Technology - How has it Changed us?

The world around us is changing quicker than we ever could have imagined.Whilst there is no doubt that the growth of technology is a wonderful thing, I can’t  help asking how much it has affected our day to day living.

The Queen is having her Diamond Jubilee this year and the event will be watched by the world, but when she had her coronation in 1952 only a privileged few had TVs in their houses. People crowded round little black and white screens to watch the Queen take her place on the throne. That was only 60 years ago, which in the grand scheme of things isn't a long time.

A telephone was the thing in your house that you had to sit down to talk into because the chord would only stretch so far, forcing you to pay more attention to the conversation you were having.

For a lot of us we still remember the advent of the internet and we had previously felt privileged to use one of the few old BBC computers the school had. We also remember the mobile phone arriving with its cumbersome battery pack.

Nowadays the phones are so small that the manufacturers have had to introduce bigger versions for the elderly who may otherwise struggle with the little buttons and keys. Even our phones are in full HD colour and now of course we can send and receive emails on them and even surf the web. All of a sudden the office is no longer confined to work and we can work truly anywhere.

Amazing stuff, but...

Whilst the advancement in technology has had a wonderful effect on our life. We haven’t kept up with the pace of adapting our lives to it.

We no longer de-stress through conversation in the same way as before. We will send a quick text to someone rather than talking to them and some people are even suggesting that the younger generation are losing the ability to conduct smalltalk and communicate with people. We don’t feel the need to keep in touch through verbal conversation as much because we can follow so much on social networks, feeling like we have spoken to the person when we have merely kept tabs on them through a status update. We know what is going on in people’s lives, even if we haven’t taken the time to let them know that, other than a small “like” on their post or a quick comment.

We take the dog for a walk and whilst before this would have been precious time to unwind it is now a good opportunity to make that call or send that email.

We can be hundreds of miles away sitting on a deserted beach and our phone buzzes; all of a sudden we are back in the office and all the stress floods back.

We need to learn how to live in this world of technology. We need to discipline ourselves not to look at work emails when we get home. We have created an expectancy that we will reply to emails within half an hour, no matter what time of day it is. We are no longer working just at the office but everywhere else too.

You can manage your stress levels. Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can help you to challenge your beliefs and work in a calmer more productive way, allowing yourself to have that precious down time you need. Then you can recharge your batteries ready for the next working day.

Sometimes we can feel so lonely; even though we are the most connected society there has ever been we are also the most lonely generation. I am not for a second saying that technology shouldn’t continue to grow and get better, quite the opposite. Technology has allowed me to do my job well, being able to work from the different clinics I am in each day. But we need to learn how to work with technology, rather than becoming a slave to it.

© EKTherapies

Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding or Bruxism to give it its medical name, is a completely natural occurrence in the body. It happens when the bite is not right, if there is an imbalance - a missing tooth for example or when children’s teeth develop. It is something we do subconsciously and a lot of people will teeth-grind during their sleep. It is the body’s natural way of making your teeth fit your mouth.

So if it is natural, why is it such a problem? If you are teeth grinding because your bite is not right then working with the dentist you can correct this and the teeth grinding will stop. However, it is also increasingly common that teeth grinding is linked to stress/anxiety.

In most instances you don’t even realise you are doing it. You may wake up with a sore, aching jaw or even a headache. Anyone who has slept next to someone who grinds their teeth will know that the noise can be unbearable.

It is important to tell the dentist if you are teeth grinding so that they can monitor the wear and tare of your teeth and make sure you are not doing any lasting damage. You can get gum-shields from the dentist to help to keep your teeth apart but this doesn’t deal with the reason you are doing it.

Is it time to look at your stress levels? Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can help you to understand your stressors and learn a new way to manage your life so that the stress levels rarely bubble over. Stress is a part of life and we need both the ups and downs to learn and help us grow. However, we don't have to let it affect our health.

You don’t have to expect teeth grinding to be part of your life. To find out how you can take the steps today to helping your jaw stay relaxed and allowing the rest of your body time to destress, freeing time to enjoy the life that you have created, please contact Erika.

© EKTherapies

Blue Monday

Apparently today 16th January is Blue Monday. It is considered the most depressing day of the year.

How can one predict the most depressing day of the year? Who knows what is going to happen on this day and the next and the one after that?

Tomorrow will be here sooner than we think, and it can be a better day. We are too good at focusing on what is missing or wrong in our life, but we can change and look at what we do have. We can start to focus on the 70% (or more) that is right in our life rather than the small amount that needs improving.

It is good to have stuff to strive for; we need goals, dreams, targets and aspirations. But it is also important to stop and appreciate where we have got to and enjoy the life that we have created for ourselves.

The world continues turning and life goes on day by day.It is up to us to make our own lives as good as we can. You can learn to work with the positive and to see what we do have in life – a Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP session can help you to have this outlook.


