By Karen Hastings, Edinburgh
Worrying can make you physically anxious for example, increase in heart rate, butterflies and feeling tense. When people experience the physical symptoms of anxiety, this usually leads to more worrying about the symptoms, creating a vicious cycle.
There are lots of practical steps you can take to combat your worrying and to break the vicious cycle. These are techniques that I share with my clients at NLP and Hypnotherapy sessions in Edinburgh.
Identify and clarify the worrying thought: Often worrying thoughts are experienced as several fleeting ideas and images that race through your mind. Spending the time writing down exactly what it is that is worrying you brings the thought out into the open. This in itself can show the worrying thought up as being less scary then when it was just in your head. Sometimes these thoughts are so automatic and quick that I will spend time at my NLP and Hypnotherapy sessions, Edinburgh helping clients identify worrying thoughts.
Explore what the worse thing that could happen would be if the thought was true: Often you will find that it is much easier to cope with a clearly defined worst outcome, then the product of your imagination, which is usually fantasy based and much worse!
Look at the thought logically: This involves examining the objective evidence of whether the thought is true. Create two columns on a piece of paper and on one list evidence to support the thought and under the other list evidence that disputes the thought. This is a process that is used at Hypnotherapy, Edinburgh. The therapist works with the client to elicit the evidence, using a series of questions designed to help the person broaden their view of the situation.
Another point of view: Try looking at the worry from another perspective. For example, what would you advise a loved one who was concerned over the same thought. Also think about other times in your life when you would feel different about the worry.
What are the benefits or losses of holding onto this thought: Look at whether holding onto your worrying thought helps or hinders you.
Over-generalising: Are you viewing the situation/self in all or nothing terms e.g. complete disaster------- totally perfect ? Actually rate your thought out of 100% to remind yourself that your worry is probably somewhere other then complete disaster on a sliding scale.
Take Action: Rather then passively worrying which does not benefit you, look at whether there is anything you can do about the situation. Make a list of action steps that you can take.
Free time: If you are always worrying then become stricter with yourself and how you spend your time. Dedicate a set time to worrying, ensuring that within your time you set goals for action or work on your worry by going through all the steps to combat worrying already discussed. Then set dedicated time each day for relaxing - time where you will practice distracting your thoughts from worrying. Becoming proficient at a good body relaxation technique can be really useful.
Karen Hastings is a NHS experienced mental health occupational therapist, Master NLP practitioner and hypnotherapist. Karen uses hypnotherapy in Edinburgh, along with cognitive therapy and NLP approaches. For more information about Hypnotherapy or NLP, Edinburgh visit http://www.karenhastings.co.uk
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