Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you all!

(I can still say that, can’t I?)

I’m pleased to be in the month of January, in a brand new year.

My teenage boy struggled a bit in the Christmas holidays as his routine was all over the place, late waking up, late going to bed, lots of down time, drifting onto his computer every chance he got.

Sounds great doesn’t it- but for a child with autism this can be challenging, and thereby challenging for the family.

We’ve begun the year with him on a social awareness programme in school and us as parents on a six-week parenting course, further research for support on the cards.

Why am I telling you this? Because I made a decision to do something about it.

We needed to make change, to support our boy and our family.

We’re by no means sorted, we’re on a journey but without a head in the sand, solution-focused all the way.

Although to make change for ourselves, this can be more challenging. We can often find it easier to achieve this if it involves someone else, our self-talk can be less encouraging, less proactive, so we can find ourselves just tiddling along as we are and not achieving what we want from our day to day life.

If you yourself struggle with anxiety or low self esteem, making this change can seem like an impossible feat.

So how about if we change the way we think about anxiety?

What if we don’t try to make it go away, but instead begin by recognising it and getting to understand it for what it is.

When I explain to a client how our brain works, I talk to them about how their body would react if they encountered a polar bear in their path. Phew, the mind and body would go straight to the Amygdala (fight/flight/freeze) and quite understandably we’d be off like a shot.

But if we don’t face our polar bears head-on we will find that they seem to get bigger or that there are more of them in our daily lives, problem by problem.

We need to get to know that polar bear!

Now, it’s very important that our Amygdala alerts us in the genuine circumstances of danger but we need it to hush when the situation is just a feeling and not a fact.

So if you are beginning this new year wanting it to be better than the last, how about seeing situations that cause you anxiety as little hurdles to overcome, and striving daily with small steps towards empowering your mind.

I decided my small steps would be to up my running, to be outside in nature whilst I exercise. This makes me feel alive and energised; I won’t allow my primitive mind to feel worried and anxious about how I can support my son, I’m taking steps towards supporting him and taking steps towards supporting myself.

I also joined a choir, something I’d talked about doing for many years but always felt that polar bear feeling, making excuses- how can I go alone?- where would I go?- I wouldn’t have the time. 

I’ve only been to two sessions but I absolutely love it already. It’s quite amazing how singing in a large group makes you feel.

So, this year, you don’t need to make big annual plans for change (although you can if you’re ready to!). Just begin to recognise where you are and decide what the next step is for you to increase your happiness.

Don’t spend time trying to make others recognise your needs. Once you recognise your needs, others will too.

My son is starting a journal. We discussed this after a Zoom I attended on supporting our children with Dr Pooky Knightsmith. I hope it will be a tool for him to brain dump whenever he feels worried, excited about future events, or when he wants to express feelings that he doesn’t want to share.

Awareness allows the Amygdala to re-programme. We don’t want anxiety to go away; sometimes it keeps us safe. We just need to understand its needs.

Enjoy the rest of your January, I’m off to Mallorca at the weekend with my husband, just the two of us for some sunshine, nice food and quality time, planning to increase those levels of serotonin with positive thinking, positive actions and positive interactions.

Enjoy the rest of your month, if you need me, my inbox is always open.

Love,

Karen.

December Thoughts

December, the last month of our year, the month where so much seems so poignant.

Our thoughts may be on finances, lost loved ones, time management, family, goals, end of year dead lines…the list goes on.

We have a whole eleven months to get there from one year to the next but it often seems to spring itself on us faster than expected.

This time last year, I’d just completed my counselling course, I’d also just passed a very challenging assignment for my hypnotherapy course and I was excited and apprehensive about the year ahead.

Here I am in December 2022 and my business is established, I have regular clients, premises and a completed website, these are three of my goals I wanted to achieve completed. My affirmation: I am confident and capable in what I do!

I had many more goals, some have moved forward from where they were, some were pushed to the wayside but my biggest achievement this year is to recognise how much I have changed.

How my reactions to situations have changed, how much more at ease I am; I’m still on my own journey- but I feel I’m on the right path, I constantly facilitate change more effectively.

