National Hypnotherapy Society | How Hypnotherapy Can Help With Weight…
Maintaining a healthy weight that you feel happy at can be difficult. Both women and men are constantly surrounded by images in the media of the 'ideal body' alongside images and adverts for all the food we should not be eating. As Humans, we are programmed to want to survive. Meaning that we are automatically fabricated to need, at the very least, food, water and sleep. When these basic needs are met, we feel happy and satisfied. This feeling is generated by our brains producing a burst of 'feel good' hormones that ultimately give us a small high. After some time this feeling drops and needs to be retained through eating again. While this cycle is natural, when other elements are added such as the chemical high we get from sweet treats and feelings of stress; what is a natural cycle can quickly become a dangerous habit and lead to binge eating. When we are stressed we naturally look for things to make us feel better. For example, if you have had a bad day, you may indulge in a treat such as some sweets or a biscuit. This initial treat is a quick fix, the effects soon drop and we often indulge in another treat and before you know it, the whole packet of biscuits has been eaten. This idea of having a treat to make us feel better is often something that we learn in childhood. For example, if a child has fallen off their bike and hurt themselves parents will often innocently offer a treat as something to console them, meaning that we learn to comfort ourselves with food from a very young age. Becuase of these patterns, emotional eating can be a very complex subject to tackle. Hypnotherapy can help by altering the way that you associate with food. In order to overcome difficulties associated with eating, you must find something more important to them than food. This could be a number of things like health reasons or a goal that requires you to lose weight. Like any addiction, it is key to realize what triggers your emotional eating. These will be different for everyone, but once identified there are several things you can do to distract your mind from eating for example: • Listen to music • Exercise, even if it is just going out for a walk or running in the spot inside • Read a book • Call a supportive friend or relative • Meet with a family member • Clean the house or do the washing • Take up a craft hobby that you can come back to at anytime Other things you can do to help: • Make sure you get a good night sleep; tired brains crave sugar. • Try to keep stress to a minimum • Eat a healthy balanced diet, make sure your body has the nutrients it needs • Prepare healthy snacks for when you are hungry • When meeting with friends try to avoid situations involving food and suggest a walk instead. If you are ready to make a positive change in your life and feel that hypnotherapy could be the help you need visit the [Find a therapist](https://www.nationalhypnotherapysociety.org/find-therapist/) page on our website and find a qualified therapist near you today.