Sally* was exhausted. Anxiety was stealing her sleep, memories of her late mother kept triggering upset, and workplace relationships were causing stress. She’d lie awake worrying about whether she’d sleep, then spend the next day anxious and frustrated. It was a cycle that felt impossible to break.
THE CHALLENGE
When Sally started therapy, she was struggling on multiple fronts: sleep disturbance, anxiety, grief over her mother’s death, and tension with a colleague at work. Everything felt tangled together, and she didn’t know where to start.
Her goal was straightforward: sleep through the night, manage her emotions, and feel calm enough to handle her daily life.
Starting point: Feeling 5 out of 10
THE JOURNEY
The Phone in the Kitchen (Week 1)
The first breakthrough was simple but powerful. Sally realised she was sabotaging her own sleep by looking at her phone in bed, worrying about whether she’d sleep.
“I need to stop looking at my phone and worrying that I won’t sleep. I would put my phone away, leave it in the kitchen, and listen to some music.”
She set up Alexa to play relaxation audio and committed to keeping her phone out of the bedroom. Within a week, she’d had her first full night’s sleep in months and felt “on top of the world.”
Balancing Grief with Happy Memories (Week 2)
Sally’s mother’s death was still raw, and memories would trigger upset throughout the day. We worked on a strategy that honoured both her sadness and her need to function:
It’s ok to be sad and remember those who have passed. But you need to be able to regain, or better still maintain, a level of control over it.
Sally’s solution: when she felt sad, she’d look at photos of happy times with her mum on her phone. She’d allow herself to feel the sadness, then consciously shift to positive memories.
Workplace Confidence (Week 4)
Something shifted at work. Instead of focusing on the tension with her colleague, Sally started recognising what she was good at:
“I enjoy giving out the work to them. I know who likes to do what.”
She was a good team leader. She knew her people, and she was competent. Focusing on her strengths instead of her anxieties changed everything.
The Swish Technique (Week 6)
I taught Sally a tool called the Swish Technique for managing anxiety in real-time. By this session, Sally had reached 8 out of 10 and said something remarkable about the workplace tension:
“If she asks someone else, I don’t think anything of it.”
She’d let go. The overthinking that had been damaging the relationship was gone.
“It’s Never as Bad as I Think” (Week 8)
By week 8, Sally had reached 9 out of 10. Her anxiety management had become automatic:
“If it’s about what I am going into, I shrug my shoulders and say it’s never as bad as I think or I can’t control it, so I then think about something else.”
She wasn’t forcing herself to think positively, it was happening naturally. She’d walk on the beach without worrying about what had changed over the weekend. She’d deal with intrusive thoughts immediately and move on.
“My 9+ Is as Close to 10 as I’ll Get” (Final Session)
In our final session, I asked Sally what would make her score a 10 out of 10.
“My mam would be alive. But I know that can’t happen… so when I have those thoughts, I give myself a minute or two and then look for a happy time picture. I think my 9+ is as close to 10 as I will get.”
This was profound emotional maturity. Sally recognised that perfect happiness wasn’t realistic while grieving her mother, but she could still maintain near-maximum functioning and joy.
THE TRANSFORMATION
Before therapy:
- Anxiety stealing sleep (phone in bed, ruminating)
- Memories of her mother triggering overwhelming upset
- Workplace relationships were causing stress and overthinking
- Morning grumpiness was affecting her whole day
Feeling 5/10
After 9 sessions:
- Full night’s sleep consistently (including weekends)
- Healthy grief management (minute or two, then happy memories)
- Looking forward to work and confident in her leadership role
- Automatic anxiety reframing (“never as bad as I think”)
Feeling 9+/10
Sally’s Reflections
Sally’s most powerful insight came at the end:
“Learning to focus on the good after allowing a little time to be sad. I give myself a minute or two and then look for a happy time picture.”
She didn’t try to eliminate sadness or pretend her mother’s death didn’t hurt. She gave herself permission to feel it, but only for a minute or two, then consciously chose to remember the joy.
Where Sally Is Now
Sally is thriving at a 9+ out of 10. She’s sleeping through the night, looking forward to work, and managing her grief in a healthy, balanced way. The workplace relationship that used to cause stress? She’s let it go.
Most importantly, she’s made peace with the fact that her 9+ is as close to 10 as she’ll get while grieving her mother, and that’s not a compromise, it’s sensible.
From sleepless and anxious to sleeping soundly and from overwhelmed by grief to honouring her mother with happy memories. From workplace overthinking to confident leadership.
Sally didn’t just reduce her symptoms … she developed profound emotional maturity and self-compassion. Her 9+ isn’t a limitation, it’s something to maintain and improve on.
Solution Focused Hypnotherapy helped Sally manage anxiety, sleep disturbance, grief, and workplace relationships in just 9 sessions over 12 weeks. If you’re juggling multiple challenges and don’t know where to start, therapy can help you untangle them and build sustainable wellbeing.
*Name changed for privacy