Going through a career transition can bring up a range of emotional responses. There are many factors that can bring about such a change, some of these are controlled by you, such as going for a promotion or choosing to switch career, while others are out of your control such as redundancy or unwelcome changes to your current professional role. You might feel excited but also overwhelmed and you might feel a surge of self doubt, fear of the unknown and stress.
Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool that can help you to overcome limiting beliefs, self-doubt and emotional blocks so that you can navigate the challenges using a positive mindset and a confident perspective.
Emotional and mental barriers have a powerful hold on you and will impact your behaviours either consciously or subconsciously so it’s important to be aware of what’s going on for you deep down. Here are some of the most common barriers that come up during a career transition;
Fear of failure or rejection. This can prevent you from actually trying for what you want. The fear becomes a prediction and can spiral until failure becomes an expectation. In these scenarios there are no balancing factors, no potential expectations to succeed and so your motivation is worn away and, even if you do make an attempt, you don’t throw yourself into it because you’re protecting yourself as you wait for the bad news.
Imposter syndrome. You know what you want and it seems to be too good for you. You find yourself doubting your worth and doubting that you deserve to succeed. The dreaded question of ‘Am I good enough?’ bubbles up to the surface and you don’t think that you are. You even have ‘reasons’ to back up this opinion; you’re not good enough because you haven’t done anything like this before, you don’t have the experience, you’ll make a mistake. Well, everyone who ever did anything ever had to start somewhere, you included.
Stress and anxiety about financial security. Most of us have responsibilities that hold us in place - rent, mortgage, bills, family - and the thought of taking a risk isn’t just about ourselves. There’s the risk of being unable to manage those responsibilities and the people who are depending on you. These are completely valid concerns but shouldn’t stop you taking the first step, which is truly considering what may be possible. Thinking about it, doing some research and maybe crunching some numbers to get a realistic view rather than spiralling and giving up before you’ve even started.
Struggles with motivation and procrastination. Feelings of not being ready can be a very demotivating experience but, at the same time, how can you feel ready for something that you haven’t done before? There’s a misconception that you need to get motivated in order to do something. I’d like to respectfully suggest that sometimes we might need to get started and let the momentum build and the motivation follows that. Motivation doesn’t mean that you do something easily. There’ll be days when you don’t feel like doing the thing that’s moving you forward. You do it anyway. Procrastination manifests in many ways but a big one is waiting for perfection and refusing to move forward until everything is perfect. A lot of people don’t move at all while they wait for the perfect moment. Try this instead; let it be messy, let yourself make mistakes, let yourself learn and grow.
So, how can hypnotherapy help you with a career change? Hypnotherapy works directly with the subconscious mind which is where your limiting beliefs, deep rooted fears and sense of self-worth are. Here are some of the ways hypnotherapy can support you;
Reprogramming your subconscious mind. This helps to replace negative thought patterns, which often occur without you really realising it, with confidence and a positive outlook.
Overcoming fear and self-doubt. Guided intentional suggestions help to shift limiting beliefs.
Boosting confidence and self-worth. Helps you to truly and deeply believe in your abilities and to acknowledge that you are capable on a subconscious level.
Enhancing motivation and focus. Helping you to move past the blocks that keep you in place such as procrastination. Reinforcing your commitment to goals and maintaining momentum.
Managing stress and anxiety. Providing deep physical, mental and emotional relaxation techniques to ease worries.
Hypnotherapy utilises a range of techniques which can have a direct impact on your career transition journey;
Guided visualisation. This goes beyond just imagining what it would be like to achieve your goal. This is engaging all of your awareness and fully envisioning success in a new career to reinforce self belief.
Affirmations and positive suggestions. Both of these acquire more strength and power when they are working from the subconscious mind.
Past experience reframing. Instead of remembering past failures and cringing, change the perspective. Review these past events as learning experiences and be mindful of what you can take from them in order to move forward with more knowledge and perspective.
Relaxation and stress relief techniques. Calming the nervous system allows you to view your situation from a place of balance so that you can choose how to respond to situations instead of automatically reacting.
If you find yourself in a career transition, whether it’s one of you’re choosing or something that has suddenly appeared on the horizon, consider using hypnotherapy as part of your journey.
Most hypnotherapists, including me, offer a free discovery call which is a great opportunity for you to have a chat and ask any questions that might be on your mind. Book a session today and find out more about how hypnotherapy could help you.