Anxiety Journal | My experience with hypnotherapy.

So my anxiety related posts always seem to be written in the spur of the moment and I guess I just have to be in the right place mentally to write them as just writing about my anxieties could trigger it. 

Today I'm going to be talking mainly about my experience with hypnotherapy and where I'm currently at with my anxiety. If you havn't read my original anxiety post I suggest you read it to give you a bit of back story on my anxiety, you can read it here. 

So back in February I decided to take the plunge and start hypnotherapy sessions. My uncle had previously had hypno to help him stop smoking and it's been really successful for him therefore I made contact with the same hypnotherapist. She was really nice and told me that hypno lends itself well to treating and coping with anxiety. I was really excited to start my sessions as at this point I was willing to try anything. 

I really had no idea of what to expect from hypnotherapy and all I'd seen is the stereotypical stuff on t.v. where they have a swinging watch and use an activating word. Well let me tell you straight of the bat it's nothing like that! It's actually infuriating that that is people's perception of it and I almost wish it was like what you see on t.v. . 

Overall I have to say it is one of the most relaxing things you can do! It can help in subjects such as having trouble sleeping to eating the wrong kinds of foods! So basically we started off going through what I know triggers my anxiety and what I want to get out of the sessions and from there she could tailor them. 

During the sessions she put on really relaxing music and I sat in a very nice comfy chair. She then started to talk in a very soothing tone. What she talked about differed from session to session and often initially seemed to have nothing to do with my anxiety( but obviously it does link somehow). 90% of the time I just sat there and did nothing but focus on my breathing when instructed. When I came out of my first session I felt so relaxed and lets just say it's a good thing my mum could drive me home because I felt like I'd just had a nap on a cloud! 

So like I said there was no specific word that would relax you but it was all about thinking up a relaxing place and getting into that peaceful mindset. 

In total I had about 6 sessions and yes it was expensive. However if you struggle with anxiety you know that you are willing to do or try anything to help with it. So for me it was a no brainer to spend that every 2-3 weeks for a session. Personally I wouldn't say that I'm cured or that it's made a huge impact on my day to day life. However I havn't yet been on a plane since the sessions and that it what we focused most of our time on therefore I don't know how effective it would be. I have now finished my sessions and would probably go for a couple nearer the time of our holiday just to touch base and re focus. 

I wouldn't not recommend hypnotherapy as every experience and individual problem is different however I don't think mine was as successful as maybe my uncles was.

So now whats next?

Well the main thing I've started doing just this past week is I saw a doctor to talk about starting some medication. Now I'm not ashamed to say that I'm now taking drugs for my anxiety because at the end of the day if it helps me live day to day then I'm all for it. We both agreed that I was sensible and went through counselling and hypno before resorting to medication and I just feel this was the natural next step to take. Since talking openly about my anxiety I have had many family friends tell me how they or someone they know has taken tablets for their anxiety or day to day battles. So far I can't really comment on my medication as it's too early on to say if it helps or not. 

I also want to look int CBT or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help further change the way my mind thinks. 

Leave me a comment or message me privately if you've ever gone through hypnotherapy or have taken medication for anxiety/panic attacks as I'd love to share experiences. As always if you need someone to talk about your anxiety or anything else going on in your life I'm more than happy to listen as I'm a big believer in getting things off of your chest and not letting it build up inside you.

Until next time, Sophie x

Book Corner | All I Know Now by Carrie Hope Fletcher

Rating: 5/5
Pages: 288

Hi guys!

I'm really excited to bring this book review to you today as it's one of the best book's I've read over the past couple of months.  The book is "All I Know Now" by Carrie Hope Fletcher.

Now I know what you're thinking " Oh no not another YouTuber book!" but for some reason when I knew this book was being released I didn't see Carrie as a YouTuber but just a normal person wanting  to share her experiences and help other like minded people of her age and younger who are maybe struggling with different aspects of their life.

For me All I Know Now is a cross between an autobiography and a survival guide as Carrie does throw in her anecdotes which makes the book very relatable.

From the get go I loved Carrie's writing style and could just imagine her reading it ( get on that audiobook girl!).

