New Year, New Mindset: Chloe Brotheridge Talks Anxiety and Mindfulness
The New Year brings that uplifting sense of chance, new opportunities, new mindsets, and new thinking. Inspired, and following our resolutions, we’re taking ownership of our well-being for the New Year. With this in mind, we have decided to catch up with the wonderful Chloe Brotheridge, hypnotherapist, anxiety expert, author of The Anxiety Solution: A Quieter Mind, a Calmer You, and Merit Club Event Host. Finding out tips for reprogramming our mindsets, pursuing positivity and finding out how to live happier lives, we want to make 2018 our most fulfilled year yet.
Starting her career as a nutritionist, working in the NHS, Chloe soon discovered the strong correlation between stress, trauma, and the causes of many peoples' mental health issues, particularly those around eating habits. Having had her own issues with anxiety, and discovering the benefits of hypnotherapy for herself, Chloe found herself becoming increasingly involved with clients with anxiety, and developed her career so that she could specialise in this area, and work with people who experience confidence issues of their own. It seems that there are many different types of anxiety and strains that people may never even acknowledge or recognise, and so we wanted to find out more from Chloe about the different processes for finding a quieter mind and a calmer you. Often people may face denial, people may push their anxieties to one side, or may not know how to deploy effective coping mechanisms when anxiety strikes. And as we are well aware, anxieties can surface for anyone, even at the most unexpected times. For Chloe, there are lots of different types of anxiety, from generalised anxiety, to panic disorder and OCD.
From the first steps of acknowledging anxiety, to spreading awareness, social anxiety, and what hypnotherapy really feels like, read on for our New Years catch up with Chloe.
MC: With your own personal experience, and insight from your fascinating career to date, what would you say are those first signs of anxiety? Do you feel there are ways to stop anxiety from developing or does it become a process of learning to live with anxiety?
MC: How do you feel anxiety is being treated in society today? Do you feel progress is being made in people’s understanding of mental health?
MC: We couldn't agree more. What do you think needs to be addressed most urgently? Are there ways we can change in order to remove this stigma and improve statistics in the future?
MC: This is so true! And yet all of us may feel social anxiety, in some form, at some point, in our lives. What would you say, in your opinion, are the telling signs of this social anxiety? Do you think there is a way we can more collectively help each other, and perhaps help overcome it without the help of a professional and these long waiting lists?
MC: Yes! There really is something to be said for being kind to yourself.
We so often are too harsh on ourselves, and yet we have enough pressure from the outside world as it is. Often people talk of not feeling good enough, and not living up to the success of their peers, family and friends. What would be your advice to someone who is suffering from this kind of anxiety?
MC: Talking of these coping mechanisms, we also have to ask you about your hypnotherapy! Could you let us know a little more about your experiences with it? Do you feel hypnotherapy can work for everyone?
MC: But what would you say to someone who is perhaps a little sceptical, or someone who is potentially a bit scared by the idea of hypnotherapy? Potentially, it might be something that someone could find quite a daunting and scary idea!
MC: And that must have such challenges and rewards! Have you any success stories with clients that you are particularly proud of that you can talk about?
It might not be magic, but getting help if you are facing anxiety is definitely a step in the right direction. Be this hypnotherapy, reaching out to professionals, family, or friends, listening to the conversation surrounding mental health, joining in the conversation yourself, and strengthening this sense of community. Let's use our voices, our strength, and our energy to build confidence for ourselves, and for our others. Watch this space for more news from Chloe, and our upcoming mindfulness events.
Words by Lottie Franklin
DISCOVER MORE ON WELLNESS & MENTAL HEALTH
THE MERIT CLUB BLOG POSTS
THE MERIT CLUB RECOMMENDATIONS