How are You Motivated?

We are all motivated by different things. To some people money is the motivator, to others family, friends, food, laughter, environment etc.

Even the most motivated of people will have periods of feeling unmotivated. It can feel like even thinking about doing something to change our outlook seems too difficult. Sometimes life can feel like an uphill struggle, but you can find your motivation again and get started down a more positive road to change; you will be amazed at how quickly you can find that motivation once you start down that road.

So how do you find what motivates you? Spend some time with yourself and ask yourself some questions. What drives you? Is it money, career, family, holidays, time off? Are you motivated by towards motivation or away from motivation (  think carrot or stick ). Once you have the answers to this then look at your life. Are you pushing yourself where you need to, or is all your energy being used on a goal that you actually don’t really mind it you reach or not?

Money of course is motivator for us all, we need money to live, but how much do you need? Is it all about earning as much as possible or is it just earning enough to enjoy life? We are brought up with aspirations to climb the career ladder and whilst for many of us getting to the top of our career is important, for a lot of others work isn’t our driver. It can be that, recognising this, you realise that you are happy doing what you are doing, you don’t feel the need to push yourself to the top of the ladder. You are happy to earn a bit less but have less stress and be able to focus more on your life out of work.

Try it now:

Sit back and look at your life, are you putting energy into things that aren’t important to you? Can you change these things or are they things you have to do in order to head towards your goals?

Are you doing too much? How much down-time do you have? Do you give yourself time in the day to relax and enjoy the world that you have created?

Are you really excited by what you are trying to achieve? If not, why not? Can you change what you are heading towards so you are excited?

Are you a carrot or a stick person. Do you work well with towards motivation or away from motivation? Do you work well with deadlines and the pressure that brings or do you work better working toward rewards and goals.

Remember all motivation ebbs and flows, are you being realistic in how motivated you are expecting yourself to feel? If you are, then expect it and try to find a way to build on that motivation.

Set yourself mini goals to reach the big goal, that way you can see the progress you are making and you are more likely to keep on going.

Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can help you to understand your motivators and start to work with them. You will be amazed at how just understanding your motivators can help you so much.

© EKTherapies

Hypnosis can help you get pregnant

I came across this article by Sophie Goodchild from The Independent and thought it was worth sharing with you.

Karen McAuley spent years trying for a second child, although there was no medical reason to stop her conceiving. Then her doctor recommended an unusual remedy - hypnosis - and she became pregnant within months.

Hypnotherapy would once have been put in the same class as black magic as an infertility cure, but the number of women using it to help them conceive has trebled in the past few years, says the British Society of Hypnotherapists.

It is particularly popular with stressed-out career women who leave motherhood until their 30s and then find they cannot conceive. It is also being used by doctors to help women overcome the trauma of in vitro fertilisation treatment.

In some cases, practitioners are treating up to 10 patients a year, compared with only a couple three years ago. They are also reporting up to a 30 per cent success rate, compared with 1 per cent for women suffering from unexplained infertility who eventually conceive without any treatment.

There is no medical proof that hypnotherapy can cure infertility, which now affects one couple in six. However, it does lower stress and anxiety, which can affect hormone levels and create a mental block to conception. Tests have shown that hypnotherapy can lower a woman's levels of a hormone called prolactin which suppress-es ovulation.

In Karen McAuley's case, she is convinced that hypnotherapy increased her chances of conceiving. She was introduced to it by Dr Leslie Brann, her GP and a trained hypnotherapist. He was conducting trials on women who had tried unsuccessfully for a baby. Three months after the second session, she became pregnant with Rebecca, now 22 months old.

"No one can appreciate how it feels," said Mrs McAuley, who is 36. "I felt so depressed, especially as there was no medical reason, and I felt as though I'd been trying my whole life.

"IVF was too expensive and I knew by the time I got to the top of the list, I would probably be too old to have the treatment. I was over the moon when I found out I was pregnant and would definitely recommend it to other women."

Dr Brann believes his treatment, which he claims has a success rate double that of IVF, can work in three ways: by decreasing prolactin levels, stopping tubal spasms, and correcting hormone fluctuation, all of which can be due to stress.

