HYPNOTHERAPIST Linda Flanigan discusses dealing with the impact of coronavirus on anxiety and sleep.

As the coronavirus continues to grip our world and daily stress levels rise to new heights, I am doing my bit to help people cope.

I have released a free download to help people deal with the daily uncertainties they are facing at this time.

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.

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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 our daily 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.

Awareness is the key, it is our secret weapon.

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I suggest that feelings of uncertainty can be allayed by the following: notice the ‘worry narrative’ you are telling yourself – try to distance yourself from it; focus on breathing – take long, slow breaths; recognise the need to conquer your basic ‘fight-or-flight’ instinct, and accept uncertainty rather than trying to battle against it.

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.

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 16 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.

Even just taking 16 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.

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

I advise people to schedule a ‘worry window’, so they can manage any negative thoughts and feelings better 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.

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.

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If I can help ease that stress in just a small way, I believe it’s worthwhile trying.

One of the main impacts of the current situation is that it can disrupt our sleep. When we are stressed and facing dramatic changes, it can make sleep more difficult.

As the lockdown continues and anxiety increased, many are finding they are suffering with sleep issues for the first time in their lives, whilst others who already have sleeping problems are finding they are exacerbated at this challenging time.

We cannot function properly without good, quality sleep and by stressing over the current coronavirus situation we are keeping our minds in a constant state of vigilance at night, rather than allowing restorative sleep.

It’s natural to be worried but we need to look for ways to manage the stress to reduce the effects of being sleep deprived.

Visit lfhypnotherapy-oxfordshire.co.uk for more.