Carrie made the book so personal and you could really tell how well thought out it all way from the illustrations used to calling the chapters "acts". It made it feel like Carrie has the manuscript stored away for months/years waiting for an opportunity rather than having to make something up just because you've been offered a book deal.

Carrie talks about various subjects ranging from bullies to living out your dreams. Unlike the book Ask Elizabeth by
Elizabeth Berkley I feel I could relate to this book and use more of its advice now and in the future. Maybe it's because Carrie's younger than Elizabeth that I could relate to it more. 

Carrie talks about her time at school and how she felt like she didn't fit in, just wanted to read and had a small circle of friends. I could really relate to this as I was also quite quiet and shy at school.

Carrie gives a little tip early on in the book for if you're stressed. She suggest's blowing on the end of your thumb, i've tried this and I can see why it would work to calm you down as it helps to regulate your breathing and help you concentrate on something. 

Carrie talks about how you need to have a period of time in your life where you are just single but in a way date yourself. You need to get to know what you like and the hobbies you enjoy. Otherwise you're going from relationship to relationship and you won't really know what it's like to be just you. You'll always be seen as a couple rather than two individuals.

Towards the end of the book Carrie answers questions that her readers and subscribers were able to send in to her. Again this shows how much Carrie appreciates her fans and wanted them to be the centre of her book.

Finally at the end of the book Carrie includes a list of "props" which are website and helplines for some of the subjects she touches on such as food disorders or depression. However these aren't just useful for British people as she also recognises her fans from other countries such as Ireland and Australia.

This book really made me want to pick it up and read it and thats one of the reasons why I gave it 5 stars of Goodreads.

Below is my review over on my YouTube page on the book.

I hope you enjoyed this review and I'll talk to you soon!
Sophie x

Book Corner & Experience | The life changing magic of tidying by Marie Kondo

Rating:4/5
Pages: 207 

Last month I decided to read Marie Kondo's "The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying" with the intention to then carry out the "KonMari" method on my clothes, books, papers etc. I'd seen two of my favourite YouTubers, Jen from "OrganisedJen" and Gillian from "GillianAtHome", talk about this book and their experience with applying it to their lives. Well it looked really effective and I was in a complete spring cleaning mode when I bought the book.
Marie Kondo is a Japanese woman who specialises in organising and decluttering your life.
In this post I will not only be sharing my thoughts on the book but my entire experience with reorganising my stuff! In this post I will link 3 videos that are on my YouTube channel, the first being the book review and the other two being the whole process of sorting out my clothes and books.
So join this journey with me as I uncover the secrets on tidying your life.

This book is only 207 pages long and therefore I was able to read it within one afternoon/evening. I would encourage you if you can to do the same as it makes for a very fluid read and I was then able to start organising the next day.

At the start of the book I did feel like Marie was really hyping up the book to be some life changing event that is the cure to all you messy problems and for me this came across slightly pretentious as she's saying how she never get's repeat customers and she so quickly gets booked up for work. Because of this you expect the book to dramatically change your thought process on organising and anticipate getting rid of a lot of stuff.
One thing I've learnt is that you put in what you get out, if you go in half assed then your not going to get the best results then if you 100% follow Marie's rules.

Marie says that the one thing we're not taught at school or generally in life is how to tidy yet we're just expected to do it as children. I found this an interesting point as being organised can have a huge effect on how we live. One thing I relate to Marie on is that we both like to get rid of a lot at once rather than little amounts in stages, this is something Marie feels is key to a tidying success.

Another point Marie makes is about the use of storage solutions and how they prevent us from actually getting rid of stuff we don't need. She says "Putting things away creates the illusion that the clutter problem has been solved. " " This is why tidying must start with discarding." I must say I have been a victim to this,

Marie has created the "KonMari" method which is her process for organising and discarding. She starts of by telling us to tidy by category and not location. By this she means don't tidy room to room but for example take all your clothes from each room and bring them together to one space to then sort out. By doing this it helps to see everything that you have and often brings a shock factor to it.

