It’s ok to not be ok
The sharp shrill of your alarm rings at dawn on another day. You roll over and hit snooze, the thoughts are there again. The feeling that something is not quite right. You find yourself asking the same questions to yourself. The thought in your mind that this is not normal, but the uncertainty remains, that you are creating it.
It is difficult to concentrate with the thoughts buzzing around your mind. You remember that today is a new day, but the hope of change is starting to fade. Should you go and speak to someone? Can anybody help or should you stiffen your upper lip and get on with it?
I recently watched a great presentation held by another hypnotherapist. He spoke of his early career when he liked to call 
himself The Hypnotist and cringed at the title therapist. As he grew in the profession, he appreciated the duty of care he had for his clients. He understood his role in a deeper capacity and recognised it as therapy. Hypnotherapy often achieves a goal in a speedier fashion than other modalities. A hypnotherapist will use solution focused techniques to give you hope for a brighter future. Hypnotists can help heal the wounds of your past breaking down the barriers of today.
Should I seek help?
If you feel that something in your life is not quite as you want it to be this is reason enough to seek the support of a therapist. I have worked with many people that are happy and successful but feel they are not reaching their full potential. I have worked with people in the worst moments of their life.
When you feel good it is easier to have hope for a future. Therefore therapy is more often sought by those who are at a good point in their life and see potential for it to improve even more. When you cannot see hope for the future you do not believe that anything can help you. If you are lucky enough to have someone suggest you see a therapist or even find one for you it is life changing.
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If you are experiencing any of the following situations in your life you would benefit from speaking with a therapist.
Overwhelm
When overwhelmed with emotion it feels like you are drowning under a huge mass. This feeling prevents you from living at full capacity. You are experiencing emotional overwhelm when the strength of your feelings surpasses your ability to manage them.
Not sleeping or sleeping more than usual
When your emotions start to affect your sleeping patterns it is time to seek some support. Sleep complications become a vicious cycle as they create further emotional trauma which increases the sleep problems. My blog post on sleep found here will give you a greater insight into sleep difficulties.
Strong reactions
If you are reacting strongly to situations you find yourself in, you may believe everyone around you to be against you. Sometimes these reactions are internal and leave you feeling anxious with intrusive thoughts. If you externalise the reactions, you could find your relationships affected. Consider whether you can ‘let things go’ easily or whether the thoughts stay with you for long enough to ruin your day.
Not wanting to leave the house
When you are struggling internally home can feel like a haven. Leaving the house is challenging and you cannot find the motivation to do it. When you do it is difficult, and you have a feeling of wanting to run back home. This leaves you withdrawn from socialising and being around the people that build you up.
Apathy and or hopelessness
A big sign of depression is a loss of hope. Emotions are normal, feeling sad is normal. Feeling like there is no hope of a future with any moments of happiness is not something anyone should have to suffer. If you are struggling to find your passion and interest in what used to be exciting or realise that nothing stimulates you it is time to seek support. A therapist can help you to reignite the hope that there is a life for you and help you organise your thoughts to find the bubble that has burst inside you.
Unhealthy coping mechanisms
With the help of a therapist you can find happiness without using an external source to help you disassociate from your thoughts and pain. Alcohol, drugs, self-harm, over or under eating amongst other unhealthy habits, are coping skills that help you in the short term, day by day, but do not fix the problem or work as a long term strategy. It can be counterproductive to try and stop using your coping mechanism on your own so do seek the support of a therapist if you realise this is your life.
Always keep in mind that without any of the above symptoms, ‘feeling off’ – even if you cannot describe the feeling – is an acceptable reason to seek the support of an experienced therapist.