Hypnotherapist offers helping hand to deal with coronavirus uncertainties and anxious thoughts

A hypnotherapist from Hurstpierpoint is doing her bit to help people cope with increased stress levels.

Andrea Aro, a hypnotherapy expert, has released a free download on her website designed to help people deal with the daily uncertainties they are facing around coronavirus.

She said: “For many of us who have never experienced events that have an enormous impact on everyday lives, these are unprecedented times.

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“Some people may already suffer with low-level anxiety and have found their symptoms have ramped up recently; others might be feeling new physical and psychological strains for the first time.”

Andrea said how studies have shown that facing uncertainty is often scarier than facing physical pain.

She explained that the human brain over millennia has developed an aversion to uncertainty as a carry-over from our inherent fight-or-flight reaction to threat.

She said that in our constant quest for certainty in our lives, we are wired to ‘catastrophise’ – to view a given situation as worse than it actually is – which leads to worry, and in turn leads to anxiety.

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Due to the lack of answers to questions raised by the current uncertainty globally, she said people can feel frustrated, angry or aggressive.

She said: “Awareness is the key. It is our superpower.

“Feelings of uncertainty can be alleviated by being conscious of the ‘worry story’ you tell yourself and trying to distance yourself from it, focusing on breathing, recognising the need to rise above ‘fight-or-flight’, accepting the uncertainty, and allowing yourself to stop the struggle against it.

Andrea said: “I have spent years helping people to cope with and reduce their anxiety.

“The techniques I teach my clients, whatever the trigger for their condition, can also be applied successfully in this current pandemic.

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“I’d encourage anyone who is feeling stressed or anxious, whether they are directly affected by coronavirus or are just generally worried about it, to download my session and see if it helps.”

The 30-minute audio recording can be accessed from any computer or device, and simply requires the listener to be settled in a safe, quiet space, where they can fully engage with Andrea’s words.

She said: “Even just taking 15 minutes out of your day to focus on yourself, rather than the latest virus news update, can help you regain a sense of balance and focus.

“It’s all about relaxing your mind, deflecting the negative thoughts, and replacing them with calm, positive ones.”

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She advised people to schedule a ‘worry window’, so they can better manage any negative thoughts and feelings by containing them in a predetermined time slot, and free up the rest of their day by banishing intrusive thoughts.

Andrea said: “To some degree it’s natural to worry, and we all do it – it’s how our brain handles problems or potential problems.

“But it stops being useful if we become stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts about things that are out of our control.

“We should instead focus on those things within our control, and how we choose to respond to them.”

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“This pandemic has many repercussions beyond the actual virus. One is the potential impact on mental health and wellbeing as people try to manage an increasingly stressful situation.

“And if I can help ease that stress in just a small way, I believe it’s worthwhile trying.”

To access Andrea’s download, visit www.andreaaro.co.uk/anxiety-release.

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