Performance Anxiety
Performance anxiety can cover many areas. It could be in a sport, public speaking, trying to conceive, attending an interview and so on.
To be nervous about performing a sport in front of a large crowd, speaking in public for the first time, or attending a job interview is perfectly normal. Having nerves can help us concentrate and ensure we DO perform at our best.
The problem usually comes when we start to over think. This could be due to a past performance that went wrong or because of a lack of confidence as we are going to do something we've never done before. We tend to over analyse and start to negatively forecast the upcoming event.
If we break things down a little and go through different scenarios we can start to understand what's going on.
Sport:
Anyone who takes their sport seriously will know that their mental state can have a big impact on how they perform. You can be the fittest player in the team, or have the best technique, but if your head isn't right you won't perform at your best. As well as it having an affect on the game we are in it can also have a knock on affect on the matches to come. We can end up going through a bad spell before we sort ourselves out and get back to our best. In the meantime we've lost our place in the team or have been knocked out of the competition. How can we avoid this happening in the first place?
Athletes who are constantly able to stay at the top of their game know the importance positive thinking. They are able to ignore any mistakes and keep their belief that they are the best. They are winners. This isn't easy as the brain is naturally negative. They can do this because they train as hard mentally as they do physically.
Most professional sport associations and clubs today have a sports psychologist amongst their staff. The psychologist will ensure the players are mentally ready for whatever their sport demands. They will provide them with tailored programmes to help them overcome anything that could inhibit their performance. They will encourage positive thinking, helping the players self belief grow stronger every day.
Hypnotherapy is being used more and more to help professional sports people achieve their best. You can benefit too.
Hypnotherapy can help you gain that extra edge. It can help you focus better, believe in yourself more, or remain calm so you make the right decision in the heat of the moment. It can teach you how to visualise what you want to achieve leading to a greater chance of success.
If you are having performance issues with your sport please get in touch and I can help you get back to your best, or even better!
Public speaking:
This can be having to provide a Best Man's speech, give a presentation at work or attending a job interview. If we are not used to doing any of these things the thought of having to do so can fill us with dread. Social media has given us the ability to have meetings from the comfort of our own home, helping us feel more secure. We can confront someone in an email instead of in person and we can give a presentation using videos of ourselves that we prepared earlier on our own. The need for public speaking situations has reduced, meaning when one comes up that we have to do 'live', we get nervous.
Fear of public speaking (Glossophobia) can stem from social anxiety and social phobia. When having to speak publicly we are concerned that the audience will spot our mistakes and laugh at us. We may have fears that we will say something that is found out to be untrue and we can suddenly start to worry that some food is stuck in our teeth making us look stupid.
Having a little anxiety when having to speak in public is very normal and to be expected. Even professional speakers get nerves, but once they start they come over as completely confident. The rest of us just go bright red, start to shake and panic.
So, what can be done to help?
Because this sort of fear is deep rooted we need to be able to access the subconscious to enable a fix. Our primitive brain is a very good safety system. It will alert us when it feels there is something wrong and force us to act accordingly by following a template of our previous behavioural response. In the case of public speaking it will either tell us to run or even to not do it in the first place. Trying to control this is extremely hard as the primitive brain is very strong. Every time we have a reaction the template is endorsed and becomes even stronger. Using hypnotherapy we can disengage the primitive brain and talk directly to the subconscious. We can put suggestions in the subconscious that, overtime, will begin to over ride our previous thoughts. this will lead to a new way of thinking and, eventually, more self belief and confidence. We will learn to focus on what we want to say rather than what the audience may be possibly thinking.
Hypnotherapy can help give you the belief you need to be able to control your mind in these situations and help you talk with confidence.
Trying to conceive:
Being a parent is stressful enough, but what about those who are struggling to start a family in the first place? This can be extremely stressful and upsetting.
According to the NHS, one in seven British couples struggle to conceive.
This is a different type of performance anxiety. The desire to create a baby can put pressure on both the male and female. If attempts fail self doubt will inevitably start to seep into the mind and it will be normal to feel stressed and anxious. This could go further either into depression or anger. Neither scenario is going to help their plight.
There are many reasons why couples may find it hard to conceive and medical advice should be sought first. If the medical advice suggests it could be psychological issues at play then that is where hypnotherapy can help.
Stress and anxiety cause the release of adrenaline and cortisol from the brain into the body. Too much of these hormones can make it more difficult to conceive as they are affecting other parts of the brain that controls other hormones. We shouldn't rule out what's is happening to the male here either. High levels of stress, studies suggest, can reduce testosterone levels and semen quality. this can have negative implications for male fertility.
Hypnotherapy can aid couples by helping both of them to feel calmer, relaxed and feel more in control. This will help to reduce stress and anxiety.
When we are relaxed the brain is producing endorphins that help restore hormone balance that , in turn regulate the nervous system and promote a healthy immune system.
During the hypnotherapy we will discuss and establish any conscious or unconscious issues that may not be helping as well as working on any other issues that may arise.
Being relaxed throughout the pregnancy, and indeed after giving birth, is vital to the well being of the mother and child.
It is vital that you feel comfortable working with any therapist and the same goes with hypnotherapy. Feeling safe and secure is an essential ingredient to achieving success. So chose your therapist/s carefully.