Under hypnosis, he encourages women to go on a "guided tour" of their reproductive system, to check if there are any problems. He said: "Women are putting their careers first and delaying pregnancy, and fertility does decline as you get older. I get a lot of women who have mental blocks to getting pregnant or who have convinced themselves they cannot conceive. They often tell me under hypnosis that they don't see any eggs in their ovaries or that their tubes are too small for the egg to go through. I then try to get them to overcome this 'block'."

Mary Coates, a hypnotherapist who treats both women undergoing IVF and childless women who have no medical reason not to conceive, believes women in their thirties are particularly prone to "mental blocks" towards pregnancy.

"They feel the clock is against them, so panic sets in, which affects their fertility. It's a vicious circle. Almost every woman who comes to me is in that bracket. If you think that stress can stop your periods, just think what else it can do. "If there is a physical reason, then obviously you can't do anything about that, but some women convince themselves that they cannot conceive. This can go on for years. All I do is remove that mental block." The technique is becoming so popular that it has even been adopted by some fertility clinics, including Midland Fertility Services, in Walsall. It is the first clinic in Britain where all the nurses are to receive hypnotherapy training. This is to cope with the huge demand from women undergoing IVF at the clinic, for hypnosis to relax them. So far, three out of 12 patients using hypnosis have become pregnant.

Dr Peter Bromwich, who runs the clinic, agrees that stress can prevent women conceiving. "Studies have shown that women awaiting execution become infertile and women who are stressed are less fertile.

"Even though people associate hypnotherapy with the stage, it is safe and it is not addictive.

"Many women find the strain of fertility treatment is quite horrendous and feel they are losing control. If we can give them back some of that control, we can make treatment better."

When you are trying to conceive it can feel as if nothing in else in the world matters. Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can help you to let go of the pressure and help to remove mental blockages whilst refocusing your mind.

Gut Instinct/Intuition and Your Comfort Zone

What is intuition? It is "knowing" something without being able to explain how you came to that conclusion rationally. It's that mysterious "gut feeling" or "instinct" that often turns out to be right, in retrospect. It is that feeling you get like an inner guide telling you which is the right decision for you. You can ignore your inner intuition, your gut feeling, only to later say "I knew I should have done that."

Your subconscious mind “archives” lots of different information that you might not remember on a conscious level. Often you pick up on things subconsciously without even realising, such as someone’s body language or an advert you walk by. Your subconscious registers it as a certain“feeling” that you can’t articulate at that moment but could very well be valid.

Without this intuition, we are no different to a computer. We would only make decisions based on facts, but we don’t always have all the facts. Even some of the world’s great scientists, the most logical thinkers of all time, have made their greatest discoveries based on a flashes of intuition.

Our inner intuition is an extremely powerful tool for us to listen to, but how do you know if your feeling is your inner intuition or nerves as you push yourself out of your comfort zone?

Stepping out of your comfort zone can often feel the same as your gut saying no. Even though it is the right step to take it can feel like your gut is saying no. This is where we need to work with our logical mind and understand if it is our gut speaking or just nervousness as we push the boundaries of our comfort zone.

You can learn to work with your intuition. Here are a few simple ways that you can start to grow your natural ability to judge how you are feeling.

Ask yourself a question and listen to the first answer that pops into your mind. This can be easier said than done as we tend to have several thoughts flooding into our mind at once. There are often lots of different things trying to get your attention. So ask the question and see what is the first thing that comes back - focus on that.

Listen to your gut. There's a reason it's called a "gut feeling": Many times, a decision that you "know" is wrong makes you feel discomfort in your stomach area.

Meditation– Mindfulness. Clearing your mind of thoughts and worries will make it easier for you to listen to your intuition and to think clearly.

Keep an intuition journal. Every day, use your intuition to make a guess about someone or something. Don't act on it, though. Just write it down. Focus on statements like "I have a feeling that..." or "My intuition tells me that..." If there are any sensations associated with your intuition, such as a vision, or physical discomfort, be sure to record it. Looking back in your journal, see how often you are right. As you learn more about how to recognise your intuition, and you see it leading you in the right direction, your confidence will grow and so will your intuitive power.

Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can help you to understand your intuition, it can help you to start to work with your gut and to understand when you need to push yourself as your comfort zone grows, and the times when you need to listen to what your gut is telling you.

Try it today and start to realise that more often than not the answer to what you need is within yourself.

