Stress

Let's face it, living in the 21st century is stressful for a great many people. The pressures and demands on us can seem at times, to be endless.

Some years ago, the University of Washington carried out extensive research into stress. They created, as a scale of measurement, a kind of “Stress Unit”.

To give you an idea:

• Death of a spouse = 100 units
• Divorce = 73 units
• Personal injury = 53 units
• Pregnancy = 40 units

Even Christmas came out at around 12 units!

They concluded that an accumulation of 200 points or more “units” in a year could be interpreted as more stress than a person can take. It's no wonder that for many of us, day to day living seems to be a joyless burden.

Studies have revealed that some people are more likely to suffer stress than others. In 1974, cardiologists Rosenman and Friedman noted that their heart attack patients all showed certain characteristics. These people were said to have a “type A” personality. Other people are categorised as “type B”.

Type A	Type B
Very competitive	Non competitive
Impatient	Accepting
Don't like to be kept waiting	Calm about waiting
Put self under pressure	Laid back
Do everything at fast pace	Unhurried
Hate incompetence	Accepting of peoples mistakes
Restless, rapid movements	Relaxed
Fast talker	Can listen
Finishes sentences for others	Allows others to finish speaking
Doesn't listen	Good listener
Aggressive	Passive

Some characteristics will overlap from one person to another but you will find that you are either one type or the other, predominantly.

What are the symptoms of stress?

Each of us reacts differently, but if some of the following symptoms describe you, then you are stressed.

• Stomach, digestive problems
• Bladder problems
• Headaches
• Breathing problems
• Tingling in the hands, feet or legs
• Sexual problems
• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Muscle tension
• Dry mouth
• Irritable
• Anxious or tense
• Apathetic
• Low in self esteem
• Temper outbursts
• Change in eating habits
• Forgetful or clumsy
• Drink / smoke excessively
• Withdrawn from social activities

If more than a couple of the above sound all to familiar to you, then you need to seek help. Hypnotherapy and T.F.T can and do help alleviate all of the above symptoms. Give me a call and we can start working on them. It costs nothing but the price of a phone-call to get in touch.

Don't delay, act now!

Ian Smith - Clinical Hypnotherapist