Anxiety & OCD Therapy Bristol

Have you noticed the difference between the average childs attitude to life and the average adults attitude to life? 

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If you observe the way young children behave you will quickly notice that they tend to be joyful, playful, curious, excited and optimistic. They are full of energy, they ask for what they want, they can say no when they don't want to do something, or bravely say yes when they do want to do something. They have no problem interacting with other children and can make friends easily as they live without fear.

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How does this compare with the average adult? Well it seems to me that a large percentage of adults (especially those with anxiety) have a completely different outlook on life. Look around you and you will see it, people just trying to make it through the day in a job they don't like, waiting for the weekend where they can escape for a couple of days by numbing themselves, via TV, social media, video games, alcohol, drugs or any of the huge other number of vices. You get on the train and although people are there they are not present. They mostly spend their commute staring at there phones trying to distract themselves from their unhappiness. Most adults don't like to take risks, they are scared of failure or even success. They smile rarely and it seems that most people are just existing rather than living.

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It probably wasn't always this way for them and if you can remember your childhood you probably exhibited much more positive attitudes and beliefs than you do now. So what happened?

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Well from the day we are born we are being programmed. Society programmed us with fear, pessimism and a sense of smallness which transformed the playful optimism of the child into what you now see in the adult population. Our heads have been bombarded with these false belief systems to make us feel out of control of our lives, to make us think that we have very little power in creating the life we once dreamed of. These become the automated negative self limiting beliefs that our subconscious mind offers up to us throughout the day making us feel that we are not good enough to achieve what we want. OCD has a big part to do with this as the sufferer tends to try and control the small details of life as an antidote to feeling out of control of the big things. 

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So the best form of ERP (Exposure & Response Prevention) is not doing ERP on particular thoughts or compulsions because as I'm sure your aware once one issue has been overcome OCD just morphs into something else. Instead the best form of ERP is creating the life that you want by stepping out into it, becoming braver and more optimistic. 

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This is where the problem comes in though, that old programmed fearful and pessimistic belief system will try and stop you taking action by giving you all the perceived reasons why you can't achieve what you really want in life. But are these beliefs actually true or is it just what society wants you to believe is true? Our beliefs really do control our reality as they determine what you will or won't attempt to do. And I can tell you that you are capable of so much more than you think!

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I will help you explore these deeply rooted core beliefs so you can see where they came from and how they probably are not based at all in reality but are just a story in your mind. Once we uncover these we can begin the process of altering your perspectives and reprogramming the mind with more realistic and optimistic beliefs. With these new beliefs you will now have the ability to better handle life, you will be able to see life more like it actually is and begin to realign with your natural, courageous, free and happy self like when you were a child so you can take action and create the life that you want, leaving anxiety OCD in the past as you become this new version of yourself.