So many of us are feeling anxious... we’re having to alter the way we think
DON’T PANIC! PAUL MCKENNA TALKS TO MARION McMULLEN ABOUT THE BEST WAYS TO STAY CALM AND COPE DURING THE STRESS OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS
KEEP calm and carry on urges the popular slogan, but the impact of the coronavirus pandemic is causing many people sleepless nights as they are left feeling anxious and stressed.
Hypnotist, best-selling author and behavioural expert Paul McKenna says it is understandable people are worried as they try to get to grips with what is happening and adopting a new routine of social distancing.
“I’m lucky,” he laughs, “me and my wife really get on. People are putting a lot of funny things out there saying ‘I’m being driven nuts by my husband’ People are still finding humour in all of this.
“So many people are feeling really anxious at the moment and just can’t get rid of this feeling of foreboding. We are living in strange times. You go outside and it is like a sci-fi movie with empty streets and roads.
“People are comfort eating and finding trouble sleeping. We’ve actually put a note on our fridge ‘Am I hungry?’ We are having to change the way we feel and think at the moment. I usually sleep pretty well, but I’ve had a couple of stress dreams as well.”
Keeping to a proper routine, exercising and eating healthily can all help. Paul says: “I get up, have a cup of tea and then take the dog out for a walk. Twenty minutes in nature every day can make a big difference.”
He says it is also important to focus on positive things and think of future plans for after the virus/ Staying in touch with friends and family online can also lift spirits.
“I’m generally an optimistic guy,” says Paul, “we’ve good friends that we go on holiday with and we obviously can’t meet them right now, but we are going to be having a dinner party tonight online and I’m really looking forward to it.
“You’ve got to think ‘what have I got to look forward to?’ and look at what you want to do after all this. I’ve been watching Homeland, which is fantastic, and rewatching classic old films that we have not seen for years like On His Majesty’s Secret Service.”
If sleep is proving elusive, Paul says try not to watch the news before you go to sleep and give your mind time to rest away from background stress.
“Use the bed only for sleeping or making love and go to bed when you feel tired. Don’t be watching action films before sleeping. If you’ve not fallen asleep after 20 minutes, get up and do something boring like your accounts or cleaning the toilet and your mind will go ‘this is not very interesting, I might as well go to sleep’. Drinking caffeine after 2pm is also likely to keep you awake. Small things, but they all help.”
Paul has sold more than 10 million books worldwide and his TV shows and live appearances have been watched and attended by hundreds of millions of people in 42 countries around the world.
He has famously worked his unique brand of personal transformation with Hollywood movie stars, Olympic gold medallists, rock stars, top business achievers and royalty and has now put out three free podcasts to help people with stress, insomnia and relationships during this time. He’s also offering all his hypnotic trance aids on his YouTube site for free for a limited time.
He also suggests simple, practical tips to calm your mind. Putting your right hand over your heart and breathing deeply in and out three times to reduce stress hormones. “The third time remember a moment when you felt good – a vacation, an amazing experience like getting married or falling in love, winning an award or hanging out with friends,” says Paul. “Return to that time and see, what you heard and felt and ask your heart ‘What can I do to make things better?’”
Paul also recommends a technique called havening, which has been successfully used by soldiers with post traumatic stress disorder in the past and involves crossing your arms and resting them on your shoulders and then gently stroking up and down your arms.
“It is really something pleasant and works on the deltawaves in the brain. People who have been through traumatic stress like PTSD or who are feeling anxious can benefit. Justin Bieber has said it helps him with his anxiety and when I was living in Hollywood I used it with actors, musicians and the Hollywood elite with very popular results.”
Most of all Paul says it is important for people to try and stay positive. “People need to be optimistic. You’ve got to go ‘Crikey, hang on We’ve been through some difficult things in the past, we’ve not faced anything like this, but this will pass’.”
Visit PaulMcKenna.com for further information.