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Landline:

01275 838817

(Based in Bristol)

Mobile:

07813 138171

Email:
claire.paul@harmony4life.co.uk

Hypnotherapy in Bristol, PLUS Cognitive Behavioural and NLP Coaching online, over the phone or face to face

Relaxation and stress management

Stress is a normal part of life, it is only when it becomes too much for the individual to cope with that it becomes an issue.  Stress can become a problem and affect our quality of life and the way we perform at work, if it is left unresolved.  The Health and Safety Executive defines stress as "the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them".  This can result in a number of issues including impotence, tension, hypochondria, psychosomatic symptoms, illness, pain, avoidance of responsibility, etc.

As part of our natural survival instinct, which is stored in our subconscious minds, our bodies change when presented with any real or imagined threat. This is known as the ‘fight or flight response’, which assists the animal (ape or man) to deal with a threatening situation.  So naturally, when under stress/ pressure, your body will prepare for ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ by very quickly producing changes in the muscles and organs.  This  physically prepares you to run from the threat or to deal with it, after which the body returns to normal.

Even though the ‘fight or flight response’ is inappropriate for coping with much of our daily stress/ pressure the body continues to react in this way.  So although work pressure or family arguments are not life threatening and it is not helpful to fight with your family or to run from work pressure, the body still goes through the physiological motions, so that we are tense and ready to fight or take flight. 

Quite naturally if no action is taken we will suffer from a build up of unreleased tension.  For example, if you experience a period of ongoing stress/ pressure your body will be in an almost permanent state of arousal.  This means that physiological changes which can be useful in the short term, to maintain motivation, may be damaging in the long term. To learn more about how to combat this read about the...

H4L Rapid Relaxation Programme.

Claire Paul

BSc (Hons), MSc,

Dip Hyp, Dip LC

"Release your full potential and achieve your dreams"

Different signs of stress – what to look out for...

Mental                                              

Forgetfulness
Lack of concentration
Lack of clarity
Inability/ unwillingness to communicate
Less organised

Physical                        

Headaches
Backache
Irritable bowel
Acne and skin rashes          

Neck and shoulder pain
Ulcer
Exhaustion

Emotional

Hypnotherapy, life coaching and stress management techniques

I have had a strong interest in stress management ever since I taught people stress management techniques during my undergraduate Psychology placement. I have also worked as a relaxation therapist with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients and based my MSc Occupational Psychology thesis on stressors affecting NHS middle management employees.

Hypnotherapy is an extremely powerful way to achieve complete physical and mental relaxation.  Which? April 2004 stated that there is good scientific evidence that the following can help control anxiety, stress symptoms and panic attacks:

• 'biofeedback'; a training technique that teaches people to regulate biological functions that are not normally controlled voluntarily, such as muscle tension and skin temperature

• hypnotherapy

• relaxation therapies

I can offer all of this and more to help manage your stress.  For example, coaching can also reduce stress by helping you to rebalance your life, so that you feel happy, relaxed, challenged, motivated and in control of your life.  By taking a step back and looking at your life as a whole we can identify issues and generate solutions to change them.  Any changes made to one area of your life will have a positive impact across your whole life.

The H4L Rapid Relaxation Programme combines various techniques and tips for stress management- find out more about this by clicking here.

Harmony4Life client testimony

"It really helped me to know I could remember that sense of deep relaxation, to step back for a few minutes and focus on what is really important and what are just distractions. I slept really well that night and felt so much calmer the day after the session of hypnotherapy for stress.  I still feel able to cope with the demands and prioritisation better than the weeks leading up to the session."

For more client testimonies click here.

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