Matthew Cahill

Personal Wellbeing Levels

One result of the pandemic has been the so-called ‘Great Resignation.’ It’s a phenomenon which has hit the headlines in international news over the past few weeks as growing numbers of people quit their jobs to start new ventures.

In other words, people are seeking new opportunities to embrace better futures for themselves. It perhaps goes without saying that hypnotherapy practitioners can make all the difference for someone who is looking to change the status quo and improve their lives.

Reflecting on positives. The usage of the Miracle Question ahead of the trance part of a therapy session. All are key pointers in helping someone to change direction and feel more settled in their new roles.

The Guardian (31/10/2021) referenced the work of Wendy Wood who is a professor of social psychology and the author of Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick.

The article noted her argument that lockdowns became unsettling because we were thrown ‘into full decision mode.’ In other words, we lost regularity and routine.

Re-establishing positive habits can be hugely beneficial for our mental wellbeing. Practitioners now have a good opportunity to work with clients to re-establish good routines.

Taking a bike ride or going for your regular 10-minute stroll during a lunch break can make all the difference.

Of course, it might be a slow re-introduction to a way of life which became slightly alien to us all over the past few years, but each tiny step forward can make a world of difference for someone looking to regain control over key aspects of their lives.

And that can range from improving (or starting) an exercise regime through to finding a new job and everything in between. In other words, positive objectives which hypnotherapists can help their clients to achieve.

With the government’s recent announcement for the further easing of Covid restrictions in England, we have looked at some of the Office for National Statistics’ data relating to the affect of the pandemic on mental wellbeing.

Perhaps, unsurprisingly, the ONS found that one in six adults ‘experienced some form of depression in the middle of last year compared to one in ten’ between July 2019 and March 2020.

It also found that ‘personal wellbeing levels’ during the first and second waves of Covid were at ‘among the lowest seen since the start of data collection in 2011.’

On the upside, the data seems to point to wellbeing returning to the same levels as prior to the start of the pandemic.

Depression rates may have declined last summer but they still remained higher than before the pandemic. Anxiety levels in younger age groups have remained higher than the national average.

The ONS also linked anxiety with loneliness and it’s report highlighted how ‘lockdown loneliness’ may have become an issue for people aged between 16 and 24 years.

Interestingly, anxiety levels improved in older age groups at the start of last year. It’s believed this was largely thanks to the rollout of the mass vaccination programme.

As we head into a new period where Covid restrictions may continue to be eased, it’s important to remember the positive difference which can be made with the type of thinking provided by modern hypnotherapy.

Establishing a strong rapport which allows for a forging of a good therapeutic alliance is key in helping clients to relax and embrace positive change into their lives. Or, indeed, to reintroduce positive habits back into their daily routines.

These are alterations which the client can gradually introduce into their weekly routines and ones which can be discussed during their sessions with you. They’re also changes which can create a colossal sense of positivity for them – and those closest to them.

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