Halloween is more than just a day for costume parties: it heralds the start of what can be a very demanding holiday season. This time of year can be quite challenging for those who suffer from anxiety, particularly in social situations.

The good news is that fears of any kind can be faced and they don’t have to limit how you live your life. Having said that, the journey to overcoming fear begins with understanding.

What is anxiety?

This general term refers to several disorders, such as social anxiety, phobias, OCD, and PTSD. When you have anxiety, you feel nervous, afraid, or apprehensive and this constant feeling of worry affects how you behave.

Besides disturbing your emotional wellbeing, anxiety can manifest itself in significant ways through physical symptoms. Moreover, statistics have shown that one in four Canadians will have an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Clearly, this is not a matter to be overlooked.

Phobias are among the most common forms of anxiety. It may be a crippling fear of heights, flying, public speaking, going to the doctor, or even daily tasks such as driving or using bathrooms, that makes it seem impossible to face these situations.

If you have such a disorder, you may have learned to live with it. However, the truth is that there is no reason to let fear control your life, no matter how powerful it may seem.

How Can you Start Overcoming Fear?

On Halloween, fear becomes entertainment: we make scary costumes and watch horror movies on tv. In a way, we are facing our fears and making light of them. When we watch a scary movie we may jump in our seats but, at the end of the night, we can sleep peacefully because we know that it would be irrational to fear such things as gremlins and zombies.

Part of overcoming your anxiety is understanding, not only that there is often nothing to be afraid of, but also that worrying won’t help. For example, it may be helpful to know that the chance of dying in a plane crash is one in eleven million. Car crashes, on the other hand, are much more likely. However, fear will not protect you from danger.

Instead, when it comes to safety while driving, you can make sure to be mindful of the road, never drink and drive, always wear a seatbelt, and follow the speed limit. Being aware of the actual risk and taking practical steps to protect yourself will prepare you to face these situations with confidence.

Hypnosis for Anxiety

Unfortunately, for those with anxiety disorders, it is not always as simple as knowing the facts and being properly prepared.

If you are ready to try a new approach to get over your fears, then hypnosis might be a good method to try. We offer a free 40-minute screening to assess your situation and provide thorough and forthright information on how hypnosis works, and whether or not it can work for you. Please call (647) 210-8842 and see if hypnosis is right for you!