How Do You Get Rid of Your Anxiety?

13 January 2023

Anxiety is a normal emotion that everyone feels from time to time. It’s a warning signal from our body that helps us recognize and avoid dangerous situations. However, for some people, anxiety can become a serious problem that affects their daily life. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health conditions and can lead to symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, and a feeling of tightness in the chest.

A practice example of someone with anxiety problems

Jan is a man of almost 50 who has struggled with anxiety for years. He suffers from constant worry and rumination, and often feels anxious in social situations. He’s already tried various treatments, but nothing really seemed to help.

At a certain point, Jan decides to consult a hypnotherapist. The therapist brings Jan into a deeply relaxed state through hypnosis and starts helping him explore the causes of his anxiety. Jan discovers that his anxiety stems from a traumatic event from his childhood that he still hasn’t been able to fully talk about.

Through hypnosis, Jan is helped to process the event and change his thoughts and emotions about it. This allows him to let go of his anxiety and feel less anxious in social situations. Jan continues with a few sessions of hypnotherapy to adjust his thought patterns and strengthen his self-confidence.

After a number of sessions, Jan notices that his anxiety has decreased significantly. He feels much more confident and can concentrate better on his work. He can now also handle social situations much better and feels far less anxious. Jan is grateful that he decided to try hypnotherapy and finally feels freed from his anxiety.

Physical complaints and anxiety

Anxiety is often an underlying cause of physical complaints. Many people who suffer from anxiety also have complaints such as headaches, stomach aches, or back pain, which are often related to their anxiety. This is because anxiety goes hand in hand with increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which leads to physical symptoms such as heart palpitations and trembling.

Thoughts and anxiety

Anxiety is often a reaction to our thoughts. Many people who suffer from anxiety have negative thoughts about themselves, others, or the future. These thoughts can cause or worsen anxiety, because they make us believe that something dangerous or threatening is happening.

Causes of anxiety

The causes of anxiety can be very diverse, such as a traumatic event from the past, a hereditary predisposition, keeping a secret, or a biological abnormality in the brain. Many people who suffer from anxiety have a sensitive “threat detection” system in their brain, which makes them react with anxiety more quickly to situations that others experience as harmless.

Long-term consequences of anxiety

Prolonged anxiety can have serious consequences for health, both physical and mental. Below are a few examples:

The immune system: prolonged anxiety can lead to a weakened immune system, making people more susceptible to illness and infections.
Cardiovascular disease: anxiety can lead to an increased heart rate and blood pressure, which can raise the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Sleep problems: anxiety can lead to insomnia, making it hard for people to fall asleep or causing them to wake up often during the night.
Depression: prolonged anxiety can lead to depression, because people often feel helpless and hopeless.
Reduced productivity: anxiety can lead to concentration problems, making people less productive at work or in their studies.
Reduced quality of life: anxiety can lead to a reduced quality of life, because people feel unhappy, anxious, and limited in their daily activities.

There are various reasons why people often struggle with anxiety complaints for so long before seeking help.

Below are a few examples:

Shame: many people who suffer from anxiety feel ashamed of their symptoms and don’t feel comfortable talking about them. This can lead to a feeling of loneliness and isolation, making people feel less encouraged to seek help.
Lack of awareness: some people aren’t aware of the symptoms of anxiety and don’t recognize their symptoms as anxiety. This can lead to a feeling of confusion and uncertainty, making people unsure whether they should seek help at all.
Minimizing symptoms: many people underestimate the severity of their anxiety complaints, thinking it will pass on its own or that their anxiety complaints aren’t serious enough to seek help.
Lack of available help: sometimes there are no, or very few, therapists available nearby, or the cost of treatment is too high, making people feel unable to seek help.
Hoping it will pass on its own: some people hope their anxiety complaints will resolve by themselves and that no treatment is needed.

Prolonged anxiety is treatable

It’s important to know that anxiety is a treatable condition, and that seeking help is important to reduce the symptoms and the impact of anxiety on daily life.

There are various treatment methods available, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, and hypnotherapy. It’s advisable to seek professional advice from a therapist or doctor if you think you’re suffering from anxiety.

Hypnotherapy is effective for anxiety

Hypnotherapy is an effective treatment method for anxiety. Hypnosis can help reduce anxiety by training the brain to respond differently to anxious situations. During hypnosis you enter a relaxed state and gain insight, on an unconscious level, into what’s needed to feel less anxious.

The Loveworkx approach to anxiety

I record the hypnotherapeutic session for you, so you can listen back to it for 30 days. This ensures that the anxiety is greatly reduced and makes way for relaxation. You can book this hypnotherapeutic session as a standalone session or integrate it into a package with an intake conversation and 5 follow-up sessions.

Bio

Jacqueline Evers is a relationship therapist who helps couples build a loving, fulfilling relationship instead of a bitter and costly divorce. Over the past 18 years, she has helped more than 1,450 people through individual and relationship therapy. 80% of relationships improve. With her book ‘Cheating. Moving Forward Together in 5 Steps’, she offers couples affected by infidelity a new way of loving. She works from her practice in Almere and online, and is regularly heard on NPO1 radio. Check out the Loveworkx YouTube channel too, and subscribe to receive regular practical tips to make your relationship better. The Loveworkx podcasts can be heard on Spotify, among other platforms.