FOMO - Fear of Missing Out…!!

Hypnosis is something that divides opinion. Some people are scared of it whilst others question its validity. Hypnosis is not of course a magic power that allows you to manipulate someone, rather it is something that allows people to discover how powerful their own imagination can be

In the past hypnosis has been used to help with a variety of issues including weight loss or smoking withdrawal but a recent use is in helping people with FOMO or Fear of Missing Out issues. One of the areas FOMO flags up is how the setting of goals and the use of social media to highlight full or partial achievement of these can affect other people. The selectivity about what some people put out through their social media channels can make their readers feel that they are ‘losers’ which can lead to negativity in their own lives.

This leads on to the mechanism installed in us by modern nature – Negativity Bias. Initially we were programmed to look at the negative rather than the positive simply to survive but in the modern world we don’t need to focus on survival. Instead, we need to be able to deal with our psychological welfare and to be able adapt to social groups and society. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet changed our focus from the negative so need to specifically choose to look to the positive to benefit from the change in our thinking and behaviour

Irrational ideas support Negativity Bias. As we grow up, we pick up different ideas about ourselves, the people around us, and what happens in the world. These impressions and experiences are imprinted, and once we believe something, we collect information to cement that belief. Hypnotherapy can be used to tackle this because hypnosis is a state of mind that is characterised by increased suggestibility making us more prone to accept beliefs and a more positive way of thinking

Hypnotherapy can also be used to build Positivity Bias by rewriting and removing negative beliefs and turning them into neutral ones. By learning positive thinking habits and making a conscious effort, you can behave differently and more positively. Our minds learn through words and images and if we feed ourselves positive images we will respond in that way. You can also help create Positivity Bias by using self-help techniques. For example if you want to lose weight focus every day on three things you can do to bring your goal closer. They can be big or small things but if you write them down it can help you to focus on the things that are positive so your focus will then grow.