Struggling to Sleep? Stress, Anxiety and Why Your Mind Won’t Switch Off…
If you’ve ever been visited by the insomnia fairy, you’ll know the doom she brings…
You finally drop off, exhausted — only to wake in the early hours feeling completely wired and unable to settle back to sleep.
Your thoughts start racing.
Anxiety creeps in.
Your mind spirals, overthinking and analysing everything from the past, the present… and even the future.
Then comes the clock-watching — counting the hours and worrying about how tired you’ll feel tomorrow.
Or perhaps sleep won’t come at all, leaving you stuck in that familiar, exhaustion-fuelled loop of anxious thoughts.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. As someone offering therapy and anxiety support in North Dorset, I see this pattern regularly — and there are ways to help.
Why Can’t I Sleep When I’m Exhausted?
There are many factors that can interfere with sleep, including:
Stress and anxiety
Mental health difficulties
Burnout
Diet and blood sugar imbalance
Medical conditions
Alcohol and caffeine
Hormonal changes, including perimenopause
But if I had to put my money on one main culprit?
Stress.
Stress quietly affects almost every part of our lives. It changes how we eat, how much we drink, how much caffeine we rely on — and it has a huge impact on our hormones.
This is especially noticeable during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and perimenopause, when natural hormonal shifts make sleep more sensitive and anxiety symptoms more intense.
Hormones affect stress.
Stress affects hormones.
A perfect little cycle of chaos.
Stress, Anxiety and the “Balloon” Effect
🎈 Think of your stress capacity like a balloon.
Sleep is one of the key ways your brain releases pressure from that balloon.
So when you can’t sleep, it’s often your body’s way of saying:
“I’m getting close to full.”
When stress keeps building without release — through work pressure, emotional strain, anxiety, hormonal shifts, or constant mental load — something eventually has to give.
Poor sleep is often the first sign.
How Therapy and Anxiety Support Can Help With Sleep
The goal isn’t just “better sleep hygiene” — it’s about reducing the stress chemicals buzzing around your nervous system and gently letting air out of that balloon.
Here are some supportive steps that can help:
Practical Ways to Lower Stress and Support Sleep
✔ Move your body — especially in ways you actually enjoy
✔ Spend time outdoors and in nature
✔ Talk things through with a trusted friend, partner, or therapist
✔ Set boundaries around screen time, especially in the evening
✔ Give yourself genuine permission to rest
✔ Try restorative yoga, meditation, or guided relaxation
✔ Explore hypnotherapy or deep relaxation techniques
✔ Consider acupuncture, reflexology, or massage if they help you unwind
✔ Reduce caffeine and alcohol where possible
✔ Speak to your GP about hormones if you suspect they’re contributing
✔ Look at your diet — what small, sustainable changes could help?
When anxiety is driving sleep problems, therapy can help calm the nervous system, reduce overthinking, and address the underlying stress rather than just the symptoms.
Anxiety, Sleep and Local Support in North Dorset
If anxiety, stress, hormonal changes, or persistent sleep problems are affecting your wellbeing, you don’t have to manage it alone.
I offer therapy and anxiety support in North Dorset, supporting adults and families with:
Anxiety and overthinking
Stress and burnout
Sleep difficulties and insomnia
Perimenopause-related anxiety
Emotional wellbeing and nervous system regulation
Want Extra Support?
✨ What’s one small thing you could try this week? ✨
If you have questions about your sleep, stress levels, anxiety, or your child’s sleep, feel free to get in touch.
💜 Free resource: If you’d like to try my free deep relaxation hypnotherapy audio, just send me a message.
And always speak to your GP if symptoms persist or worsen.
Disclaimer
⚠️ This information is general and written for wellbeing education purposes. It does not replace medical advice. Please consult your GP or healthcare professional for ongoing concerns.
How to help your anxious teenager grow in confidence for exam season.
Exam season is almost here, and it’s natural for young people to feel a bit nervous. A little anxiety can actually be helpful—it triggers adrenaline, which boosts focus and motivation.
However, if your young person is overwhelmed to the point of brain fog, they may need support in shifting their mindset.
Here are three key ways you can help them:
1. Encourage Relaxation Techniques
Help your teen find what works best to calm their mind. This could be deep breathing exercises, visualizing a favorite place, or listening to music . Everyone relaxes differently, so encourage them to explore different techniques. A calm mind leads to clearer thinking and better memory recall during exams.
2. Promote Positive Visualization
Young people often focus on what could go wrong, but they rarely practice imagining success. Encourage them to visualize themselves walking into the exam feeling confident and answering questions with ease. This mental rehearsal is a proven technique used by athletes to improve performance—it can work for exams too!
3. Remind Them of Their Strengths & Self-Worth
While exam results are important, they don’t define your child. Help them recognize their strengths beyond academics—whether in creativity, kindness, problem-solving, or resilience. Remind them that success isn’t just about grades; it’s about adaptability and perseverance.
By guiding your child to manage stress, visualize success, and focus on their strengths, you can help them approach exams with confidence and a healthy perspective.
Need more help?
Book your young person in for a walk & talk session.
Over 3 sessions we will work out what’s making them anxious and figure out a personalised plan to help them walk into the exam hall with confidence.
Discounts available when booking 3 sessions in advance.
To book contact me to arrange a
consultation call:
When anxious thoughts mess up your day…
A voice note from me all about how anxious thoughts can mess up your day and what you can do about it! Have a listen.
