Good Resolutions

It’s that time of year when you start to think about what you want to change in the New Year.  It’s great to have a goal for positive change and remember, if the road to hell is paved with good intentions, the road to heaven is paved with commitment and good planning.

So, whether you’re thinking about giving up smoking, losing weight, spending more time relaxing or something else, here are some tips for making it happen.

Step 1 Know what you want to have happen

·         Close your eyes and visualise what you want.  State it in the positive eg “I want to be a size 12”, “I want to breathe easily when I walk”, “I want to spend two hours a week exercising”.

·         What will you see, hear and feel when you achieve your goal?

·         When do you want to achieve it by? eg a specific date or special occasion.

Step 2 Plan how you are going to get there

·         What resources do you already have?  What resources do you need?

·         What options do you have to help you achieve your goal?

·         Do you need any advice or support?

·         What actions are you going to take?

·         What obstacles might you experience?  How might you overcome them?

Step 3 Work the plan

·         If you move off of the plan one day, forgive yourself and start again

Step 4 Enjoy your achievements!

Good Luck and Happy New Year

Pat

http://www.roystonhypnotherapy.co.uk/

Festive Recipe

Last week, along with the Christmas cards and catalogues, I received a flyer from a local firm of solicitors with a special offer.  It was for free initial advice on divorce and family law.  The offer ends on 31 January.  This is not a piece of random marketing because family law solicitors are particularly busy at this time of year.

Relationships can come under pressure for a variety of reasons; seasonal depression, financial pressure, anticipating spending time with relatives, an excess of alcohol at parties etc.  Some people see Christmas or the New Year as an arbitary deadline for getting their lives sorted out.

If you are in an abusive relationship then you need to take action.  But if your relationship is just at a low ebb, stop, think again and consider taking some relationship advice or therapy.

There are lots of new and traditional recipes around at this time of year so how about a recipe for  happier Christmas relationships?

Ingredients:

1 good helping of patience

1 pinch of time spent alone with your partner

An extra helping of laughter and fun

1 cup of tea (served hot to partner in bed)

A handful of hugs to increase happiness hormones

A helping of shared exercise for health and well-being

A generous helping of happy memories that you’ve shared

Method:

Combine all of the ingredients. Look back over the happy memories and make them as vivid as possible so that you can really enjoy reliving them.  Review the highlights with your partner every evening to ensure that everything is cooking well.  At the end of three days, review all of the new happy memories and store them away for easy retrieval during the year.

Best wishes for an excellent 2011.

Pat

http://www.roystonhypnotherapy.co.uk/

Time for a Positive Change?

Woman’s Hour on Monday 13 December devoted a whole programme to the subject of the menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy.  This followed the enormous listener response the programme received to an item on the subject last week.

The presenter, Jane Garvey, was joined by guests Professor Mary Ann Lumsden from the British Menopause Society, Dr Wendy Denning and Dr Marilyn Glenville – a nutritionist with a special interest in natural solutions to menopause symptoms.  During the programme they discussed listeners’ experiences and questions and considered the benefits and risks of HRT.  It included advice on lifestyle, nutrition and food supplements.

This was a very informative programme for women who are experiencing symptoms and are weighing up the options for treatment.  You can listen to the programme at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wlbsv and the site also includes links to other useful information.

If you are considering a natural approach to menopause you may also be interested in recent research results on the effectiveness of hypnotherapy for lessening the effect of hot flashes.  Published by Science Daily back in July the research reported how “cool” imagery lowers hot flashes.  You can view this research at www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100713215202.htm

Every woman’s experience of this phase of life is different so we all need to consider all of the options to find our own best way of dealing with it.

Pat

www.roystonhypnotherapy.co.uk

Three Gifts

One of the exercises that I ask clients to do when they are experiencing low mood or stress is called "Three Gifts".  It involves thinking of gifts that you have received during the day and selecting your top three.  These are not the big gifts that we wrap up for Christmas and birthdays.  These are the small things from people and nature like a hug or a kiss, or rays of sun shining through clouds or the colour of autumn leaves.

When you start off doing this it can be a bit tough but once you get into the swing of it, it’s a lovely way to end the day.  If you can involve a partner or friend and discuss them together it’s even better.

What brought this to mind was getting up this morning and looking out of the window at a scene covered in a deep, white frost.  I was overwhelmed by all the amazing sights; white trees silhouetted against a pale blue sky, icy cob webs, creamy coloured sheep grazing ridged white fields, red berries shining out of frozen hedges and hot steaming tea when I got home.  And then the sun came out and by early afternoon it was all transformed.

So what will your three gifts be today?  Enjoy them and look forward to tomorrow’s choices.

Pat