1. Connect to other People.
Make sure you are investing time in connection. Life can seem too busy, and at times the effort can feel too big, but connecting with people can offer great benefit to your wellbeing. Connection can give you a sense of belonging, building and sharing emotional support and sharing positive experience.

2. Be Physically Active.
Activity is well known to balance mood changing chemicals in the brain. Doing some exercise can clear and reset your thoughts, or you may find setting and reaching physical goals gives you a sense of achievement and reward.

3. Learn Something New.
​Learning something new, and moving beyond your comfort zone can keep your mind sharp; improving memory and exercising brain cells that create those wonderful new neural pathways. There can be a great sense of self worth and purpose in starting and mastering a new practice or skill.

4. Give to Others.
Aside from the benefits “others” receive from this practice; “acts of kindness” can provide both positive feelings and experiences, and a sense of reward. Giving to others is a beautiful compliment to your gratitude practice and can offer new connections.

5. Pay Attention to the Present Moment.
​Practising mindfulness can bring your attention away from overthinking about a past you cannot change, and a future you cannot predict. With a small amount of commitment, this can improve your thoughts and feelings and offer a deeper understanding of yourself and the way you feel about your life.

​Have you ever noticed how quick the mind can be at sabotaging your self-belief? Even if you are confident, successful, and willing to take risks, chances are you too hear the doubt from the judgement panel in the back of your mind, but perhaps you are more skilled at ignoring them.
I recently asked a group of women to write down what they think three groups of people in their lives would say about them; their best friends, their work colleagues, and their partner. The task was to help participants see their worth from the outside.
The response to this process was interesting; some women felt like they were gloating by listing their strengths, many found it difficult to switch off the part of their mind that assumes people think the worst of them. It is the latter that I would like to work on today.
The best in you.
When you find yourself thinking that someone doesn’t like you, or a quality you have – ask yourself:

• Do I know this for sure? (no)
• What evidence do I have? (none)
• What if they don’t think negatively of me? (there is just as much evidence for this as there is against it)
• Can I just assume that they enjoy working/socializing/being with me just the way I am? (yes)

For every critical thought you have, the opposite thought is just as likely. So, choose to believe the one that supports your growth the best.

​Know who you are.
You know what makes a good friend, colleague, and partner. You know your best in these areas. You also know that sometimes you don’t get it right, but then do your best to make it so.
This is what the world sees. Those who matter see this. Those who don’t see it, will move away and that is ok too. The greatest adventure is just getting to know who you are.
Let us all be imperfect.
When your mind criticizes you for “getting it wrong”; saying the wrong thing, not talking enough, not dressing the right way, not knowing all the answers … it’s ok. In fact, the more you practice imperfection, own it, and be transparent about it, the more you allow those around you to be human too.
For example; you may not have all the answers, but beating yourself up about it almost implies that you expect everyone around you to have all the answers all the time too. I doubt you do that.
Use the mirror.
If the mind goes into overdrive with criticism and doubt. Throw it back. Tell yourself the reverse.
Use the mirror and be your own best friend. You wouldn’t say any of it to someone close to you. Chances are, neither would the person you are thinking of.

You matter most.
You are exactly good enough as you are right now. Anything you add to this only embellishes what is already perfectly you. Choose the thoughts that feel kind. Tell yourself regularly that you do believe in yourself. It’s okay to subconsciously gloat – in fact I highly recommend it – turn your judgement panel into a cheer squad.
Support.
If you need support with managing these thoughts, a counsellor, mental health practitioner, hypnotherapist or meditation instructor may be able to help.
Kim High, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Family Hypnotherapy.
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​Food
This time of year you can find a toxic food relationship is ignited with your body; from crash diets to prepare for summer and socialising, to overeating and drinking at functions and gatherings. Overeating at Christmas can almost feel expected, you feel obliged to eat to please others. This all or nothing approach is unkind to your body. Make a promise this year to listen to your own health, comfort, and signals of satiety from your body and approach food gently.
Christmas food and drinks are festive and special, but you can pass on the second dessert, or the next glass of wine, sure in the knowledge there will be more opportunities for tasty morsels - after your body has a well-deserved break from indulgence.
If you are preparing food this year, don’t put pressure on yourself to cook the perfect over-sized Christmas feast. Keep it simple this year, your family may be relieved, they feel this degustation overwhelm too!

​Your-needs
This is a wonderful time to be immersed in the spirit of giving, but you cannot give from an empty cup. Consider your boundaries and self-care. Schedule in some alone time, meditation, or half an hour reading a good book. These small practices can be powerful to reduce anxiety and stress.
Think about what sparks joy in you at Christmas and make it your priority. Even though the world seems to expect it, we cannot be everything to everyone, especially when we give nothing to ourselves.
Remember to ask for help. When you don’t accept help, you are not allowing others to feel connection and gratitude with you. There is loving energy that flows through the acts of both giving and receiving. 