© EKTherapies

Stop and Say Thank You!

Happy May Bank Holiday. We are already in the 5th month of 2012; as with every year 2012 is flying by at a healthy pace. This year has had so much focus on it with the Olympics, which is now fast approaching.

It can feel like we are on a constant treadmill - the days, weeks and months pass us by.

Whatever you are doing today take a moment to stop and say thank you. Look at the world around you. You could take a moment to sit on a park bench and breathe in the spring smells in the air. Take a few moments to stop and look at the life that you have created for yourself. Even if you are in the middle of creating a new path for yourself and you feel that it is all an uphill struggle, look at how far you have come. Even if you have only just started your journey realise what an achievement it is to have started it at all. Be grateful for what you have achieved, take it all in, the good bits and the harder bits.

If you really feel that you have nothing to say thank you for, then see if maybe you need to change the life you lead. Find your drive.

Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can help you to focus on the positive and enjoy this life for all its wonderful twist and turns. It is so easy to be focused on the negative - to focus on what we don’t have, what we are still striving for - and whilst it is brilliant to have goals and improve ourselves, it is also as important to stop and appreciate the journey along the way. See how far you have come and say thank you for the world that you are in now.

It is so easy to take for granted what we have now, sometimes only if the carpet is whipped form underneath us do we realise just what we had.

So take a moment today to stop and say thank you. I am sure you will be amazed at what you see.

© EKTherapies 

Mary Portas – Bottom Line

Some of you may have watched Mary Portas’ TV show on Channel 4, “Bottom Line”. If you did you will know what I am talking about, but for those who didn’t here is a quick explanation about the program from http://www.maryportas.com/bottomline/.

“Britain was once a manufacturing colossus, renowned for its world-class clothing industry. But today, most fashion is manufactured cheaply abroad and, across the UK, vast, bustling factories and skilled manufacturers have simply ceased operation. So when and why did we stop buying British? In Mary’s Bottom Line, Mary Portas wants to boost the UK clothing industry by starting her own production line to manufacture a key staple in any woman’s wardrobe – knickers.

So for this three-part Channel 4 series, Mary heads to Middleton near Manchester, where past generations used to thrive on a booming manufacturing industry, but these days many factories are closed and unemployment is rife. Mary will recruit eight apprentices, get them trained up, and start a knickers production line.

Mary is re-opening the sewing room floor at a factory owned by British nightwear manufacturers Headen and Quarmby. It was one of 11 thriving textile factories in Middleton, now it is the only one that remains. Established in 1935, the factory used to employ 60 machinists and produced thousands of items a week before competition from cheap imports forced the Company to send production abroad.

But can she really make pants cost-effectively? Can she find a retailer prepared to stock her knickers and, crucially, can she convince shoppers to pay a bit more for a British made product? Or is it really the end of the line for the UK’s textiles heritage?”

We have always been told that one person can change the world and this program showed me that it’s true. Although Mary Portas may be well connected and has many years in the fashion industry behind her, she is still just one person with an idea. Mary puts her heart and soul into trying to rebuild this industry and helping the local people come back to work. I was surprised how touched I was as I watched the program. We are rightfully becoming more and more aware of where our food is produced. So many of us make a conscious effort t to support British farmers who treat animals with respect, but we don’t always seem to give ourselves the same respect. It has become accepted, almost a joke, that all our clothes labels state “made in China”. We have forgotten about the industries that Britain used to thrive on.

You can watch the series now at http://www.channel4.com/programmes/marys-bottom-line/4od

I am proud to be British, and try to make a conscious effort to support us Brits. I know times are hard at the moment as threats of another recession loom and every penny counts, but becoming aware of how we, little us, can affect so much is a wonderful thing to realise; we really do have the power to change things. Maybe we are not able to set up something on the same scale as Mary but we can choose where we spend our money and what we talk about. Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can help you to have the confidence in your convictions.

© EKTherapies 

Can we Change our Perspective?

Can we change the way we look at things? Does it really make that big a difference? How come you can feel really low and then a good song comes on the radio and by the end of it you feel all uplifted with a spring in your step? Does what we say to ourselves really affect us that much?