Naturally before I clean my room I always tidy it first by putting clothes away and putting anything back to its rightful place, I also discard things if I no longer need them. This usually helps to clear surfaces and give a more minimal feel (even if thats not what your going for). By naturally doing this it really set me up for a KonMari experience.

Marie says this process should be quite quick and should take about 6 months! I'm sorry but that is not quick! For me I did it in a day and maybe because of that my outcome from the process isn't as drastic. The KonMari method is set up in stages that have been well thought out by Marie. The order she has chosen to sort things out is based on what she feels it the easiest to let go of first and then the hardest last. This is what she suggests:
Clothes - Books - Papers - Miscellaneous - Sentimental 
I did stick with this order however I havn't yet tackled sentimental items as I know this will take the longest. I found that each category brought up hurdles as I will later talk about but I did find Books easier to sort out than clothes.

If you take one thing from this book it to always ask yourself "Does this spark joy?" This is a phrase that Marie really emphasises and I agree is extremely helpful especially when sorting through clothes. When you hold up a top or a pair of shoes you should get that tingly feeling or want to wear that item everyday if you could, that to me is what that phrase means. This is something I since apply now when I'm out buying clothes.

Another game changing point Marie makes is to change the way you fold your clothes. Again if you take anything away from this book this is one of those points. For me I struggle for space despite some might saying I have a lot. But I just wasn't using my dresser to its fullest. Well the KonMari way of folding has really helped and you can see this in the picture below. Before I stacked all my T-shirts and jumpers however now I fold them into rectangles and store vertically and am now able to see everything I own. I will point out that it can be a little difficult to put T-shirts back in once the method is in place and if the width of the draw in filled they tend to slide down.

One thing I didn't agree on with Marie and that was her opinion of what you should wear around the house. She says you should dress up and wear feminine clothes even if your not setting foot outside. Well I say wear what you want! I'll let you into a little secret, as i'm writing this I'm currently in sweats and a Jersey Boys t-shirt, no shame there.

Overall I liked the book and gave it 4/5 on Goodreads, after reading it I was really excited to start clearing and I'll share that experience with you now.

To see my book review on YouTube click below.

Clothes

Overall I found sorting out my clothes fairly easy however despite getting rid of a lot I expected to be able to get rid of more. I feel I probably kept more than I should of especially if it was something I was undecided on and I just kept it rather than getting rid of it.
Like I said the folding method has given me a tone more space however it can be difficult at times to put your clothes back in place after washing them. As the day went on I did pluck a few pieces off of my to get rid of pile and cheekily put them back in my wardrobe, again I shouldn't of done this and once somethings in the pile it should stay there. But hey no ones going to shoot me over it!
Overall I found basics, hoodies, cardies and tops easy to sort through however jeans and shorts brought up issues. For me jeans last a while therefore I have some pairs that I once used to love but my style has since changed and I don't wear as much. I had to make the decision to let go on some brighter coloured jeans despite once really loving them. Shorts also were an issue as I'm not currently wearing them due to the weather and therefore havn't worn any in months, I think I only got rid of 1 pair out of 10... oops.
Marie also has an order to which clothes you sort out first however I didn't really stick to this and just went with what I felt like.
Shoes were quite an Issue as I have quite a few pairs of Dr.Martens which to me are an investment and I don't want to currently get rid of them as my shoes styles change.
One thing I continuously try to do with my wardrobe which
Marie mentions to do is to keep certain items together for example all dresses together all trousers together etc. This really helps to know exactly where things are and make dressing quicker in the mornings.

To see the process in full check out my video below.

Books

Going into this section I thought it would be very hard as I love collecting books however it was the complete opposite! I found it quite easy to get rid of a lot of books and think I could even get rid of more. I had a lot of books that I knew I wouldn't read again and were just keeping for the sake of adding to my collection. I got rid of a few that were on my TBR shelf as the moment of wanting to read that book had long passed. In this section I also sorted through coffee table books and photography books which you can see in the video below.

I still need to tackle magazines and personal items however for now I'm happy with the progress I have made.
Be sure to check out the videos linked to see the entire process and I will also leave a video below in which I vlogged my process.

Thanks for getting this far! Sophie xx