Want to find out more about my course? Click the image above.
How to rid yourself of overwhelm and empty your stress bucket
Stress, overwhelm
Check out this video extract from my online course, all about how to get rid of overwhelm and empty your stress bucket. Stay tuned to the end for the exercises to help you feel calmer.
The Anxiety Escape Plan session 2
How to tame your anxiety monster…
anxiety monster
Mindset Tip for Midlifers…
Instead of telling yourself you feel anxious give those feelings a name.
❓Why? Because naming it helps your 🧠 brain to disassociate from that feeling so it doesn’t feel like part of you... (Remember it’s not who you are it’s just a stress response.)
This will lower the intensity of the feelings.
Here’s how it works:
I recently did this with a young person I’m working with in school. She named her anxiety monster Bernard.
We visualised Bernard as a green troll that is always saying negative things. 🧌
We imagined shrinking him down to the size of a pea.
We then gave him a silly squeaky voice and imagined turning that voice down.
Lastly, we imagined flicking Bernard away.
✨This took away Bernard’s power 🙌🏻
Now every time those thoughts & feelings come up she is now able to tell Bernard to go away.
What would you call yours ?? Comment below.
#mindsethacks #busybrains #takecontrol #highfunctioninganxiety #anxietymonster #mondsetcoach #mindsetexpert
Social media in your 40s…
Sharing tips and tools to help you create more positivity magic in your 40s.
Honest share -I’m not sure why I fit on social media anymore.
Call me old-fashioned but I preferred the old days of sharing photos and wordy blog posts.
It all seems a bit fast-paced on here these days.
It's crazy to think that used to jump on facebook live all the time chat away for a good 30 mins and people used to stay on and watch.
You now have about 3 seconds to catch someone's attention. I fact- nobody will probably read this!
But yet here I am because I refuse to give up.
So here's a reminder of who I am and what I do in case you have no clue who I am.....
I'm Josie, Hypnotherapist, Mindset Coach and mum of 3 boys.
I am addicted to personal development and I also love to read tarot cards for friends and open minded clients.
I have been Coaching people using Brief Therpy since I was in my early 20s which gives me ( omg) 20 years of experience working with women, children and families!
What I do:
I help women in their 30's & 40s to take charge of stress and get their positive pants back on!
Because lets face it... nobody works harder than women in this phase of life! ( Just look around you and notice all the women in this age group hard at work creating Christmas magic. )
Our stress buckets are full and we need to stop them over flowing if we want to stay healthy and actually enjoy life. We also have our changing hormones to battle with!
How do I do this:
I do this via one-to-one coaching and hypnotherapy sessions in person and online.
But if you are too busy for that I also have my online course
The Positivity Bootcamp.
What to expect from me on Insta:
I always aim to share stories, tips, and tools to genuinely help you.
I only post when I have something to share that is worth your time. If I don't post it's because I don't feel inspired. I won't share any old shizz.
Sometimes I will share freebie tools and sometimes offer you sessions, courses and other tools you can purchase.
I'm currently working on a resource to help women who are dealing with Perimenopause. ( I'll keep you posted on that.)
️2 Ways can help you with your stress today for free:
If you have read to end of this post - thank you - I love you. You deserve a little treat, so pop along to my Insta Bio @mindsetby_josielouise and....
1- Download my free relaxation hypnotherapy audio This link will sign you up to my email list so you can read more wordy rants from me.
Or
2 - Check out my course the Positivity Bootcamp - session 1 is free and all about the 3 things you need to ditch anxiety.
Thanks for reading - you're ace.
Josie xx
The Magic of Downtime…
Sharing tips and tools to help you create more positivity magic in your 40s.
This September my 3rd and final baby went to school. This has been a big deal for me as I’ve been parenting little boys for 12 years now. ( Feels like longer!)
So I now have Monday's free every week! (Sorry if that annoys anyone still in the thick of it. It’s been worth the wait.)
The other 4 days a week I am busy working in my day job as a Deputy Safeguarding Lead in a large secondary school.
I’ve been doing this for 18 months and I love it.
It’s an amazing job, but it is all consuming and requires a lot of energy.
When my mum asked me what I would do with my Mondays from September my instinct was to instantly feel guilty for not working a 5 day week.
I felt as I should be spending that free time doing something sensible like catching up on house work or do the food shop.
Like many women my age, I have been trained by society that my self worth is measured by my productivity…
Life has also taught me how easy it is to burn yourself out trying to meet these ridiculous standards. I’ve been down that road too many times.
So I’ve decided to dedicate my Mondays to….
-Meeting up with friends
- Quiet time
- Play & fun!
Here are some pics of things I’ve been up to!!
Making time to do fun things has made me feel like me again.
It’s unlocked that child like excitement I used to get when I took part in hobbies and activities.
This has been really important recently as I’ve been going through so big hormonal imbalances.
It is vital for my mental health that I prioritise time for:
Positive activities
Time with positive people
Positive thinking
You can find out more about how this helps to curb low mood by checking out my Positivity Bootcamp course.
The first session is free- Click below to watch video 1:
If you have been struggling with mood fluctuations I highly recommend making time to try something new.
ACTION STEPS:
1.Write a list of activities you’d like to try or restart.
( If you struggle with this, try thinking back to the things you used to enjoy when you were younger.)
How many things can you think of?
2.How could you make time to fit this into your life?
3. Want some accountability to make this happen?
Pop me a reply and tell me about your plans.