Chestnut Hypnotherapy

11/04/2026

A slightly more personal post than usual… but one I wanted to share.

My son is currently cycling around the world.

And he’s been featured in Cycling Weekly.

If you read the article, you’ll see that at 27 he passed out in a ditch due to a heart condition. Not something any parent expects. Or forgets.

What stood out for me was how he had to learn to manage it at the time. Not just physically, but mentally too.

Because when something like that happens, it’s not just your body that takes a hit. It’s your confidence. Your sense of safety. Your trust in yourself.

That’s where I found myself stepping in. Not just as his mum, but as a hypnotherapist and former mental health nurse.

The breathing techniques I taught him weren’t about performance. They were about helping him stay calm in his body. To steady himself when things felt uncertain.

And at the time, they even helped his heart to slow down during episodes. Even with an underlying physical condition.

It took a while for the Doctors to fix the problem …more info in the article

And now he’s cycling around the world.

Which still feels slightly surreal to say.

He’s using this experience to raise money for Cardiac Risk in the Young, which feels incredibly important given what he’s been through.

If you feel moved to support, he is collecting donations along the way.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/cyclingtom?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

And if you’re someone dealing with anxiety around your health, your body, or feeling out of control, this is exactly the kind of work I support people with every day.

You can read the article here:
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/i-passed-out-in-a-ditch-a-mystery-heart-condition-at-27-hasnt-stopped-this-rider-from-cycling-around-the-world

08/04/2026

✋Do you want to stop feeling stressed and stuck?

🚦Stop right now and read this post until the end

✅Discover how to improve your mental wellbeing and focus using asimple journaling process even if you don't think you can!

✅Check out my FREE beautiful Journal to work through anxiety in a helpful and productive way.

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🔗THE LINK IS HERE🔗👇

https://sales.chestnuthypnotherapy.com/anxiety-rehab-journal/

07/04/2026

We are still massively underplaying the impact of perimenopause on mental health.

Women are being told
“it’s just stress”
“it’s just life”
“it’s just you”

When actually… it isn’t.

The anxiety.

The overthinking.

The loss of confidence.
The not feeling like yourself.
There is a reason for it.

And more importantly, there are ways to help your brain feel calmer again.

I’ve written a blog about this because women deserve to understand what’s happening to them.

If you want clarity, go and read it.

There’s also a free Anxiety Toolkit.

And you can book a free consultation if you want support.

https://chestnuthypnotherapy.com/home/f/the-perimenopause-what%E2%80%99s-really-going-on

07/04/2026

We are still massively underplaying the impact of perimenopause on mental health.

Women are being told

“it’s just stress”

“it’s just life”

“it’s just you”

When actually… it isn’t.

The anxiety.

The overthinking.

The loss of confidence.

The not feeling like yourself.

There is a reason for it.

And more importantly, there are ways to help your brain feel calmer again.

I’ve written a blog about this because women deserve to understand what’s happening to them.

If you want clarity, go and read it.

There’s also a free Anxiety Toolkit.

And you can book a free consultation if you want support.

https://chestnuthypnotherapy.com/home/f/the-perimenopause-what%E2%80%99s-really-going-on

13/02/2026

“I’ve had CBT. It made sense… but I still felt wired.”

I hear this quite a lot.

CBT can be very helpful.

But some women find that understanding their thoughts isn’t enough when their nervous system is still on high alert - especially during perimenopause.

I’ve put together a clear explanation of what actually happens in a Solution Focused Hypnotherapy session, how it works differently and why it can help you feel so much better.

If you’ve ever wondered whether hypnotherapy is safe, legitimate, or just misunderstood this will help.

Read more here:

https://perimenopausesupport.uk/how-hypnotherapy-works

05/02/2026

Behind every video I make there’s me and my laptop.. happy Thursday. Hope you had a great week
https://perimenopausesupport.uk/free-anxiety-toolkit

04/02/2026

Sleep tip you probably haven’t been told. ( or maybe you have but aren’t actually doing!)

If you’re lying in bed at 2am thinking
“Why can’t I just sleep like a normal person?”This is for you.

Insomnia isn’t a willpower problem.
And it’s not because you’re doing bedtime wrong.

Most sleep issues are your nervous system staying on dutylong after it’s needed.

Which is why:

🕳️forcing sleep backfires
🕳️clock-watching ramps things up
🕳️ “I must sleep or tomorrow’s ruined” …keeps the brain on high alert

Sleep doesn’t respond to pressure.

It responds to safety.

