Try to avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine as coping mechanisms long term, these faulty coping mechanisms will just add to the problem.
Did you know it takes 60 days to create a habit and once that habit’s there it can take much more to undo. Hypnotherapy can help you change habits along with the understanding that your brain has created a short cut because you have installed the instruction in your memory that alcohol helps relax you. So every time you are faced with a similar problem your hippocampus provides you with the suggestion “have a drink it will relax you”.
In truth this does happen but as alcohol is a depressant, it helps deplete the good neurotransmitters long term and because it’s a poison, your body rejects the fluid along with other bodily fluid – which is why you feel dehydrated and get head aches.
Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants – too much and the body reacts to this with the stress response increasing or even causing anxiety symptoms, including increasing blood pressure, palpitations and the feeling of panic. Stress and caffeine can also increase inflammation in the joints and so increase bodily pain, which can make you feel more stressed.
The best way of dealing with stress is exercise – running or yoga and Tai Chi, with relaxation such as hypnotherapy and meditation. If you want to let off steam then a trip down the gym is a better option than heading for the bottle.
Next – Stress Buster tip #3