Did you know nail biting had an actual name?

Nail biting or onychophagia, is thought to be common in children and young adults with studies showing 20-33% of children and around 45% of teenagers bite their nails. Experts don't really know what causes it but stress, boredom, frustration can all increase the habit, it's not uncommon for people to bite their nails when they are hungry or when deeply concentrating as well.

There are a number of negative complications from nail biting ranging from as infections, jaw pain to more serious issues such as bone infections.

What can I do about it? Well there are barrier methods, using mouth guards, wearing gloves. Keeping your nails very short. Keeping your mouth occupied (chewing gum etc).

Or.... you can try hypnosis.

I work with so many different behaviours but regardless of what I am treating, I always love to have feedback and a testimonial makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, to be honest, knowing I have helped someone to achieve their goals is why I do what I do.

I had the pleasure of working with GS recently. He had bitten his nails for 40+ years and although he is a strong willed person, who likes to be in control, he wasn't able to kick the habit except for a short period of time some years back. GS found this extremely frustrating, most of the time, he wasn't even aware that he was biting his nails. His hands and nails were badly affected and he felt this let down his appearance and annoyed him and his family who constantly pointed out when he was carrying out the behaviour.

Over the course of 3 sessions, we worked on bringing his behaviour into his conscious awareness so that he was able to stop the habit before it began.

Here's what GS had to say after the sessions had ended......

I contacted Coral after deciding to finally tackle my problem of Nail Biting for the past 40years +. I went into the whole process after speaking with Coral, I was open minded and felt comfortable about all that was explained to me. Coral led me through all 3 appointments. I began to feel and see results within 1 week of our first session. I have now finished all my 3 sessions and waited over 25 days before writing my recommendation and post to clearly see if I was still happy with the end result. I am and would recommend Room 101 Therapy (Coral) to anyone who just wishes to improve their life balance. Its simple, easy and mind blowing. I would finally add that Coral carried out all my sessions over Zoom which again during Covid times was fantastic. I would whole heartily recommend Coral going forward

Menopause - Hot flushes, Night Sweats, Anxiety and associated Sleep Problems.

Symptoms of menopause can be debilitating, affecting mental health, home life, work life, relationships and leave you questioning what on earth is going on. I recently sat in on a webinar run by Bupa and although this is an area that I specialise in, I was still shocked by some of the statistics from a recent survey of 4000 women.

Did you know that.......

44% of women say that the menopause affects their mental health

75% of women said that menopause had changed their lives

50% of women said that it had a very negative impact on their working lives.

Statistically, you will live longer being menopausal than you will live as a menstruating woman and according to a report 'Better for Women' - 2019

51% of our population is female

47% of the workforce is female

58% of unpaid carers are female

This is a huge part of the population that will go through menopause, a perfectly natural phase in life, just like puberty, and yet we don't discuss it. We don't share what is happening, the symptoms and what help and support is available.

Watch this space.... I will be sharing my article about how my Menopause Relief Therapy has helped ladies get back control which will feature in the spring edition of Menopause Matters magazine (out later this month).

You do not have to 'put up with it', you don't have to suffer in silence. Get in touch with me to find out how I may be able to help you control those hot flushes, reduce those night sweats and get a good night's sleep and reduce that anxiety that also helps reduce the brain fog. Reclaim your life!

Email me now to arrange a free consultation to discuss your symptoms: info@room101therapy.com

#menopause #nightsweats #hotflush #anxiety #disruptedsleep #perimenopause

Stop Listening and Start Listening

Every morning come rain or shine, I go out for a walk with my dog and even before I leave the house, I am aware of the weather. Is it raining, if so, do I need waterproofs? Is it frosty, if so, do I need a heavier jacket, what footwear do I put on because the ground may be wet, muddy, slippy but the one thing I do day in and day out is to put headphones on and decide what music I want to listen to on my walk. This can be sad and introspective, it can be happy and upbeat or it could be an eclectic mix and it seems that the music I listen to can affect my mood OR does my mood affect what I listen to?

Off I go in my own little world with the music playing in my head and it is strange, sometimes I find myself singing out loud, forgetting that others outside of my 'world' have no idea what I am listening to. I feel like I am playing a part in a musical where I am the only actor and everything else is one step removed.

Regardless, I am always acutely aware of what I see. The weather, perhaps some deer, a fox, some rabbits and then as I stomp off down by the riverbank to the beat of the sounds in my ears, I may be lucky enough to see the otters fishing for their breakfast but I am always guaranteed a wealth of native birds, on the river, in the trees and flying overhead.

Today, my headphones had no charge. Today, I didn't get the lead part in the musical. Today, it was foggy and I couldn't see very far and certainly couldn't see any of the wildlife that normally surrounded me. Today, it was just me, my dog and my thoughts, and then, I had a huge moment where I realised what I had been missing out on. The cacophony of natural sounds, the sound of so many different birds singing, cawing of crows, quacking of ducks, the incredible bird song of our native species. It was absolutely incredible.

Tomorrow, I will leave my headphones at home, tomorrow I will listen to the natural sounds that surround me each and every day because I realised that when one sense is inhibited, the other senses compensate and you can tune into a whole new world that has been there all along.

Sometimes, the smallest change in behaviour can lead to the biggest changes in our lives.

What changes would you like to make that will change the way you live your life going forward?

Email me at info@room101therapy.com to discuss how I may be able to help you make those changes