Hypnotist offers help for dealing with Coronavirus uncertainties

As the Coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, and daily stress levels rise to new heights, Indiana-based Hypnotist Wally Post is doing something about it.

“For many of us who have never experienced events that have an enormous impact on everyday lives, these are unprecedented times,” Wally says. “Some people may already suffer with low-level anxiety and have found their symptoms have ramped up recently; others might be feeling new physical and psychological strains for the first time.”

Studies have shown that facing uncertainty is often scarier than facing physical pain. The human brain over millennia has developed an aversion to uncertainty. It is a carry-over from our inherent “fight or flight” reaction to threat. In our constant quest for certainty in our lives, we are wired to “catastrophize” – to view a given situation as worse than it actually is.

And this leads to worry, which in turn leads to anxiety.

The lack of answers to questions raised by the current uncertainty: “What will happen?” “What is the future for us?” “What if my livelihood is threatened?” Such questions can lead to frustration, anger and aggression.

Wally says, “Awareness is the key. It is our superpower.”

He suggests that feelings of uncertainty can be mitigated by the following:

• Be conscious of the “worry story” you tell yourself – and try to distance yourself from it.
• Focus on breathing – take long, slow breaths.
• Recognize the need to rise above “fight or flight”.
• Accept the uncertainty – and allow yourself to stop the struggle against it.

“I have spent years helping people to cope with and reduce anxiety. The techniques I teach my clients, whatever the triggers for their condition, can also be applied successfully in this current pandemic.

“To some degree it is natural to worry, and we all do it – how our brain handles problems or potential problems,” Wally explains. “But it stops being useful if we become stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts about things that are out of our control. We should instead focus on those things within our control, and how we choose to respond to them.”

One such way people have been trying to exercise control and diminish their worries is by the unhelpful practice of ‘panic-buying’ goods, such as hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Wally puts this down to an overload of the ‘fight or flight’ response that is hardwired to our DNA and is being further fueled by images of empty shelves in the media and social media.

He adds, “It’s an exaggeration of a natural reaction – we think we’re fighting for our survival. Suddenly, certain items take on greater significance than usual and just possessing them seems to calm our fears, that is until the net of fear takes hold about a different ‘essential’ item.

“This pandemic has many repercussions beyond the actual virus. One is the potential impact on mental health and wellbeing as people try to manage an increasingly stressful situation. Feel free to call me for help with this kind of anxiety. My phone consultations are always free.”

Wally Post can be reached at the Anderson Hypnosis Center at (765) 442-3210.