New Year Encouragement

New Year Encouragement

By Sarah Rhodes 

Well, here we are, a couple of weeks in to a new year and I’m willing to bet that many of you made  resolutions to eat more healthily, lose weight, get fitter, stop smoking .....The list is endless! So, how are you getting on? Are you still motivated? Or have you changed, modified or even given up already?

Wherever you are in your New Year achievements, here are some tips to help things along...

Revisit your original resolution    

          Is it phrased positively?

Instead of ‘losing’ weight, how about becoming slimmer; instead of ‘stopping‘ smoking how about becoming a non-smoker. Small changes in language can have a significant effect on your motivation.  Instead of focusing on what you’re missing out on, it re-focuses on what you are going to achieve.

Is your resolution SMART?
Specific Make your goal specific rather than too general. This means the goal is clear and unambiguous;  ‘I want to fit in to a size X’ is specific, whereas ‘I want to be slimmer’ is general. You could slim down by only 1 or 2 pounds and technically you have achieved the general ‘I want to be slimmer’ which is fine if that is all you wanted but most people with a weight goal want to slim down by considerably more than that!
Measurable It is important to have an indicator of progress towards your goal.  It’s very easy to forget where you started and therefore how much you have achieved if you don’t have some sort of measure. Record where your starting point is, for example, how long does it take you to run/walk a mile, then regularly measure your progress.  Depending on your goal you may want weekly/fortnightly or maybe monthly measures to check your progress. This can help enormously with motivation as you see small steps to your goal so you know you are heading in the right direction! 
Achievable Goals, whilst challenging, must be achievable. If you set a goal to lose 2stone in a week  it is unlikely, not to mention very unhealthy, that you will achieve that. You can still have an overall goal of 2 stone but set mini goals of 1-2 lb a week. This is not only achievable but also a very healthy and sustainable way to slim down.
Realistic/Relevant Your goal must be realistic. Similar to achievable, there is no point in setting a goal to be a premiership footballer if you are already 40yrs old and have never played professionally! It isn’t realistically going to happen. So have a look at your resolution, is it actually possible? Another unrealistic example would be resolving to never eat chocolate again even though it’s your favourite food this could be difficult to stick to. Instead you could opt for something more realistic, such as only having one small bar a week.

Goals should also be relevant to you. Why is this goal important to you? What will it give you?  If you can’t think of an answer to those questions you are unlikely to stick at it as what’s the point?!

Time-bound It is good to have a target date for achieving your goal. A commitment to a deadline helps you to focus your efforts. You could link it to an event to help your motivation.  A friend’s wedding or a holiday are good motivators to slim down and tone up. Training for a 5k charity run in 9 months time is a good target too. Again make sure the timescales you’re aiming for are realistic and achievable. It can also help to set small, short term goals, what can I achieve in a week? What can I achieve in a month? What can I achieve in 6 months? And celebrate each milestone with an appropriate reward, there is no point in rewarding yourself with a big cream cake if you’ve met your monthly weight loss target, why not treat yourself to a massage instead. 

Stay Positive and Be Your Own Best Supporter
If you have a lapse it doesn’t mean you’ve failed, focus on what you have achieved so far, the chances are you aren’t back at square one so pick yourself up and carry on. Notice the successes, however small.  Encourage yourself and do your best each day.

Get Plenty of Sleep

If you are sleep deprived, your resolve will not be as strong and you won’t have as much energy to stay motivated
Enjoy It!
Make it fun, do it with a friend, give yourself things to look forward to every step of the way. 
Stick With It!
It takes approximately 21 days for a new activity to become a habit and about 6 months for it to become part of your personality.

Remember a resolution can be made at any time of year so if you feel you have lost momentum, just start again!

If you feel you need some extra support, I can help you.  My name is Sarah Rhodes and I am a Hypnotherapist based at Bare Health in Congleton.  I work with both Hypnotherapy and NLP to promote wellbeing and personal development using positive messages and experiences.  My goal is to empower you so that you may access, and draw on, your own resourcefulness to enable you to achieve your goal and be the best you can be.

Appointments are available at Bare Health on 01260 408 413

or contact me directly on 07881 816 439 or email  sarah@appletonpractice.co.uk

For further information please

Visit my website www.appletonpractice.co.uk  , find me on Facebook - ‘The Appleton Practice’  Or follow me on Twitter @appletonprac.

Sarah Rhodes

Hypnotherapy,

Personal Exploration & Self Development 

 

Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

By Sarah Rhodes, Bare Health Hypnotherapist

http://www.barehealth.co.uk/sarah-rhodes.html

 

I was at a party over the weekend and someone asked me what I did for a living,

“I’m a Hypnotherapist,” I said,

“Ooh, don’t look at me,” came the reply, “you might make me do something stupid and embarrass me!”

If this is what your reaction would have been, you are clearly not alone.  This is a typical response from someone whose only experience of hypnosis is watching a stage hypnotist.  They think there is some magic or mystery associated with hypnosis, and that a hypnotist merely has to look at you, to put you ‘under his spell’, and get you to reveal your deepest secrets or fall in love with a brush!  However there is a lot more to hypnosis and hypnotherapy than most people realise.

Many people are frightened of hypnosis for a variety of reasons, most of which come down to one thing - lack of information.  In the past hypnosis has been associated with magical, mysterious powers and even the occult.  It was used as a tool of power to dominate people.  Practitioners kept their methods mystifying so that they could fool people into thinking they had special powers.

