Six unusual ways to reduce your clients’ anxiety

I’m sure you have a lot of tips you can pass on to clients experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety but, this month, I’m looking at some of the more unusual approaches that you might not have used before. 

Ideas to deal with anxiety

1. Get more vitamin C.

According to a study from 2020, vitamin C helps to reduce stress and lower cortisol levels, as well as being good for your immune system It says "Treatment with vitamin C appears to restore the stress response and improve the survival of stressed humans." So extra fruit or juice may help. 

2. Keep variety in the daily routine.

Ask clients to structure their day so everyone in the house gets some alone time to do whatever they enjoy, and some social interaction (with members of the household or by phone/online). If they live alone, it can be more of a challenge but it’s possible with a bit of thought. They should also include activities that challenge both their brain (work, learning, puzzles, etc) and their body (physical activity) in every day's routine.

3. Cold water.

When clients are anxious and their minds are racing, ask them to fill a bowl with icy water and suddenly plunge their hands into it. It’s a bit of a shock tactic, but it interrupts a constant stream of negative thoughts! It can also improve circulation, and release endorphins that make them feel more positive and alert.

As an alternative, they could hold an ice cube in their mouth. This has a similar effect, but it is more practical in some situations. Plus, many people find that holding the ice cube on their tongue and breathing in the cold air that has passed over it is a soothing experience. A few people recommend cold showers as well, but that's probably only for the very determined!

 

4. Do something that requires concentration.

Word or number puzzles can be good for this, or even colouring – learn more about this HERE. If clients don't have these handy in stressful moments, using tongue twisters or alphabetical lists (e.g. of flowers, dog breeds, or boys' names) will do.

5. Inflate a balloon.

Blowing up a balloon forces someone to control their breathing, take deep breaths and breathe out fully. So if your usual breathing exercises don't appeal to your client, this one might, and it's especially good to use with kids.

6. Go to bed and get up earlier. 

Anxiety and lack of sleep often go hand in hand, so check your clients' sleeping patterns. It may help to go to bed an hour earlier and get up fifteen minutes earlier. The extra forty-five minutes of sleep will do their mind and body some good. The extra fifteen minutes in the morning will make their start to the day less pressured, especially if it means missing the worst of the traffic or getting a few moments of 'me' time before the kids wake up. 

If you want other ways to help clients with their sleeping, sign up for our free CPD course on the topic, which you can find HERE. 

Creating a feeling of anxiety is something your clients' minds learned to do, and they can also develop the opposite skill of calming themselves. 

Many will have tried lots of self-help techniques or seen other therapists before they arrived with you. Some will (whatever you suggest) tell you they’ve tried that before and it didn’t work. 

So it’s always worth knowing a few more unusual tips that they might not have come across before. There’s no telling what will work for your clients until you try. 

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Author: Debbie Waller is an experienced hypnotherapist and hypnotherapy trainer. She is the author of The Hypnotherapist's Companion and Their Worlds, Your Words and a co-writer of the Hypnotherapy Handbook, all of which are available from Amazon.
Find out more about Debbie's services on
Yorkshire Hypnotherapy Training - multi accredited hypnotherapy practitioner training, taster days and foundation levels.
CPD Expert - accredited CPD and other therapy training (online and workshops options), expert and qualified hypnotherapy supervision