helps boost your immune system, helping you cope with stress and anxiety
These are just a few small tips to help you, but a therapist will be able to help you spot recurring patterns of behaviour and responses, helping you to prioritise things, look at your situation from a different point of view and help you learn how to cope.
With the impact of the credit crunch, people are feeling anxious and stressed about their financial worries and how they might cope. Even if finances are not an issue, many people are still feeling the strain and many therapists are finding they are dealing with more and more stress-related or anxiety-related problems.
There was an article in The Times this weekend that mentioned the different ways people are coping and one hypnotherapist was quoted as saying:
“A lot of people in the financial sector are so stressed and nervous about their performance and about their jobs being on the line that my clients have more than doubled. I help them realise it’s not actually so terrible; these people are not going to be homeless.â€
This highlights one way that hypnotherapists and indeed CBT (Cognotive Behavioral Therapy) can help people to see their problems in a different light and even change their way of thinking. For example, the people in the financial sector referred to in this quote could bring about the exact scenario they are worried about, simply by worrying about it. If you are anxious about your performance, you are more likely to make a mistake and hence more likely to have a lower performance level. Visiting a therapist can help you to chance how you think and act to have a more positive effect on your life. Thinking positively could mean you are one of the few performing well as everyone else around you is anxious and stressed.
In the current economic climate, as large banks and financial institutions are struggling and the value of shares and pension funds tumble, causing redundancies and interest rate increases, it is no wonder that stress is spreading like wildfire across the UK.
For many city employees, stress is an everyday hazard but even for those who are used to a high level of stress, the recent events are taking their toll.
The problems of stress and depression are beginning to show in clinics across the country, as psychiatrists and hypnotherapists alike are starting to see people who are being driven to the brink, afraid of losing their jobs and having added stress to their relationships.
Experts say that the pessimistic doom and gloom in the newspapers influences everybody, even those who are not yet feeling the financial burden.
For anybody feeling anxious, stressed or depressed, it is best not to panic and remember that there is always a way out. These feelings only make things worse, and if you are not sleeping or eating, or are feeling suicidal or particularly depressed, then do visit your doctor who can prescribe treatment, available on the National Health Service.
The right treatment, such as hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or simply talking to a professional can help you to see things differently and stop the vicious circle. The worries of everyday life can look much better by taking advantage of different approaches such as stress management, hypnosis, psychotherapy or CBT.