It’s that time of the year when GCSE, A-level and other exams loom and teenagers enter into ‘study mode’ with its accompanying stress problems which, if things run smoothly, need not be a problem.
There is a lot of pressure on young people to do their best and get good results throughout the year and the strains of school life can sometimes get on top of them, making it harder to get on with their work.
Exam stress in particular can cause problems with eating, sleeping, anger and anxiety levels. If the student is already experiencing emotional problems or mental health difficulties, exam stress can be the last straw.
Pressure from parents and the expectations they place on their children can add to stress levels and heightened anxiety which can, in turn, adversely affect test and exam results – even if the student.
But hypnotherapy can help control exam nerves and clear the mind to ensure students make the most of their potential.
According to the charity Mind, there’s no medical definition of stress, and health care professionals often disagree over whether stress is the cause of problems or the result of them. It suggests stress can be controlled by managing external pressures.
Mind further adds that ‘talking with a trained professional can help you learn to deal with stress and become more aware of your own thoughts and feelings’.
The charity says: “Feelings of stress are a reaction to things happening in your life, not a mental health problem, so there’s no specific medication for stress.”
Talking about a stressful situation is one way to address the problem and a clinical hypnotherapist from the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) is ideally qualified and trained to do this.
With more than 1,800 therapists across the country, the NCH can offer invaluable help to students feeling the stress of exams.
“People can suffer from a wide variety of distressing feelings such as panic attacks, anxiety, jealousy, guilt, anger or inadequacy. Whatever the problem feeling, hypnotherapy can deal with it more specifically than can a drug – and without harmful side effects,” says the NCH.
In assessing the anxiety, a hypnotherapist can identify the root of stress or anxiety and then work with the student to set a goal for how they would like to feel and then work towards reaching the goals using a range of different techniques.
“Hypnotherapy unlocks the potential you have to break free of negative thought patterns, and to react more positively and more confidently to situations in your life that may have previously made you anxious,” adds the NCH.
After sessions with a hypnotherapist the stressed person may feel more confident; more relaxed in situations that have previously been a challenge.
Many people say that they are calmer and that they have more clarity of thought – able to make decisions more easily.