Exercise
Running around to 83 shops to source that limited edition Pokémon gift doesn’t count as exercise for you. Enter this Christmas season committed to setting aside regular exercise time focused on you. That walk, run, ride or yoga class, will have a side effect of preventing mental fatigue, keeping your mind clear and your body and immune system balanced. 

Remembering
How do you hold space and remember the empty seats at your Christmas table? Be kind to healing hearts and find a resting place in your activities for their stories, memories, and love. This is a very personal process, you cannot be hurried or told how to feel, but you can ask for time, space, and gentleness as you need it. If you have a ritual in your family that soothes you, savour it gently, you are navigating this time of year your way… the best way for you.

What is Hypnotherapy?
It is: Hypnosis, relaxation and breathing techniques, visualisation, identifying and reducing triggers, changing thought patterns, mindfulness, and self-hypnosis techniques – for a therapeutic benefit.
​
Hypnotherapy uses a natural state of trance or deep relaxation. In this altered state of consciousness a person is much more open to therapeutic suggestion, exploring problems and addressing issues to achieve effective change. It is relaxing, peaceful, safe, and comfortable and you are always in control. Clients enjoy unlocking their ability to rest from a wired mind, seeing old problems through a different lens, and noticing how old habits are no longer compelling after the session. Hypnotherapy can feel as rejuvenating as massage and offer great gains in self-esteem and self-worth.

Hypnotherapy can support you to stop smoking, change attitudes to food and relationships with your body. It can assist with stress management, relief from anxious and depressive thoughts, building self-confidence, motivation, navigating grief and loss, and much more... 

Dispelling the myths:
​
1.Hypnotherapists have magic powers and zap your mind to do whatever you want.
Imagine anyone having that power! No… Hypnotherapy can only be effective as a meeting place between your conscious thoughts of wanting and being ready to change and finding the resources in your subconscious to support that change. When these two meet – the magic happens.

2.Hypnotherapy only works on some people (and the weak-minded)
Whilst some people are more suggestible to hypnosis, the ability to be hypnotised is only dependent on your willingness, motivation, and ability to concentrate. If you want hypnotherapy to work, and co-operate in the process, you will enjoy the benefit. The best candidates are those with a creative imagination (we all have).

3.You will cluck like a chicken.
In hypnotic trance, you are always in complete control. You will only accept the suggestions that are agreeable to you. Stage hypnotists promise this kind of entertainment and the volunteers are expecting to perform in strange ways. Unless your deepest desire is to change from human to chicken, this will never be the effect. You are always in control, and you can break from trance at any time.

4.You can get stuck in hypnosis.
This is not possible, hypnosis is a natural trance or ‘day dreaming’ state. Getting “stuck” in hypnosis, would only be drifting off to sleep, from which you would naturally wake. The aim of hypnotherapy is to keep your relaxed state just above this level.

5.You are asleep/unconscious when you are in hypnosis and won’t remember anything
 
Your body will certainly think so because hypnotherapy is so wonderfully relaxing. However, the mind remains focused. You can remember the session, but just as in a dream, the details can seem fuzzy when you wake. Remember you are always in control, and you can break from trance at any time.

“The conscious mind may be compared to a fountain playing in the sun and falling back into the great subterranean pool of subconscious from which it rises.”
Sigmund Freud

​When choosing a hypnotherapist, it is wise to make sure they are registered with a governing body such as the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association or are qualified psychologists with hypnotherapy training. It is important to have a positive relationship and confidence in your practitioner, so give them a call, ask questions, and make sure it feels comfortable and professional.

Most of us wake up dazed and foggy.
Walking to the bathroom in a trance.
Some mornings it is not until the shower hits your back or the coffee aroma tickles your nose that you truly wake.
In this time of "trance walking" you might want to consider the thoughts that are going through your mind:

• "Urgh! - It's cold!"
• "I don't want to get up!"
• "It's going to be a hard day today"
• "I really don't want to see my boss today"
• "I can't juggle my work and the kids/shopping/cleaning today!"

Some mornings we let the worry flood in...

The power of these first thoughts is strong.
This is your first conversation of the day and you are in a highly suggestible state. Are you practicing a negative thought pattern, or deepening a negative limiting belief?

You CAN make the most of this trance-like state every morning instead:

• Spend a moment to consider one thing you are looking forward to in the day ahead.
• Consider the strength and resources you are going to use to overcome all obstacles today.
• Plan your intention the night before, write it down and leave it on your bedside table. Read it as soon as you wake (rather then picking up your phone and seeing the awaiting emails).
• Have a set of affirmation cards near your bed and read one each day.
• Create a morning mantra that you whisper to yourself as you wake into  your day - "I can do anything I put my mind to".

As you get out of bed, imagine how you want to feel today. You can create an image in your mind of you looking and feeling exactly that way.
Make it bright, detailed and crystal clear; then imagine walking through it. As you do - like trying on a new outfit - you can feel how it feels to feel that way already, and wear that outlook all day long.

May your mind begin the day light - even in the cold.

If you need some support changing your mindset and navigating your thoughts; hypnotherapy may be helpful.