Deciding to retrain, to begin a new career is something I really wanted to do. It was important to me, I made many excuses for years but looking back it was fear of failure that held me back. Excuses, feelings of self sabotage, ‘what if I fail?’.

January does not have to be the month for change, change can be right now. Progress doesn’t have to be the completed task, its about beginning and letting go of the outcome.

When we wait, repeat the same things day in day out, our primitive mind is at ease; it wants to keep you safe and doesn’t invite you to change routines, change habits; it allows you to accept rather than react. When you take charge of those feelings and make decisions with your intellectual mind the fear is reduced, the positive chemicals flow- and you feel excited about the future.

Hypnotherapy can help you do that; the thoughts in your subconscious mind will work in your favour if you listen to what your initiative is telling you. 

Focus on transforming you to the best you possible.

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. 

– Helen Keller.

Whether it’s daily habits around food, work, fitness, anxiety, sleep, delegation, communication, patience, organisation- the list goes on; you can make positive change, today.

Telling yourself this is motivation in itself.So, I end this blog wishing all of you who celebrate Christmas a very Merry one-and to each and every one of you a happy, and healthy, 2023.

Your Journey

A few days left of this month and then we’re into December 2022.
How often do we say or hear the phrase ‘Time goes so fast’ or ‘I cant quite believe this year’s nearly over, already!’

This can be a good thing- if you feel you’ve achieved all the things you wanted to- but not so good if you’re still in exactly the same place as you were when the year began.

This is all related to how we think; you see, our brains don’t totally disconnect imagination and reality. If you tell yourself that you’re exactly where you want to be, then your brain will agree and be at ease with that.

We all have different expectations in life as to what brings us joy.
The most important thing is that where you are is where you want to be, un- influenced by others, and at ease with yourself.
This could refer to where you are in your home life, work life, parent life, student life- or all of the above.

I’ve come to the realisation that as much as my goals are important to me- and, of course, I feel happy when I achieve them- they are not a definition of failure if I’m not yet where I want to be.

I ask myself the question:
Have I done the work?
Have I been realistic with my expectations?
Have I recognised and praised myself when I have moved forward?

Writing down my ‘What’s been good in my day’ has really supported this and allowed me to reflect on where I am and where I’m going- I’d encourage you to do the same.

Watching clients progress in their sessions and hearing their language change in regard to how they think is wonderful.
We can all change our thinking if it’s not bringing us joy.

We begin here…

Then we choose the goals we have in our home life, work life, parent life student life etc.

Goals can be simple consistent actions occurring in our every day life.

To walk more, to read more, to ‘feel our brave’, right up to larger life-changing goals, a bigger house, a promotion, a family, a career change…

I can help you to see this more clearly. Whether your sessions are finished, or whether you’re in current sessions its good to re-address these goals. Sometimes the awareness is in itself enough.

Keep going: it doesn’t matter at what speed, it is your path, your journey; just don’t look back- you’re not going that way.

Love,

Karen
Omara Hypnotherapy.

Where It All Began

What better subject to begin with than self belief, a topic I discuss with many of my clients on a weekly basis.

My self belief… It has ebbed and flowed through out my life. 

Am I smart enough to be successful in my career, am I brave enough to move to England away from Ireland where I grew  up, will I be good enough as a parent, the list continues.

Here I was in my mid 40’s, having left my career as an Area Manager many years before to be around more for my children, with no direction or plan towards what I wanted for ME.

Then a friend told me I should take a look at the course she’d done, how I’d love it, how she loved it and how it would be so aligned with me as a person and my current skill sets…Rather than the usual nodding but not following up, I took action…

AND the beginnings of Omara Hypnotherapy began.

I took that leap of faith, I decided I would not listen to the fears and doubts in my head, because they weren’t as clear as the excitement and focus I had for the possibilities for the future.

I’ve always had the support of my husband telling me I can do anything I put my mind to but I needed to believe that WITHIN MYSELF  first and foremost.

I now know the changes I need to put in place to practice self hypnosis on myself, I look forward to teaching you how to do the same.

My inbox is opened.