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Although many people get what is often referred to as the “winter blues”, a mild lowering of mood as winter sets in, for myself and some 5% of the population, our mood can drastically drop as it follows a seasonal pattern due to shorter daylight hours during the autumn and winter months. This pattern of low mood is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, most commonly referred to as “SAD”.

Although the exact causes of SAD are not fully understood, what we do know is that it most often affects sufferers during the dark cold months of winter and produces symptoms associated with depression:

There are many symptoms associated with SAD, and the effects can vary between mild and severe.

Common symptoms include:

• Negative thought patterns (feelings of sadness / hopelessness)
• Loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable
• Tiredness / fatigue
• Eating more or less
• Struggling to concentrate / lack of focus
• Avoiding social interactions (withdrawing)
• Poor sleep (oversleeping or waking up and not being able to get back to sleep)
• Physical symptoms such as headaches / body aches and pains

Common strategies and methods to assist sufferers to improve their wellbeing work by tackling one or more of the above, such as light therapy, medication or counselling, however Solution Focussed Hypnotherapy is especially affective in helping and empowering clients through trance, positive suggestions and visualisation to inspire the subconscious to:

• Think and act more positively
• Reduce stress / anxiety levels
• Improve sleep patterns
• Boost moods
• Develop coping strategies
• Encourages self-care such as diet and exercise.

When clients are more positive in their thoughts, actions and interactions, they greatly increase the feel-good positive neurotransmitters associated with positive mental health (e.g. boosting happy chemicals in the brain). They will then start to view autumn and winter months in a more positive manner, and in-turn are able to manage their SAD symptoms more effectively.

Nearly a third of the UK’s population are affected at some point in their lives with insomnia.

Sleeping is a natural mind and body process, to help support healthy brain function and maintain physical health. However, for some, this very natural process doesn’t come easy, with many people struggling with sleep issues on a regular basis.

As a hypnotherapist, I often hear clients say that at night when they go to bed, they “can’t switch off”, as they are constantly worrying about everything and anything, whether it is important or not.

Others say they fall asleep easily enough, but then suddenly awake and spend the next few hours tossing and turning until they eventually get up.

No matter what type of sleep issue you have, they are all very upsetting, affecting our everyday lives, and causing us higher stress levels whilst making us feel tired and exhausted.

This lack of sleep can also develop into a conscious or unconscious habit or behaviour, where even after the initial reason for poor sleep has been resolved, we can continue to negatively forecast about going to sleep, and which often creates additional new and unhelpful thought pattern, where anxiety and fears continue to cause us further sleep disorders.

Although medication and some natural remedies can for some people help, it will only be for a short period of time, and where sufferers will often increase the dosages as the effects start to wear thin. This can in some cases create a physical or mental addiction for them.

Fortunately, solution focussed hypnotherapists understand the importance of sleep in relation to the brain, and work towards enabling clients to get their sleep patterns working more efficiently. Additionally, regaining back control and getting quality sleep also helps clients cope better with stresses in their day-to-day lives.

We have all at some time in our lives experienced self-doubts, listening to that little gremlin sitting on our shoulder criticising and telling us we are not good enough and why should we even bother as we’re bound to fail…

This little gremlin resides in our primitive brain, creating voices or images to protect us, however, in doing so it prevents us from trying anything new outside our safety zone, which can be as simple as applying for a new job or taking a driving test. Our inner gremlin feeds us negative thoughts that affect our emotions and behaviours to the point where we believe there is no point going any further and we may as well give up, often,  even before trying or attempting anything new.

These unhelpful and downbeat negative thought processes often compact and reinforce our thought patterns and behaviour so much, that over time it becomes normal to feel and act pessimistically towards everything that we do.

This is where solution focussed hypnotherapy can help, by helping you identify these negative thought patterns and behaviours, and help you to gain control of them so you can make positive optimistic changes to enhance your life and live it the way you want to.

Your inner negative gremlin will still be there to protect you in emergencies, however, you will have the necessary confidence and competence to put it back in their box when you don’t need their input, especially with regard to something that you want to do to make your life better and happier