Stress & Anxiety Relief Package

I have been working as an anxiety and stress therapist for over twenty years and see individuals every day who are amazing people but who are struggling with burnout and severe symptoms of stress.

I have designed this stress and recovery package as a way to support you and give you the empowerment to live your life the way you want and deserve to. Giving you the internal belief to move forward and to start to see the joy and positives in yourself as well as reaching your potential.

Who can the package help?

The stress & recovery package is for anyone who feels they need to address and adjust certain stressors in their lives. It could be stressors at work, at home, with health or money.

The package can help those with low self-confidence & self-doubt, those facing change, the end of a relationship, grief, negative thought patterns, career stress, trauma, panic attacks and feelings of exhaustion.

No matter how you are feeling, or the reasons why, I can help you to get through this tough period in your life.

How can I help you?

I will work with you to resolve stress and anxiety using a variety of therapies. I will talk to you about how stress or anxiety is affecting your life and your wellbeing and will discuss the ways that I can help.

On occasions I may use Acupuncture to relieve headaches and stomach trouble, hypnotherapy to help boost your confidence, massage to help relieve neck pain and sometimes talking therapy to resolve negative ways of thinking.

In essence, I will work with you to help you feel better, more confident, relaxed and able to move forward in your life in a positive way.

What is included in the package?

The Stress & Recovery Package includes 10 hours of therapy & coaching – spread over 4-6 weeks, depending on what works for you and your lifestyle.

During the course, we will look at your sleep, physical health, lifestyle and mood – working together to create a bespoke plan to help you in the areas where you need it most.

Our sessions are flexible and tailored to you – but sessions are likely to include talking therapy, coaching, lifestyle advice and a range of complementary therapies including:

• Acupuncture – to calm nervous system down, reduce anxiety & improve sleep
• Massage & reflexology – for relaxation and restoration
• Hypnotherapy – to clear away negative blocks and self-limiting beliefs within your subconscious

Because I know life is so busy, I am also happy to do walk and talk sessions on days when you feel like you need some time out and fresh air. Or sessions via Zoom for days when you can’t get into Harrogate.

Pricing

I have packaged together a course of sessions to give you the best possible care and treatment.

You can choose to have weekly sessions, or even bi-weekly sessions if we feel that would work best to begin with.

The Stress & Anxiety bespoke package costs £400 for a 10-hour course of treatment.

Alternatively, you can choose to pay by the hour to find a pricing structure that suits you:

My hourly rates are:

£45 for a 60-minute session

£65 for a 90-minute session

What is Stress?

The word stress is usually used to describe the feelings that people experience when the demands made on them are greater than their ability to cope. At such times individuals can often feel overloaded, under tremendous pressure, and very tense (physically or mentally) or emotional. Stress affects everyone, young and old, and is a completely normal reaction that all human beings will experience from time to time when faced with situations that they feel frustrated and under pressure.

Stress can be looked at in terms of external and internal stressors. External stressors are sources of stress that we are aware of around us, these include traumas, life events or simply having too much to do. Internal stressors are the habit of overthinking, unrealistic expectations, uncertainties, low self-esteem and apprehensions.

Symptoms of stress

Symptoms of stress may include…

• Obesity & Over-eating
• Increased or excessive drinking of alcohol
• Loss of appetite
• Smoking more
• Increased coffee consumption
• Excessive and continuing irritability with other people
• Substance abuse
• Inability to make decisions
• Inability to concentrate
• Increased and suppressed anger
• Not being able to cope with life, feeling out of control
• Jumping from one job to another without finishing things
• Excessive emotion & crying at small irritations
• Lack of interest in anything other than work
• Permanently tired even after sleep
• Decreased sex drive/libido
• Nail-biting, pulling out hair, or picking at the skin
• Stuttering

Chronic stress puts your health at risk

Your body is hard-wired to react to stress in ways meant to protect you against threats from predators and other aggressors. Such threats are rare today, but as discussed above today we face a variety of pressures and potentially stressful events.

When you encounter a perceived threat- a large dog barks at you during your morning walk, for instance- your hypothalamus, a tiny region at the base of your brain, sets off an alarm system in your body. Through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals, this system prompts your adrenal glands, located at the top of your kidneys, to release a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol.

Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure, and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain’s use of glucose, and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues.

Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or detrimental in a fight-or-flight situation. It alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, reproductive system, and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also communicates with regions of your brain that control mood, motivation, and fear.

When the natural stress response goes haywire. 

The body’s stress response system is usually self-limiting. Once a perceived threat has passed, hormone levels return to normal. As adrenaline and cortisol levels drop, your heart rate and blood pressure return to baseline levels, and other systems resume their regular activities.

But when stressors are always present and you constantly feel under attack, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on.

The long-term activation of the stress response system and the subsequent overexposure to cortisol and stress hormones can disrupt almost all your body’s processes. This puts the individual at increased risk of numerous health problems, including:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Digestive problems
• Headaches
• Heart disease
• Sleep problems
• Weight gain
• Memory and concentration problems.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety can be experienced in lots of different ways.

Some commonly diagnosed anxiety disorders are:

• Generalised Anxiety disorder (GAD)- this means having regular or uncontrollable worries about many different things in your everyday life. With GAD it is common to constantly overthink a situation and over analyse what others have said or done or worry excessively about what might happen in the future.
• Social Anxiety Disorder-means you experience extreme fear or anxiety by social situations such as the workplace gatherings, parties, presentations or public speaking to a group. Any situation where you have to talk to another person or group.
•  Phobias– a phobia is an extreme fear or anxiety triggered by a particular situation (such as flying or having a medical procedure) or a particular object (such as spiders).
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder-this form of anxiety involves having repetitive thoughts, behaviours or rituals.
• Post Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)– is a mental health condition that is triggered by usually a terrifying event, either experiencing or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event or physical reactions to something that reminds the individual of the traumatic event.
• Health Anxiety– is an anxiety condition that is often housed within the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) spectrum of disorders. The individuals that are affected by health anxiety are convinced that harmless (minor) physical symptoms are indicators of serious disease or severe medical conditions. Unfortunately, because the person is feeling very anxious they can often experience physical symptoms such as chest palpitations. The constant worrying and anxiety will stimulate the release of Adrenaline which increases the individual’s heart rate, elevates blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances brain’s use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues.

Stress & Anxiety management strategies include:

• Eating a healthy diet, regular exercise and plenty of sleep.
• Practicing relaxation techniques such as mindfulness, yoga, practicing deep breathing, getting a massage or learning to meditate.
• Taking times for hobbies, such as reading a book or listening to music.
• Fostering healthy friendships (avoid isolation).
• Having a sense of humour
• Volunteering in your community.
• Seeking professional counselling/support if you are struggling.

The positive payoff for learning to manage stress and anxiety is a calmer mind, improved relationships and a greater sense of enjoying a healthier life.

If you feel you are struggling please get in touch.

Patti Hemmings anxiety and stress therapist in Harrogate. Contact Patti here on 07787 831 275.