Today can be whatever you want it to be. Yes it may be cold outside, the evenings may be dark, but we have passed the shortest day of the year. Summer is on the way. We can either get there with a smile on our faces or allow ourselves to be dragged down into a negative spiral.


Take control of how you feel today. You can learn a different way of dealing with stress and let go of the anxiety in your life. Today can be the best day of your year as it is the start of working with the power of your mind, focusing on the positive and realising that we choose where we put the energy. You can choose to put it towards positive thinking; you will be amazed at how you can change your perspective and realise that life is quite an amazing thing to be involved in.

Help you, Help Yourself

How can we start to take the steps to look after our body and mind?

Here are some simple changes that you can make that will have a huge impact on how you feel. Life is a wonderful roller-coaster and we need the ups and downs in order to feel pushed and strive for the next step. But sometimes it can all get on top of us. Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can help you to learn techniques to deal with stress and give you tools to cope with and enjoy life in the future.

Try out some of these today and start to take control of how you feel.

Talk about your feelings: talking isn’t a sign of weakness; it is part of looking after your mental health. So often, when we talk to friends or loved ones, we realise that we are not as alone as we felt. So many people are going through the same thing but are scared to talk about it too. By you opening up you suddenly realise that your world is full of people who care for you.

Eat healthy: it has been proven that there are links between what we eat and how we feel. Foods like caffeine and sugar can have an immediate effect on us, but food can also have a long-lasting effect on our mental health. It can affect the nutrition our mind is getting. Think of your body like a machine that needs looking after, what we put in needs to be able to nourish it.

Keep in touch: just as talking isn't a sign of weakens, keeping in touch with friends and family can make you feel included and cared for. Often people have different views from you and they can help you to look at things from a different perspective. With the world growing and technology progressing we are more connected then we have ever been yet we feel more lonely and isolated than ever. Pick up the phone and talk to people, you will be amazed how much better you feel.

Take a break: take regular breaks, as little as 5 minutes. Get up, change the scene (break the state), walk around, take three deep breaths. By the time you come back you will feel calmer; it is a chance for your mind to unwind.

Accept who you are: you are you and that is a wonderful thing. You are a unique person, even if you are one of a pair of identical twins, you are still you. Good at different things. Accept that, for example, maths may not be your strong point. But where you thrive others struggle and vice versa. Understand your strengths and build on them.

Keep active: exercise is so important for our body and mind. It helps to release chemicals in your mind that eat up the stress hormone and make you feel good. Exercise boosts self-esteem and can help you concentrate, sleep well and look and feel better, helping you have a clear outlook on life. Exercise doesn’t have to be a session in the gym, it can be built into your day, like walking up the escalator or getting off the bus one stop earlier and walking briskly to and from work.

Listen to music: if you are feeling low put an upbeat song on and if possible sing along. Allow the rhythm of the music to flow through you. By the end of the song I am sure you will feel better than when it began. You are breaking the state and changing the rhythm within your body.

Sometimes in life we need a little extra help to let go of stresses and situations that we can’t seem to get past. Ask yourself, how much time do I spend de-stressing in the day? Life is good at putting the stress in, now it is time to learn how to take it out again. To see how Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can help you do this, please contact Erika.

© EKTherapies

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2012, it is going to be a year full of excitement and opportunities. 2012 is the year the London is hosting the Olympics; it is a fresh start and can be filled with whatever you choose to fill it with.

This is the time of year when New Year’s resolutions are made. A lot of people will kick the smoking habit in January. This can be easier to do then you think. Quitting smoking should not be difficult or unpleasant; there is no need for nicotine patches or gum, all you need is your commitment to become smoke free and a one-off Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP session.

While nicotine is a difficult substance to go without when giving up smoking, the nicotine from your last cigarette will be out of your system within 48 hours. It is that straight forward - a tricky few days and then a lifetime of freedom. So why hasn't it been that easy when you’ve tried to quit before? Simple - you dealt with the nicotine addiction but didn't deal with the psychological addiction of smoking. In fact, you probably put cigarettes up on some kind of pedestal. Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP are ideal for this, the fantastic combination of these therapies deal with the emotional and psychological aspects of giving up smoking, giving you all tools you will need to become a non-smoker.

You are 10 times more likely to remain a non-smoker if you give up using Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP; this is because during the session we will look at all your smoking triggers and make sure you have the coping mechanisms, motivation and determination to become a non-smoker. You can stop smoking in an easy and positive way.

Whilst by the end of the month a lot of New Year’s resolutions have slipped away, this year that doesn’t have to be the case. With a Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP session you can learn to start working with the power of your mind and help yourself to achieve your goals. You can learn how to manage your stress levels and start to turn around the negative self-talk and realise that you can achieve anything you put your mind to, whilst enjoying the life you have created.

Focus on the positive - 2012 can be your year.

© EKTherapies