Reducing work stress: How hypnosis helps

Busy, busy, busy. At work you feel like you can't get your to-do list done, and at home you feel like work stress prevents you from being with your loved ones with your attention. That just doesn't feel nice at all.

Reduce your work stress with the tips and insights from this blog article.

Difference workload and work stress

Initially, it is good to realize that there is a difference between work pressure and work stress. There are people who go very well on work pressure, but work stress is not good for anyone.

Work-related stress can involve having to complete many tasks within a certain amount of time or having to achieve a specific goal. This can be seen as a fun challenge to successfully complete.

If you have sufficient resources, skills and time, workload can even be motivating.

However, do you have assignments to complete in too little time, without the right tools or without having the right knowledge? Then work pressure can turn into work stress.

Because the limit from when a person experiences stress from pressure is different for everyone, what is fun challenging workload for one person can create work stress for another.

Work stress causes

There can be a variety of causes of work stress, such as:

1. Unclear tasks.
2. Unrealistic expectations.
3. No control over the tasks to be performed.
4. Uncertainty about responsibilities and roles within a team
5. Lack of support.
6. Uncertainty about keeping your job.

Surely these are quite a few factors where you can consider what is causing work stress for you (or for your client if you are a hypnotherapist).

Stress due to work

When you’re experiencing work-related stress, you don’t just feel it while you’re working—you also feel it when you’re supposed to be relaxing. For example, outside of work hours, you might worry about whether everything is going well at work and what your coworkers think of you.

Stress at work

If you experience work-related stress only at work, it's actually better than work-related stress. In fact, stress at work can be left behind at work and you will feel good at home.

Then at least you have work/life balance.

Effects of work stress

Doing nothing about work stress for a long time can have far-reaching consequences and on a variety of levels.

This can lead to physical health issues such as cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and an increased risk of stroke. That risk can be 10 to even 40% higher in people who experience work-related stress than in those who do not[1].

In addition, you may be at a higher risk of migraines, depressive symptoms, and workplace accidents (resulting in injury)[2].

People with more work stress are also more likely to suffer from:

1. Lower Back Pain
2. Fatigue
3. Bullying at work
4. More smoking
5. Beverage Abuse
6. Muscle pain
7. Insomnia
8. Not being able to "turn off" work when you're at home
9. Depression
10. Anxiety
11. Burnout
12. Eczema
13. Gastrointestinal problems

Work stress is not good for employers either, as it reduces the quality of work being delivered, decreases productivity, and causes more absenteeism[3].

Preventing work stress with self-hypnosis

Preventing work stress is ultimately more convenient than curing it, so let's address that first.

For example, relaxation is an important "medicine" to prevent stress, and let the hypnotic state be one of the most relaxing states to be in.

Practicing self-hypnosis daily or regularly can therefore go a long way toward helping you relax once you’re back home after a day at work.

Research even shows that hypnotic relaxation can be protective against the damage stress can do to your veins[4]. So go ahead and download such a relaxing MP3 and listen. Your blood vessels will thank you.

More peace, light and love MP3

The interesting thing is that everyone enters a state of hypnosis from time to time—this is also known as self-hypnosis—but by using clever suggestions while in that state, you can do a lot to promote relaxation[5].

Reduce work stress

Reducing work stress can be done in many ways, including:

1. Setting boundaries in time
2. Improve sense of control
3. Changing beliefs that cause stress

All of these factors can be influenced with hypnosis. Research also shows that people who receive hypnotherapy to reduce stress experience less stress after therapy[6].

Hypnotherapy can also be incredibly important for people who are already suffering from burnout due to work stress. In a study that examined cognitive hypnotherapy to see if it could help encourage personal traits and lifestyle changes, it emerged that it can certainly help reduce work stress and burnout symptoms.

In the study, the characteristics of:

1. Degree of Extraversion
2. Degree of compliance
3. Emotional Stability
4. Impatience
5. Anger
6. Engagement at work
7. Feelings of time pressure
8. Job dissatisfaction
9. Competition

How does hypnotherapy work for work stress?

In theory, this sounds great, but how does it actually work in practice? First of all, it’s good to know that a hypnotherapist helps you relax. Especially if you’re dealing with a lot of stress, that can be a challenge.

In addition, you will explore beliefs that cause you to have difficulty setting boundaries, for example, feelings of loss of control, and look at other influences that cause you to experience work stress.

This is often done first with a preliminary consultation. In it, the hypnotherapist is given some tools that can be used for good suggestions during therapy.

Identifying and changing causes

Perhaps you have certain fears—such as a fear of rejection, a fear of poverty, or simply a fear of being fired—that make it difficult for you to set boundaries.

Through regression, a therapist can then help you determine where that fear originally came from. There are then various techniques a hypnotherapist can use to change your interpretation of that moment, thereby altering the belief that is preventing you from reducing stress[7].

Then suddenly you can set your boundaries without a care in the world.

Shifting Focus

Another thing a hypnotherapist can do is help you shift your focus . Perhaps right now you’re focusing mainly on aspects of your work that you can’t influence, and you’re not appreciating enough the things you can influence.

A hypnotherapist can then help you determine what your circle of influence is, so you can see all the things you can do on your own. In addition, you’ll receive help to worry less about things you simply have no control over.

That already saves a lot of stress about things you just can't do anything about.

Visualizations

Visualizations also help you mentally practice the behaviors you'd like to see, like really quitting work at 5 and going home. Or like taking a walk during your break so you can really unwind.

A hypnotherapist can combine this with a post-hypnotic suggestion. A suggestion that helps you to actually make unconscious behavioral changes.

In addition, these suggestions can also help you practice mindfulness during moments when you do experience stress, so you can then apply the lessons from the therapy—such as focusing on what you can control and setting your boundaries.

Even stating boundaries can be visualized, so you don't go to your manager as a frightened lamb to state your boundary, but as a powerful person who knows his/her worth and that it is important for long-term employability to state boundaries.

Learn Hypnosis

Do you want to learn hypnosis (or self-hypnosis) to improve yourself and help other people? For example, are you a coach for people dealing with stress and/or burnout due to work?

Then knowledge of hypnosis is indispensable to help your clients progress quickly and well.

Come to a free introduction at the free master class on hypnosis.

Or register directly for one of our trainings and events.

Trainings can be taken in class or live online. Online, you then still join the class! This is ideal if you are not in the Netherlands or want to take the training from the other side of the world.

Click here for our calendar.

Click here for more information about their training programs.

Do you have a question about the training program? Book a free consultation.

PS: October 31 begins our Halloween Break Free Challenge, ideal for overcoming fears that cause work stress. Click here and sign up.

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