Confidence

I would if I could..

Self Confidence, is that mysterious quality which enables us to believe in our own abilities, to believe in ourselves.

Lack of self confidence can have far reaching effects on people's lives, often to the extent of causing them to miss out on life's opportunities.

It can mean lack of success at work, in their social lives and in their relationships.

This lack of belief in themselves can prevent people from demonstrating or utilising skills that they have worked hard to acquire and can result in problems with exams, presentations, driving tests, sporting performance, and more.

All this reinforces the already negative self-image they may have of themselves, leading to an even greater lack of self-esteem. It's all part of a vicious circle.

The root of such problems often lie in past experience and can often be something quite innocuous that we've never given a second thought to- a throwaway negative comment to a child may well result in a lack of self confidence in later life. Alternatively it may be some more recent negative experience which has dented their self esteem or even a poor physical self image may be responsible.

But whatever the causal factors this negative self image becomes hard wired into the brain, the individual becomes programmed to have low self-esteem or lack of confidence.

In the spotlight

Although varying degrees of lack of confidence affect all areas of life, one of the commonest is a lack of confidence in a social setting, so called 'social phobia'. Another common problem is with public speaking;  many people these days have to make presentations as part of their work or even as part of the interview process, yet another another source of difficulty for those lacking in self confidence. In these situations people feel as if they are somehow the focus of other peoples attention, rather like being picked out by a spotlight. They perhaps feel as if they are being judged or compared to some impossibly unattainable standard.

Avoidance

People with low self-esteem or lack of self confidence will often find themselves avoiding situations which give them a problem wherever possible. This avoidance strategy is in itself a problem since not only does it mean they often miss out on things, it also reinforces their negative self image.

Of course some situations are difficult or even impossible to avoid. When faced with these unavoidable situations people will often experience anxiety symptoms such as blushing, palpitations, trembling, breathing difficulties, hot sweats and so on. Why? Because their unconscious mind is trying to protect them, trying to make them avoid the situation by making it too uncomfortable for them to carry on.

The way forward

From problems with a particular situation to a complete lack of self confidence and self esteem and a poor self image, Hypnosis can help in a variety of ways.

With the help of hypnosis sufferers can re-programme their self-image and boost their self-esteem. Their unconscious minds can be given new and better ways of coping with problem situations. If necessary it is even possible to help the unconscious to re-address past issues which may be preventing the individual from moving on and making the changes that they want to make.

In short, Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy can help you to be the confident assertive person you want to be.

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