Don’t Be An Ex-Smoker!

Did you know that if you think of yourself as an ex-smoker that you may be undermining your ability to stay stopped permanently? We all know how powerful perceptions can be. If we view some task or goal as being difficult we will probably find it difficult as we procrastinate about it and put off starting it. However we perceive a task or goal as being achievable we are more likely to make an attempt to do it and to therefore to succeed.

The same perception idea can either make our ability to stop smoking easier or harder. So the way you have thought about yourself when you have previously quit smoking may have undermined your ability to stay stopped.  If you have thought about yourself as an ex-smoker you may have increased the odds of smoking again whereas being a non-smoker is more likely to support and enhance your decision to stay stopped. There can be a big difference between these two labels and the implications of what they mean to someone who has stopped smoking.

The Ex-Smoker

This is a person who has quit smoking but their behaviour and perception is making it increasingly tougher to stick to their goal. The ex-smoker thinks about smoking throughout most of their day. They remember those times in the past when they would have smoked such as when stressed, after a meal, with colleagues during a work-break, with alcohol etc. They day-dream about what it would be like to be smoking now. They use their imagination to see themselves smoking which is only one short step away from smoking for real again.

A person who thinks of themselves as an ex-smoker will be in a never-ending fight with their willpower to stay stopped because smoking is in their thoughts so much. Even when they visit their local retailer they will be scanning the shelves looking for where their old cigarettes are and reminiscing how they used to have that pack. When they leave the shop and if they see a smoker outside they will hang around for a few minutes with the aim of smelling the smoke.

The ex-smoker has taken something that should be firmly in their past, and kept it in their future and current moments. They are having a touch time staying stopped. Indeed it is only a matter of time before they make some excuse to smoke again.

An ex-smoker will tell you that quitting has been like “hell” and yet it is not the nicoine loss that made it difficult for them, it was their way of perceiving what they were doing. They perceived that in stopping smoking they were giving up something and none of us like to be deprived of anything. So the more they handed over their thinking to smoking and imagined themselves doing so, the tougher it became to stay stopped.

The Non-Smoker

On the other hand a non-smoker is a person someone who used to smoke and has stopped too. So at first glance there appears to be no difference there. Yet in making their decision to quit smoking they are now doing something completely different to the ex-smoker. They are now thinking and imagining all the things that they want to do with their life and current time, now and in the future and not what they don’t want to do ie. Smoking! Their thoughts are not about smoking however if smoking does become a conscious thought they remeber how good they feel that they have quit. If they come across a smoker or detect smoke on someone else, they have a great sense of relief that they no longer do that and feel empowered and strong.

They will have been aware of the good benefits of their new life style such as easier breathing, better fitness, more restful sleep, confidence about their appearance, sense of freedom and the worry of serious illness has been diminished. They are proud and pleased with their choice to quit for good.

There is no way they would even entertain the idea of smoking again. If they do see someone else smoking they may well pity them and hope that they will stop smoking whilst they still have the ability to do so. Quitting smoking for them has become one of the proud life achievements akin to getting that promotion, marrying, passing that exam or seeing the birth of their child.

Non-Smoker Versus Ex-Smoker

The person who thinks and acts like an ex-smoker is having a difficult and trying experience. For them smoking is constantly in their conscious thoughts and sooner or later they are likely to return to being a smoker. Whereas the non-smoker is having a pleasant time of it. They know and feel good that they have enhanced their ability of staying being a non-smoker.

Be a Non-Smoker with Hypnosis

Hypnosis helps to reinforce your decision to stop smoking and helps you to change your perceptions away from being a ex-smoker to become a non-smoker and enjoy your decision to be free finally of smoking. These and other changes to your perceptions form part of the comprehensive quit smoking session to help you stick to your decision to stop smoking for life.

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Author’s Details

Steven Harold BA(Hons) DCH DHP
Quit Smoking Hypnotherapist – London and Essex

Website: www.quitsmokinghypnosislondon.com Email: steve@stop-smoking-hypnosis.com
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Irritable Bowel Syndrome – What is it?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a generalised description for uncomfortable and often painful symptoms in the abdomen including the stomach and bowels. Unfortunately the cause of IBS is not known and sufferers tend to adopt management of the symptoms rather than being offered a cure. It is estimated that IBS affects around 15 to 20% of the population and more women tend to suffer with it than men. Making IBS sufferes need to check for where the nearest toilet is wherever they are.

IBS Symptoms

Typical symptoms related to Irritable Bowel Syndrome include discomfort, bloating, and changing  bowel habits which can range from diarrhea to constipation. Some of these symptoms can be embarrassing which can lead to restrictions in lifestyle either to do with the occupation and/or social activities.

Causes of IBS

There is nothing definitive that causes IBS. Some practitioners suspect gut infections or parasites. Indeed the risk of getting IBS increases significantly after a gastro-intestinal infection. Some research suggests a connection between stress and the reaction of the gut to prolonged stress.

How is IBS Managed?