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t you’re right.” Henry Ford

It can be hard to keep a sense of perspective in our lives. We are constantly bombarded with seemingly urgent things, like phone calls, texts, instant messages, emails, tweets etc. It can feel that we live each day in a constant rush against time with an endless list of things to do. We tend to focus on the negative, what we have to do, what we haven’t achieved, rather than focusing on the good in our life. Changing your perspective can be incredibly refreshing, it can help you see the good in life and calmly tackle any challenges that come your way.

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Albert Einstein

It sounds almost too easy to be true but if we work with The power of The mind we really can change how we think and consequently how we feel. Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can help you to learn the tools to let go of the past or those niggling thoughts and enjoy life. Here are a few simple ways to change your perspective; give one a try today and see how you can feel calmer and more positive.

• Open your eyes and see the world around you. It can be all too easy to focus inwards, and whilst it is good to look at yourself it is also important to notice the world around you.
• Ask “Will it matter in five years?” Almost always the answer is that it won’t matter in a week let alone five years. Some moments are life changing but most of what we worry about, with hindsight or clear thinking, is really not worth any stress.
• Write down how you are feeling. By putting pen to paper you help to clear your mind of all your thoughts and you can start seeing the situation more clearly, understanding where you need to focus your energy in order to change it.
• Stop and take stock. It is good to strive for goals but it is also just as important to stop and breathe, to enjoy what you have created. When you go home tonight, look around you and smile, say thank you for what you do have in your life.
• Go for a walk / break state. When you are feeling like everything is getting on top of you or your mind is wearing away, try going for a walk, break the state, change what you are doing. Walking helps you to de-stress and gives you a chance to clear your head and gain a clearer perspective.
• Be in the moment. Whatever it is you are doing, whether it is housework or sending an email or even walking in the park, be in the moment. Enjoy that moment for what it is. Absorb the world you are in, look around and take it all in for this moment.
• Ask “why” and keep asking. Next time you are struggling to get a perspective on something ask why you are doing it. Challenge your inner self for the answer. It may be that you are pushing for something that you don’t really want.
• Have “downtime”. Think about how much time you really give yourself in a day to de-stress. Even if you find just ten minutes in the day give these to yourself to sit and breathe, maybe go for a walk whilst being in the moment, or read a book. Allow yourself this down time.

These are just a few simple suggestions, there are so many more ways that you can change your perspective and how you feel about the life you are living. Even though nothing has changed in your life, if you change your perspective then it can feel like you are living a new happy life.

© EKTherapies

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a hot topic at the moment. Although Mindfulness seems to be a new thing in the Western world it is an ancient practice found in a wide range of Eastern philosophies, including Buddhism, Taoism and Yoga. So what is it?

Mindfulness is a type of meditation that helps us to live in the moment, wake up, connect with ourselves. To be mindful is to be aware of your thoughts and actions in the present, without judging yourself. It is the art of conscious living.

"Paying attention in a particular way:on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally." Jon Kabat-Zinn

“Bringing one’s complete attention to the present experience on a moment-to-moment basis.” Marlatt &Kristeller

“Consciously bringing awareness to your here-and-now experience, with openness, interest and receptiveness.” The Happiness Trap

How to Try Mindfulness Meditation

1. Find a quiet and comfortable place. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your head, neck and back straight but not stiff.

2. Try to put aside all thoughts of the past and the future and stay in the present

3. Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall, the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Pay attention to the way each breath changes and is different

4. Watch every thought come and go, whether it be a worry, fear, anxiety or hope. When thoughts come up in your mind, don't ignore or suppress them but simply note them, remain calm and use your breathing as an anchor

5. If you find yourself getting carried away in your thoughts, observe where your mind went off to, without judging, and simply return to your breathing. Remember not to be hard on yourself if this happens. Just notice that the feelings change overtime

6. As the time comes to a close, sit for a minute or two, becoming aware of where you are. When you are ready get up gradually

Mindfulness helps people to see their situation, thoughts and feelings in a non-judgemental way so they can stop themselves from reacting impulsively. It gives them time and space to consider a new way of acting, to break a negative cycle of thinking and doing, and to feel more in control of their actions.

Try it now and see the benefits for yourself.

Hypnotherapy, CBT & NLP can hep you to become more aware of yourself and your feelings. To find out what else this amazing combination of therapies can help please click here.

© EKTherapies