Stop "What If" Anxiety Thoughts With Self Hypnosis
Are you one of those people who is always thinking of the worst-case scenario? Do you hear yourself saying things like “OMG, what if it doesn’t work out well?”. Negative thoughts like these can easily lead to chronic worrying which is where you’ve developed it into a habit and now you do it all the time. If you have a problem with “What If” anxiety, read all the way to the end of this article where I will give you some practical tips that will help you to finally stop those anxious thoughts in their tracks!
As a clinical hypnotherapist, CBT practitioner, and life coach, I have seen many people over the years who suffer from exactly this problem. This article is based on over 15 years of clinical experience.
What Is Chronic Worrying?
It is totally normal to have an occasional brief worry. Most of us do that. I would be described by most of my friends as one of the most chilled-out people they have ever met and yet, I do have the odd worry here and there. It is natural for human beings to worry a little bit, especially if there are major life challenges ahead. Chronic worrying, on the other hand, is where you have developed a habit of always thinking about the bad things that could happen.
Many chronic worriers experience the physical symptoms of anxiety every time they have a “what if” worry. One of the common traits of worriers is that they are not living in the present moment. As one client of mine said when I asked her what she worries about, her answer was “I could literally worry about two flies walking up a wall”. Typically I’ll find that somewhere hidden in the person’s past is some experience where they were taught that worrying was a normal part of life.
Typically, that early training tends to come from other worriers, perhaps a parent or a close family member. It’s quite common that earlier in their lives, chronic worriers will have seen someone else worrying about something for which there was no rational basis. Traumatic events can also trigger this behavior. By constant repetition, it’s almost as if you become addicted to constantly thinking about a negative outcome. After a while, you’ll hear people say “I just can’t seem to stop worrying!”.
Self-Hypnosis Audio For Reducing Anxiety Symptoms
Self-hypnosis can be a great tool to reduce anxiety and feel calmer every day for the rest of your life.
What If Thoughts Examples
When you hear them said out loud, most “what if” thoughts sound ludicrous. Here are some examples:
- “What if my headache is actually a brain tumor?”
- “What if I go to that party and someone I don’t like is there?”
- “What if my boyfriend being a bit distant means he secretly wants to dump me?”
- “What if the boss doesn’t like me?”
- “What if I make a mistake?”
I’m sure you have your own examples of negative “what ifs” that you do. Doing these negative “what ifs” regularly is a type of anxiety disorder, or as I describe it to my clients – its a bad habit of thinking that you’ve gotten into.
What Are The Signs Of Having Anxiety Thoughts?
Anxiety thoughts create physical symptoms in your body and also emotional symptoms in your mind. Here are some of them:
- Do you feel restless a lot of the time?
- Are you edgy regularly?
- Do you get tired really quickly?
- When you need to focus, is that difficult for you?
- Do you feel like your muscles are tight or knotted?
- Do you have problems getting to sleep or staying asleep?
- Are you worried about how often you worry?
- Have other people told you that you are a “worry guts”?
- Have you tried to stop worrying but failed?
Remember, “what if” anxiety is a habit. You got there by practicing it regularly. This means you thought the negative “what if ” thought and then you reinforced it by feeling a negative feeling. The truth is that for most people, there is nothing dangerous or life threatening happening in their daily life. Yet they have feelings of anxiety that would only be appropriate if something dangerous or life-threatening was actually happening.
Self-Hypnosis Audio For Reducing Anxiety Symptoms
Self-hypnosis can be a great tool to reduce anxiety and feel calmer every day for the rest of your life.
How Do You Stop Worrying And Anxiety?
There it is! The billion-dollar question! If a pharmaceutical company could actually cure worrying or anxiety, they could print money. In truth, pills can only mask the problem. They might provide short-term respite from the problem but they do not cure anxiety. Here are some helpful suggestions that may help you to finally stop worrying and anxiety in its tracks:
- Identify What Triggers You: Everyone has their own subtle triggers and everyone’s triggers are slightly different than the next person. Don’t look up common triggers – instead just become very self-aware and notice what your specific triggers are. Buy a journal and write down every time you have anxiety or worry thoughts and also write down what it was that triggered it this time. Pretty soon you’ll see a pattern emerging. Once you are aware of them, now you can begin to change them.
- Get Regular Exercise: Going for a walk or a run, going to the gym, or involvement in group sporting activities can help you feel better. The reason is that when you are pushing your body, you begin to release endorphins. These are our “feel-good” brain chemicals. This is one of the much healthier ways to release anxiety or worry.