As there is no known cure for IBS treatment tends to focus on reducing symptoms and being aware of triggers and avoiding those triggers. In order to relieve symptoms adjustments for meal size, frequency and contents may be introduced. For example 5 lighter meals might be better than 3 heavier meals. Medication such as anti-sposmodic drugs and stomach acid inhibitors maybe prescribed amongst other drugs. Often a fibre supplement is suggested. Then there are the psychological interventions that can help a patient’s confidence and stress levels.

Hypnosis Helps IBS

Learning self hypnosis can be a great way of reducing stress and be a highly effective part of your IBS management program. When you consider that when we are stressed we can produce more stomach acid, anything that can help us feel more relaxed, a lessen acid production, even during work or social activities, will help the confidence of any IBS sufferer.

In fact hypnosis has been used for many years at a Manchester hospital to specifically help people who have IBS. Professor Whorwell has lead his IBS clinic with a positive role for hypnosis and it’s regular practice in the form of self hypnosis can do in reducing IBS pain and discomfort.

Help for IBS Sufferers

It’s important that if you think you suffer from or have been diagnosed with IBS, that your doctor remains at the centre of your treatment program. Hypnosis is considered an effective addition to the range of treatments for IBS.

Steven Harold teaches self hypnosis to his hypnotherapy patients in London helping them to reduce their stress levels and aiding the management of the symptoms of IBS.

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Author’s Details

Steven Harold BA(Hons) DCH DHP
Clinical Hypnotherapist – London and Essex

Website: www.hypno-therapist.com

Email: steve@hypno-therapist.com
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Procrastination Help – Achieve Your Goals

I guess it can happen to all of us at some point in our lives. We can all procrastinate over tasks we know we should do, goals we ought to accomplish and dreams we want to realise. Yet sometimes or maybe even regularly you find yourself getting no further this year than you were at last year.

If you have experienced that nagging feeling that nothing seems to change and no matter how much you convince yourself you find your progress never gets going you may be suffering from procrastination.

Procrastination at Work

Do you find yourself getting in late to work because your motivation is missing. Maybe you waste time at work doing non-essential tasks and avoid getting going with your priority tasks. Unfortunately the more your delay starting that new project or priority task, the more pressure you can feel under and the more likely you are to procrastinate and avoid it. Some people even leave their jobs to avoid having to start or complete a project that they have procrastinated over.

You may even hate your job but the security of it keeps you trapped. The fear what a new job might involve may stop you getting a role that suits you better. All the time you wait, your self esteem is being eroded and your ability to procrastinate increases.

Procrastination at Home

Are the jobs piling up around you? Does your home need decorating, or some door wants fixing or that leaky pipe needs to be solved? Sometimes even calling in a tradesman to fix a domestic problem can lead to procrastination and instead of it being a simple job, no fixing it in time makes it a more expensive repair. You may have outstanding bills that you have not settled or other legal or challenging matters that need you attention but you have yet to tackle.

Your home should be a place where you can unwind and relax, yet you may find that your home is no longer that safe and secure haven. The unstarted or unfinished jobs around your home just add to a sense of drift as the years go by and nothing changes.

Procrastination in Your Personal Life

Do you stay in your relationship because it provides safety or you don’t want to be alone? Has your relationship lost its spark and you and your partner have settled into a safe and yet boring rut? This can happen in any relationship and it doesn’t mean that you have to end it. The best relationship for you may be the one that you are in right now. Unless you are present in the relationship and appreciate it, you may feel unhappy, lost or just trapped. Procrastination can rear its head here too.

Procrastination can affect any and sometimes many areas of our lives. Yet you don’t have to keep putting up with a life of malaise. If you envy others success, it means you recognise things can different and you can change too. Procrastination is often just a state of mind that anyone can fall victim too.

Maybe you have tried and (seemingly) failed to change before. Maybe you have convinced yourself that whatever you do, nothing will change for you. There is an awful expression that is used at times by people that keeps them trapped in an unhappy existence. Have you heard the saying “I should accept my lot”?  If you have used it yourself, stop it now. It doesn’t help you in the slightest.

Ending Procrastination

So how do you overcome procrastination?  Initially, one step at a time. Don’t put pressure on yourself by aiming for too many goals. This approach can overwhelm you. Keep it simple to start with and aim for tasks, goals, achievements that are easy for you. Getting back some sense of success, no matter how small will encourage you.

See yourself differently and stop using negative labels. If you view yourself succeeding and doing those tasks and jobs you are much more likely to succeed (research has proven this). If you call yourself lazy, useless or other negative names, it will undermine your ability to change.

So change your imagined view of yourself and change your labels.

As a London Hypnotherapist one of the most popular issues I help people with is procrastination. Whether you are employed and are an executive, CEO or clerk, a sports person heading for the Olympics or want to improve your game, maybe you are self-employed or want to start your own business. I have helped people in all these areas and many others.

On the home front I have helped people to find new life in their existing relationship as well as getting to grips with domestic tasks.

