In these days of gloomy headline after gloomy headline, it would be all too easy to slip into the trap of negative thinking.  There never appears to be any good news on the TV and if we believe what we read in the papers life does indeed seem miserable.  But when we start thinking like this, focusing on the negatives, we are actually training ourselves to overlook the good things in life.  And in buying into this gloominess, we can even make our own health suffer. 

There is a very real link between our thoughts and our physical wellbeing.  Our immune system is in direct communication with our brain.  So what goes on in people's minds can affect the level of immune substances working in the body.  We all know that sustained high levels of stress, with no respite, results in physical dammage.  In a similar way, persistant negative thoughts can, in time, make us feel physically ill or make it hard to shake off colds, aches, pains and low moods.   

But fear not because if all this is true, the converse must also be true.  Positive thinking really can give huge benefits.  It speeds recovery, helps fight off illness and keeps us well.  Here's an example.  Half the patients recovering from bowel surgery were given a view of nature from their hospital beds, half were given a bed looking onto a brick wall.  All the other treatment was the same for both groups.  The group with the view healed quicker and had a lower requirement for pain relief.  Surprising?  How often do you see friends with upbeat attitudes to life glowing with health and energy?  The chances are they don't have fewer problems than you, they just look at them differently.

What you can do now?

Subtle changes in the way you think or respond to others will make all the difference.  Think of a problem as a challenge.  If a friend or family member asks you how you are, tell them you feel fine, even if you don't.  Smile even if you dont have much to smile about.  The brain receives these messages and the body begins to feel better.  If you act as if you are in a good mood, put a swing in your step, you soon will be.  And positivity is like a magnet.  Soon you will be attracting good feeling wherever you go.  The upward spiral goes on.

So what has all this got to do with Clinical Hypnotherapy?

Positivity is at the heart of Clinical Hypnotherapy.  When under hypnosis you have a sort of hot-line to the unconscious, which bypasses all that sabotaging self-talk and critical thinking - you know, the nagging voice that tries to insist that there's no point in being positive, that life is too hard or that you have nothing to be joyful about.  So Clinical Hypnotherapy gives you a helping hand, a boost, ensuring that these positive messages are taken straight into your subconscious, unadulterated, for maximum benefit.

Whether you choose the Clinical Hypnotherapy route or not is not important.  Just know that you can start improving your outlook right now, there's nothing stopping you.  A brighter future is just around the corner and it's in your power to make it happen.