To be nervous about performing a sport in front of a large crowd, speaking in public for the first time, or attending a job interview is perfectly normal. Having nerves can help us concentrate and ensure we DO perform at our best.
The problem usually comes when we start to over think. This could be due to a past performance that went wrong or because of a lack of confidence as we are going to do something we've never done before. We tend to over analyse and start to negatively forecast the upcoming event.
If we break things down a little and go through different scenarios we can start to understand what's going on.
Sport:
Anyone who takes their sport seriously will know that their mental state can have a big impact on how they perform. You can be the fittest player in the team, or have the best technique, but if your head isn't right you won't perform at your best. As well as it having an affect on the game we are in it can also have a knock on affect on the matches to come. We can end up going through a bad spell before we sort ourselves out and get back to our best. In the meantime we've lost our place in the team or have been knocked out of the competition. How can we avoid this happening in the first place?
Athletes who are constantly able to stay at the top of their game know the importance positive thinking. They are able to ignore any mistakes and keep their belief that they are the best. They are winners. This isn't easy as the brain is naturally negative. They can do this because they train as hard mentally as they do physically.
Most professional sport associations and clubs today have a sports psychologist amongst their staff. The psychologist will ensure the players are mentally ready for whatever their sport demands. They will provide them with tailored programmes to help them overcome anything that could inhibit their performance. They will encourage positive thinking, helping the players self belief grow stronger every day.
Hypnotherapy is being used more and more to help professional sports people achieve their best. You can benefit too.
Hypnotherapy can help you gain that extra edge. It can help you focus better, believe in yourself more, or remain calm so you make the right decision in the heat of the moment. It can teach you how to visualise what you want to achieve leading to a greater chance of success.
If you are having performance issues with your sport please get in touch and I can help you get back to your best, or even better!
Public speaking:
This can be having to provide a Best Man's speech, give a presentation at work or attending a job interview. If we are not used to doing any of these things the thought of having to do so can fill us with dread. Social media has given us the ability to have meetings from the comfort of our own home, helping us feel more secure. We can confront someone in an email instead of in person and we can give a presentation using videos of ourselves that we prepared earlier on our own. The need for public speaking situations has reduced, meaning when one comes up that we have to do 'live', we get nervous.
Fear of public speaking (Glossophobia) can stem from social anxiety and social phobia. When having to speak publicly we are concerned that the audience will spot our mistakes and laugh at us. We may have fears that we will say something that is found out to be untrue and we can suddenly start to worry that some food is stuck in our teeth making us look stupid.
Having a little anxiety when having to speak in public is very normal and to be expected. Even professional speakers get nerves, but once they start they come over as completely confident. The rest of us just go bright red, start to shake and panic.
So, what can be done to help?
Because this sort of fear is deep rooted we need to be able to access the subconscious to enable a fix. Our primitive brain is a very good safety system. It will alert us when it feels there is something wrong and force us to act accordingly by following a template of our previous behavioural response. In the case of public speaking it will either tell us to run or even to not do it in the first place. Trying to control this is extremely hard as the primitive brain is very strong. Every time we have a reaction the template is endorsed and becomes even stronger. Using hypnotherapy we can disengage the primitive brain and talk directly to the subconscious. We can put suggestions in the subconscious that, overtime, will begin to over ride our previous thoughts. this will lead to a new way of thinking and, eventually, more self belief and confidence. We will learn to focus on what we want to say rather than what the audience may be possibly thinking.
Hypnotherapy can help give you the belief you need to be able to control your mind in these situations and help you talk with confidence.
Trying to conceive:
Being a parent is stressful enough, but what about those who are struggling to start a family in the first place? This can be extremely stressful and upsetting.
According to the NHS, one in seven British couples struggle to conceive.
This is a different type of performance anxiety. The desire to create a baby can put pressure on both the male and female. If attempts fail self doubt will inevitably start to seep into the mind and it will be normal to feel stressed and anxious. This could go further either into depression or anger. Neither scenario is going to help their plight.
There are many reasons why couples may find it hard to conceive and medical advice should be sought first. If the medical advice suggests it could be psychological issues at play then that is where hypnotherapy can help.
Stress and anxiety cause the release of adrenaline and cortisol from the brain into the body. Too much of these hormones can make it more difficult to conceive as they are affecting other parts of the brain that controls other hormones. We shouldn't rule out what's is happening to the male here either. High levels of stress, studies suggest, can reduce testosterone levels and semen quality. this can have negative implications for male fertility.
Hypnotherapy can aid couples by helping both of them to feel calmer, relaxed and feel more in control. This will help to reduce stress and anxiety.
When we are relaxed the brain is producing endorphins that help restore hormone balance that , in turn regulate the nervous system and promote a healthy immune system.
During the hypnotherapy we will discuss and establish any conscious or unconscious issues that may not be helping as well as working on any other issues that may arise.
Being relaxed throughout the pregnancy, and indeed after giving birth, is vital to the well being of the mother and child.
It is vital that you feel comfortable working with any therapist and the same goes with hypnotherapy. Feeling safe and secure is an essential ingredient to achieving success. So chose your therapist/s carefully.