- Cold Plunges: This may sound a bit extreme, but there is a lot of clinical research that suggests this really works. Essentially, the extreme sensory experience of cold water immersion resets your nervous system and has a long term benefit (with regular practice) of reducing your overall stress levels. If you’d like to read more about this, have a look at my blog article entitled “Can Water Plunges Really Reduce Anxiety For You?“
- Caffeine Is Out!: If you have a couple of cups of coffee a day, either cut it out completely or choose decaf. Caffeine increases anxiety so if you are serious about overcoming anxiety and worrying cut out the caffeine.
- Specific Worry Times: This might sound counter-intuitive. I can hear some of you saying “Paul, I thought you were going to help me stop worrying. This sounds like you’re encouraging me to worry!” I want you to set aside a particular five minutes every day to cram all of your worries into. Tell yourself that during these five minutes, you are allowed to worry to your heart’s content but the moment the five minutes is up, worrying is not allowed. If you are tempted to worry during the day, just tell yourself that it’s ok, you don’t have to do it right now and instead you can do it at that time you have specifically set aside. It’s better to pick the same time every day.
- Self-Hypnosis For Anxiety: Download and listen to a self-hypnosis recording such as “Overcoming Anxiety“. Obviously, first of all, you need to make sure that it is suitable for you to listen to self-hypnosis recordings. For a small number of people, it is not advised. If you’d like to know more about that, check out my article “Is Self Hypnosis Suitable For Everyone?“
- Challenge Your Thoughts: Stopping for a moment when you hear yourself thinking a negative thought and asking yourself “Hang on – is that really true?” can be very helpful. This is a technique that comes from cognitive behavioral therapy and can help excessive worriers to keep their thoughts somewhat under control. In this way, you limit a persistent worry in the amount of time you give it.
- Get Good Sleep: If you are not getting good sleep right now, have a look at my article entitled “Self Hypnosis For Sleep | How To Enjoy Good Sleep“
- Breathing Exercises: The one I tell my clients is what I call “Waltzing”. Count to three as if you were dancing a waltz. That’s your in breath. Now do the same for your out breath. This will help slow your breathing and reduce anxiety.
Main Treatments For "What If" Anxiety
Here are some of the most effective ways to tackle “what if” anxiety:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: If your problem is causing you big problems, it may be a good idea to make an appointment with a cognitive behavioral therapist. Mental health issues like this, if they are serious or life-limiting in some way, are best resolved by talk therapy. For instance, if part of this problem is that you suffer from frequent panic attacks or have a panic disorder or social anxiety disorder, a trip to a therapist is a must.
- Hypnotherapy: The word “hypnosis” comes from the Greek word “hypnos” which means sleep. This conjures up images of relaxation which is exactly what an anxious person needs to learn. Many hypnotherapists in private practice have extensive experience of providing good mental health care and can be an excellent choice to learn the correct coping skill from so that you reduce and hopefully completely eliminate your worrying problem.
- Doing It Yourself: If your problem is not too serious and only causes you occasional anxiety, you could go the DIY route. One of the best choices is to listen to a self hypnosis recording such as “Overcome Anxiety”. By listening every day for thirty days, you’ll notice powerful, positive changes happening. If you’re not sure how to listen to a self hypnosis recording, have a look at my article entitled “How Do I Listen To A Self Hypnosis Audio?“.
Self-Hypnosis Audio For Reducing Anxiety Symptoms
Self-hypnosis can be a great tool to reduce anxiety and feel calmer every day for the rest of your life.
How Can Self Hypnosis For Anxiety Help?
Self-hypnosis for anxiety is a combination of relaxation techniques, training in how to let go of intrusive thoughts using exposure therapy, and positive visualizations about a calm, worry-free future. If you know absolutely nothing about hypnosis, check out my article entitled “What Is Hypnosis And How Does It Work?“
You can purchase the recording “Overcome Anxiety” by clicking on the link. You’ll receive an email thanking you for your purchase in which you’ll find a download link. Click on this link to download your track to your phone, tablet or laptop. Then find yourself a safe place to listen. The tracks lasts approximately 25 minutes. Close your eyes. Obviously, make sure you are in a safe place where it’s safe to close your eyes for the next 25 minutes. Then let your thoughts wander. Each time you listen, your mind is being programmed with positive instructions for greater calm.
Author: Paul Hunter
Although thousands of people read his blog every month, Paul's path to success was not an easy one. Click here to read his amazing story "From Unwanted Baby And Adopted To A Respected Self Help Blogger". If you want to send Paul a quick message, then visit his contact page here
Stop Worrying Infographic
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