Some practitioners still like to keep their methods secret and this goes to perpetuate the myth that hypnosis requires special powers and that the subject is at the mercy of the hypnotist who has ‘taken over their mind’.

This is definitely not the case.  There are no special powers involved.  It is a completely natural state, which the therapist helps you to achieve yourself.  The subject always remains in full control.

 

So what is hypnosis and hypnotherapy all about?

Well, stage hypnosis is certainly only the tip of the iceberg and, whilst being entertaining, it often gives people the wrong impression of the hypnotic state.  Many people have the idea that the hypnotist is in control of the people on stage, that he has ‘put them under’ and they will now do anything he says.   In actual fact the six or so subjects, actually on the stage doing the entertaining, have been selected from perhaps thirty people that initially volunteered.  The Hypnotist will have carried out some simple suggestibility tests, which give an indication of how susceptible a person is to hypnotic suggestion.  He will then have whittled down the volunteers to the few who were highly suggestible.  The hypnotist will also assess the volunteer’s character a little, to select the most outgoing, increasing the chance of having very entertaining volunteers.  Any suggestions given by the hypnotist are all things that these people would probably also do, for example, under the influence of alcohol.  They cannot be made to do anything they would object to in normal circumstances and are free to act upon the suggestions, or not, as they wish.  Hypnosis, in this situation, merely reduces inhibitions, much like alcohol would do.

Hypnosis, or trance, is actually a completely natural state of very deep and total relaxation. In the state of hypnosis, you are not awake, neither are you asleep; you are in between these states, like a halfway house. There are many levels of hypnosis and everyone, at some time in their life, has experienced some level of trance, most without even realising it.  I’m sure almost everyone has experienced that feeling when you wake from a dream and you’re not sure whether it was real or not; when you have driven a long way, arrive at your destination and you can’t remember a significant chunk of the journey; or when you have been so absorbed in a book or film that you have been unaware of what is going on around you.

All of these examples are light forms of the hypnotic state, daydreaming too is a form of trance.  However, to get the real benefits from hypnosis it is necessary to enter a much deeper level of the hypnotic state; this is where a hypnotherapist can help.

The success of all hypnosis is dependent on the willingness of the subject to co-operate fully with the hypnotist, and the ability of the subject to concentrate his or her mind.  It is also very important that the subject trusts, and has complete confidence in, the therapist.

A hypnotist does not possess any special powers

Contrary to popular belief, a hypnotist, or hypnotherapist, does not possess any special powers and cannot hypnotise anybody against their will.  All hypnosis is, in fact, self-hypnosis, and to reach the hypnotic state takes the total cooperation and concentration of the subject.  The hypnotherapist will teach you how to achieve this trance state.  He or she is able to guide you to much deeper levels of relaxation and states of hypnosis, before giving gentle suggestions to address your particular issue.  You are always totally aware of what is happening and in full control of the session.  You cannot be made to do anything against your will. 

We are all products of suggestion.  A newborn baby’s mind is pure; there are no phobias, anxieties, compulsions or opinions.  From the moment a baby is born these things are being formed in the baby’s mind by external suggestion, whether it is verbal or, at this young age, experienced.  It is from these suggestions that many issues originate. When we are very young we do not have the ability to use reason and logic, this means the reaction to any suggestions we receive is purely emotional and is therefore very powerful.

For example, if a 3-year-old girl is terrorised by an older brother with a spider, she cannot apply reason and logic to convince herself he is just being mean and the tiny spider he has will cause her no harm.  Indeed if she wanted she could squash it between her fingers to get rid of it.  Her brother has put the powerful suggestion in her mind that the spider is something to be feared and from then on every time she sees a spider she is terrified something awful will happen to her.  This feeling may get worse as she gets older, called a Syndrome Effect, resulting in a woman who is terrified at the very thought of seeing a spider and is continually looking around the room in case a spider should appear. Quite often the original reason for the fear is so deeply hidden in the subconscious that the person is not even aware of the fear’s origin. 

All human minds respond to suggestion, there are suggestions surrounding us everyday; advertisements, news stories, books, magazines, even other people.  For instance, you may wake up one morning feeling fine and ready to face the day, but the first person you meet says, “Are you okay, you look a bit pale?” 

If then, throughout the day, several people comment on how pale you look or ask if you are alright, gradually you will start to wonder if indeed you are a bit off-colour.  By the end of the day you will probably feel quite below par, as if you are coming down with something.  This is the power of suggestion.

In the hypnotic state, the conscious, logic mind is bypassed, enabling suggestions to be given directly to the subconscious mind, which greatly magnifies the power of the suggestion, and therefore increases its effect.

What does hypnotherapy actually do, how can it help me?

This is all well and good, you might say, but what does hypnotherapy actually do, how can it help me?

Well, hypnotherapy can help many people in many ways. It may be used to help with a wide range of issues, ranging from smoking cessation, overeating, stress, insomnia, phobias, lack of confidence/self esteem, improving performance at work or in sport to use by pregnant women enabling them to experience a more relaxed, calm and comfortable pregnancy and birth.  Hypnotherapy can help with all of these issues and more by giving appropriate suggestions over a period of time. 

If you would like more information about how Hypnotherapy can help you, please contact Bare Health on 01260 408413, call Sarah Rhodes on 07881 816 439, or visit www.appletonpractice.co.uk