YOUR QUESTIONS
We love to hear from you! If you have any questions for our experts, or want to ask about a health topic not covered here, please email topsante.talkback@kelsey.co.uk.
Q I'm in my early 50s and I've just been made redundant from my job. I'm feeling stressed and scared. I'm most worried that I won't be able to find work in my sector again as employers will choose younger candidates. How can I feel more positive?
A When faced with stressful situations, it’s difficult to maintain a positive mindset, and you can fall into the trap of focusing on the negatives and heading into a downwards spiral. Big life changes such as losing a job can really trigger these negative feelings, but it is important to stop these thoughts in their tracks and deflect them using a positive mindset.
Focusing on negative ideas that may or may not happen creates a poorquality mindset and leads to anxiety. Anxiety occurs when you project into your future and see it all go wrong. That’s because your neurology does not know the difference between what is imagined and what is real. So visualising things that go wrong is what creates the fight-or-flight stress response. Thoughts then become feelings.
Instead, think about what you do want, rather than what you’re afraid of happening. Imagine this in specific detail. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and create a movie in your head to help you visualise what you want to happen. Focus on your self-talk. What will you say to yourself when you are getting what it is that you want? And lastly, feel what you will feel when you have this. Visualising your aspirations in this detail will help you get excited and feel invigorated about what the future holds! Now, you are choosing to focus on what you want, rather than what you don’t want. Thoughts become things, so choose wisely.
Q I suffer from anxiety, especially when I'm trying to get to sleep. Do you have any tips for reducing night-time anxiety?
A Night-time anxiety can be a real challenge for many people. How can you avoid anxiety when you have nothing to distract yourself and are alone with your thoughts in the dark? The key is to use active imagination to shift your focus to what you want.
Active imagination is more powerful than just visualising, as it uses more of your senses. To try it, think about your favourite relaxing place, take a deep breath and see yourself there, looking through your own eyes. Listen to the sounds you would hear, are there any smells that are important to you? What is your self-talk as you start to feel more relaxed? This will help add detail, to make it as tailored to your individual needs as possible. Think of all that comforts you and imagine it all in