Sometimes an individual has had a past experience that has led to a loss of motivation and procrastination and in hypnotherapy it can be effective to revisit an event and change how you perceive it today.

Procrastination is not something you were born with, it is something that you have learnt and that has become or can become a habit. This is good news because as human beings we are very adaptable and change habits all the time. Hypnotherapy can support your decision and rather than feeling a victim of it, take control of your life and make a difference to your procrastination.

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Author’s Details

Steven Harold BA(Hons) DCH DHP
Clinical Hypnotherapist – London and Essex

Website: www.hypno-therapist.com

Email: steve@hypno-therapist.com
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Stress Management and Modern Living

Stress management is vital for today’s faster modern life. With the advent of the internet everyone has become used to easier and quicker access to information, products and services. We have become used to communications happening within seconds via email rather than by mail. The world of the future which was predicted to have more leisure time hasn’t been realised.

There is no escape from the pace of life and although most people cope most of the time, occasionally events and experiences can conspire seemingly against us. One unhappy event can soon be compounded by another in quick succession. What we used to take in our stride now feels like a burden. We hadn’t noticed that our energy levels were being eroded over time and now we are running on empty. Sleep does not seem to give as much reprieve from tiredness or restore our energy levels back to where they once were.

If the above description rings true to you, then you could benefit from taking control and utilising stress management. Stress management is more than just about controlling stress. It is about prevention as it is as much about reduction of stress levels.

Stress Management Hypnosis

Prevention as they say is far better than cure and is worth putting the effect in. Self hypnosis can be an important element of your healthier life style and your stress management too. Self hypnosis is the regular practice of a simply relaxation method than anyone can learn easily and benefit from. Taking between 5 to 20 minutes per day, self hypnosis can be an easy habit to slip into your daily schedule.

Causes of Stress

Working late, arguments at home, death, illness, a reduction in your income, larger bills, a car accident and more can all be part of what tips us over the edge. If you turn to alcohol or drugs to provide some escape from stress and anxiety then you have already recognised that you need to cope differently. Self hypnosis can help you do that and in a healthier way be part of your success with stress management.

Just imagine how it feel to be more calm and relaxed. Others may lose their cool and temper as you remain an oasis of tranquillity. A natural result of this is likely to be a better and more restful night’s sleep and an improvement in your relationships. For only 5 to 20 minutes a day practising self hypnosis the rewards of better stress management can be immense and this includes your long-term health too.

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Author’s Details

Steven Harold BA(Hons) DCH DHP
Clinical Hypnotherapist – London and Essex

Website: Stress Management London 

Email: steve@hypno-therapist.com
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I am an experienced Clinical Hypnotherapist with busy hypnotherapy practices in Rugby, Warwickshire and Daventry, Northamptonshire. I’ve used hypnotherapy for myself  to ease pain. At a local dentist I underwent a root canal procedure and did so without any anaesthesia. So I know the potential of the mind and practice in my own life what I offer my clients. I have experienced first hand how using positive relaxing imagery can change our perception of pain and as a result alter the fight flight response that increases pain.

The Main Challenge to Mothers is Fear

One of the main challenges facing mothers-to-be is the fear factor. Having trained and qualified as a HypnoBirthing®practitioner, I now appreciate that the HypnoBirthing®Childbirth method is as much a philosophy of birth as it is a technique for achieving a satisfying, relaxing, and stress-free method of birthing.

HypnoBirthing® teaches you, along with your birthing companion, the art and joy of experiencing birth in a more comfortable and relaxed way.  Mothers-to-be learn to uitilise their body’s own natural relaxant and thus lessen or eliminate discomfort and the need for medication.  When a woman is properly prepared for childbirth and the body and mind are in harmony, nature is free to function in the same well-designed manner that it does with all other creatures.

Mothers are taught in HypnoBirthing® to let go of all previous programming about birth, how to trust your body and work with it, as well as how to free yourself of harmful emotions that lead to pain-causing fear and rigid muscles.

HypnoBirthing® teaches the art of using natural birthing instincts, being aware and yet fully in control, but profoundly relaxed. There are HypnoBirthing® films showing labouring mothers, awake, alert and in good humor as they experience the kind of gentle birth that you, too, can know when you are free of the Fear-Tension-Pain Syndrome.

Midwives, Hypnotherapists and Mothers-to-be

The clear evidence for me as an experienced hypnotherapist when I was training was the cross-section of attendees:  Midwives, clinical hypnotherapists, and HypnoBirthing®mum’s all learning the Maria Mongan method of HypnoBirthing®.

With HypnoBirthing® mother’s also attending there was living proof that this can help mums, dads and the baby to have a wonderful birth experience and with minimal discomfort.

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Author’s Details

Pam Morgan PDC Hyp MBSCH

Hypnotherapist in Rugby, Warwickshire and Daventry, Northamptonshire

Website: www.hypnotherapy-reflexology.co.uk/hypnobirthing-901-0.html
Email: hypnobirthing@sky.com

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