That’s why the most helpful changes are often boring,
repetitive, and very unglamorous:

🎈 predictable evenings
🎈protected mornings
🎈 fewer stimulants sneaking in
🎈 getting out of bed when you’re wide awake instead of battling it

None of that is sexy.

But it works.

I’ve just added a short video to the sleep section of my website that talks through the key things that actually help - without relaxation tracks, gimmicks, or pretending sleep is a mindset issue.

If sleep has been off for a while, start there.

And if you want to talk it through properly, I also offer a free consultation.

Your sleep isn’t broken.

It’s just stuck in protection mode.
And that can be retrained.

Link for your free consultation is in comments and here 👇https://calendly.com/bonnie-01/free-initial-consultation

23/01/2026

Something I see a lot with people in midlife is worry about ageing parents.

It’s rarely dramatic.
It’s more of a quiet background concern that never really switches off.

You notice small changes.
You start thinking ahead.
And suddenly part of your mind is always half on.

In women this often sits alongside everything else that perimenopause brings.

Poor sleep.
Less tolerance for stress.
Feeling more on edge than you used to.

What’s interesting is that this kind of worry isn’t really about the future.

It’s about what your nervous system is doing now.

Holding responsibility in two directions keeps the system alert.

If your hormones are already shifting, that alertness can tip into anxiety much more easily.

Not because you’re failing.
But because your buffer is smaller than it used to be.

One small thing that can help is separating what’s actually happening today from what might happen later.

That distinction alone can soften things.

This kind of quiet, background stress is exactly the sort of thing I help you with.

Calmly.
Practically.
Without turning it into a bigger story than it needs to be.

If this is something you’re dealing with, and you want support, I can help. Here’s the link to a Free chat.☕️

https://calendly.com/bonnie-01/free-initial-consultation

Picture is of me on a boat feel free to guess where exactly!

01/01/2026

26/10/2025

📢 Great news from the NHS 📢

They’ve announced that routine NHS Health Checks in England will now include questions about the menopause for the first time - meaning millions of women may get earlier recognition and support of perimenopause/menopause symptoms.

It’s not yet a full screening programme, and details are still being developed (the exact questions and rollout are being worked on) but it marks a huge step forward for women’s health.

But it got me thinking … if the NHS is making progress, are workplaces doing the same?

Imagine a workplace where:

🌸 open conversations about mid-life health were the norm
🌸flexibility and tailored support were readily offered
🌸leaders truly listened, understood and acted
🌸safe spaces existed where women in perimenopause felt seen, supported, not invisible 💖

This kind of culture shift matters because our experience at work is every bit as important as what happens in the Doctor’s office.

👇 I’d love to hear from you:

What does your employer do (if anything) to support women through perimenopause/menopause?

Or what do you wish they’d do differently?

Let’s get the conversation going.


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23/10/2025

I’ve been reading Nobody’s Girl, Virginia Giuffre’s autobiography and it’s honestly not an easy read.

Her story is heartbreaking and brave. She shared her experiences hoping it might help others who’ve been through something painful.

It’s made me think about how, during midlife, old emotions can sometimes resurface - even when we thought we’d dealt with them.

Hormonal changes can heighten our stress response, and things we’ve buried for years can suddenly feel much closer to the surface.

If you’ve noticed yourself feeling more anxious, tearful, or easily overwhelmed lately, please know you’re not alone and it’s not a sign of weakness. It’s your body and mind’s way of asking for a little more care and calm.

That’s why I created my Perimenopause Anxiety Toolkit - a collection of gentle, practical tools to help you ground yourself, soothe anxious thoughts, and understand what’s really happening in your body and brain.

💗 You can download it here: https://sales.chestnuthypnotherapy.com/peri-anxiety-toolkit/

Sometimes, understanding why you feel the way you do is the first step toward feeling more in control and a lot kinder toward yourself. 🌸

15/09/2025

Anyone else lying in bed at 2am with your mind racing, even though you're exhausted? 🙋‍♀️

That "tired but wired" feeling is so common in perimenopause, and it's absolutely maddening. Your cortisol patterns are shifting, your oestrogen is fluctuating, and your nervous system is trying to keep up.

What I see with my clients is this creates a perfect storm where food becomes the go-to stress reliever - especially in those evening hours when everything feels overwhelming.

The good news? There are practical ways to calm that wired feeling and break the stress-eating cycle.

I've put together a free toolkit with simple techniques that work specifically for perimenopausal anxiety. Grab it here: https://sales.chestnuthypnotherapy.com/peri-anxiety-toolkit/