As the Coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, and daily stress levels rise to new heights, we’re doing our bit to help people cope. We have released a free download together with powerful anxiety reduction strategies on our website designed to help people deal with the daily uncertainties they are facing about the virus.
Studies have shown that facing uncertainty is often scarier than facing physical pain.
The human brain over millennia has developed an aversion to uncertainty. It is a carry-over from our inherent “fight-or-flight” reaction to threat. 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.
And this leads to worry, which in turn leads to anxiety.
For many of us who have never experienced events that have an enormous impact on everyday lives, these are unprecedented times. 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.
The lack of answers to questions raised by the current uncertainty – “What will happen?”, “What is in the future for us?”, “What if my livelihood is threatened?” – can lead to frustration, anger and aggression.
We know that Awareness is the key. It is our superpower.
Here are some suggests re how feelings of uncertainty can be mitigated:
- Be conscious of the “worry story” you tell yourself – and try to distance yourself from it;
- Focus on breathing – take long, slow breaths;
- Recognise the need to rise above “fight-or-flight”;
- Accept the uncertainty – and allow yourself to stop the struggle against it.
We have spent years helping people to cope with and reduce their anxiety. The techniques we teach our clients, whatever the trigger for their condition, can also be applied successfully in this current pandemic. We’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 our session & anxiety reduction strategies and see if it helps.
The 26-minute English-language 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 Dr Ian Kaminskyj’s soothing words.
Even just taking 26 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.
We also advise 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.
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.”
One such way people have been trying to exercise control and diminish their worries is by the unhelpful practice of ‘panic-buying’ goods, such as hand sanitiser and toilet roll. This is really an overload of the ‘fight-or-flight’ response that’s hardwired into our DNA and is being further fuelled by images of empty shelves in the media, and on social media.
It’s an exaggeration of a natural reaction – we think we’re fighting for our survival. Suddenly, certain items take on much greater significance than usual and just possessing them seems to calm our fears, that is until the next bout of fear takes hold about a different ‘essential’ item.
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 we can help ease that stress in just a small way, we believe it’s worthwhile trying. To access our download and anxiety reduction strategies, visit https://www.melbournenlphypnosiscentre.com.au/sg-sa-lp/
To your optimum Health, Well being & Success!
Dr Ian Kaminskyj
Melbourne NLP Hypnosis Centre
1300 983 717
