Dan’s Blog

Ely Mental Health Radio Show!

Ely Mental Health Radio Show!

Ely Mental Health Radio Show!

Hey Pop Pickers! Or maybe I’m going to need a different introduction to my show when I hit the air waves soon!

I’m excited, nervous and then even more excited to confirm that I will soon begin hosting a brand new show on Ely Radio (which plays Ely’s biggest music variety!). I’ll be hosting a show where the focus is all about mental health and I hope to cover anything and everything that falls into this category. I want you to be able to understand mental health issues and cut through the masses and masses of information, speculation, opinion and downright misleading information you can find online these days.

We all have some level of mental health and we all know someone who has been affected by mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, panic and stress. My goal is to help raise awareness, hopefully initiate helpful conversations and provide practical ideas for how you can support your own well-being. And I’ll throw in some awesome music onto the show too! Although whether your definition of awesome music and mine are going to be the same is open for debate!!

I’ll let you know once the first show is scheduled to air although please be kind because this is all very new and may take a little bit of time to evolve into the polished air-wave performance I’ll be seeking to deliver to your ears. I’ll also do my best not to descend into Smashie and Nicey mode (for those of you who remember them!) – although remember you ain’t seen nothing yet! (Please, please, please Mr Radio Manager let that be the first song played on my show!)

And if you have any ideas, suggestions, topics or questions for the show then do get in touch and let me know.

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Anxiety About Driving – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Anxiety About Driving – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Anxiety About Driving – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Anxiety about driving is a pretty common thing. With so many cars on the road, it may seem to you like everyone else just gets in the car and goes. Yet anxiety about driving can impact in all sorts of frustrating and limiting ways.

We all rely on cars so much these days that if you struggle with getting in the car and going places, it’s going to have an adverse impact upon your life. Rather than having the freedom to go places and do the things you want to do, you either miss out, battle with anxiety or have to rely on others to take you. It seems so easy for others yet you struggle with the anxious thoughts and feelings about driving that make it an ordeal, a threat and something to try and avoid.

Now, of course, anxiety about driving can impact in different ways. For some it means totally avoiding driving altogether because of the anxiety, stress, worry and fear. You may have certain routes that are more comfortable for you, such as local and slower roads, but anything beyond that is out of limits. And for others, it is only the quicker roads that seem safer and manageable. There can also be anxiety about specific aspects of driving, such as busy traffic, coping with glaring lights at night, new routes or dealing with finding a space and parking.

However, your driving anxiety impacts, you can feel tense just thinking about it and you can dread any upcoming journey. You find yourself vividly imagining all sorts of feared driving situations. You might worry about messing up, going the wrong way or being unable to park at your destination. You may worry about other road users driving dangerously. Or maybe you feel anxious as you think about the risk that you may cause an accident and harm someone else. If you feel anxious about it, your mind will find some negative worst case scenario that may happen.

You may have been told before that you are a capable driver, you may even know logically that the likelihood of that feared worst case happening is remote. Yet in the grip of anxiety the thoughts and feelings can be overwhelming. You feel relief if you can get out of driving and that relief fuels your desire to avoid any other driving situations that could occur in the future.

Yet it is very possible to change this pattern of anxiety. Rather than being filled with dread and anxiety, you can start to feel calm, comfortable and confident both before you drive and when you are behind the wheel. Rather than your thoughts being dominated with how you’ll get somewhere, you can start to become more focused on where you are going and why you are going there.

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IBS: Reducing The Risk of IBS Symptoms

IBS: Reducing The Risk of IBS Symptoms

IBS: Reducing The Risk of IBS Symptoms

IBS symptoms can be totally frustrating. If you’ve been diagnosed with IBS then you’ve probably had all sorts of tests that have ruled everything else out. You may have had to struggle on with your symptoms for month after month and one intrusive test after another only to be told that it’s probably IBS. You may have tried restrictive food regimes to try and work out triggers, and you may know many food triggers, yet there is always the risk of IBS symptoms occurring at other times too.

It can all start to take over your life. I’ve worked with clients who won’t eat before they go out or while out in case their IBS strikes. You may find yourself worrying about where there are toilets and even limiting the places you will go to those you can be sure have adequate and clean toilets. Or maybe you end up cancelling plans because the stress and risk of the embarrassment from an episode is too great. You might be able to recall a few near miss occasions in the past and these loom large in your mind as a warning of future risks.

All this stress and anxiety around the risk of IBS symptoms striking is even before you deal with the discomfort and pain when your IBS is at its worst. I’ve known of sufferers who have to get up early to allow for time on the toilet, who can spend such a long time on the toilet or who have to habitually make many repeat visits to the toilet. All the discomfort, stress, anxiety and worry limits your life and leads to worrying about potential worst case scenarios. And, because stress and anxiety can trigger IBS, you can easily get caught in a loop of worry, discomfort and pain and then more anxiety.

Only recently I was working with an IBS client who would get anxious before going to work and who needed to spend ages sitting on the toilet. There was constant anxiety that the IBS may strike when at work and that disaster would ensue. Another client would look online for toilet information before agreeing to go anywhere with friends and who would worry about going away on holiday.

The positive news is that hypnotherapy has a strong evidence base for helping with both the IBS symptoms themselves, and the anxiety and stress that goes with IBS. IBS can’t be cured but you can manage it effectively in a way where you are able to be happy and enjoy life. You can reduce the stress and anxiety about the risk of IBS symptoms arising that can contribute to a greater likelihood of that then happening.

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Exercise For Depression – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Exercise For Depression – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Exercise For Depression – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

I’ve been busy continuing my training for my upcoming ultra-marathon that is now getting ominously close. I’m up to over twenty miles in my training runs and looking to keep building as much as I can to support me to get around on the day (and to hopefully raise as much as I can for MacMillan Cancer Support).

The weather when running can make a huge difference and after a heat wave marathon and a frozen ultra last year I’ve got my fingers crossed for something more pleasant in April. Thankfully it has been pretty mild recently and when the sun is up early then the scenery and views here in the Fens are spectacular.

I’ve covered before how valuable I find exercise, and particularly running, to support my own mental health. Way back when I struggled with anxiety and low self-esteem it was my go to coping strategy. It was how I processed my overthinking, moved on from my negative self talk and dissipated my unwanted emotions. I always felt mentally better for it afterwards. These days it is my way of thinking through things, or deciding not to really think about much at all, and it is my way of boosting and supporting my mental health and sense of well-being.

There is a wealth of research and evidence supporting how exercise can help with your mental health and especially with anxiety and depression symptoms. Because there is such a volume of research I’ve covered this topic several times before in previous articles. Exercise and being active sit very nicely alongside psychological therapies, such as hypnotherapy, for helping you to alleviate your anxiety and depression.

Recently another paper was published that took a look at the effect of exercise for depression and I’ve covered that briefly further down in this article. The message is loud and clear that if you want to feel better then some sort of activity is likely to help you positively boost your mental health.

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Tame Your Inner Critic Hypnosis Download Now Available

Tame Your Inner Critic Hypnosis Download Now Available

Tame Your Inner Critic Hypnosis Download Now Available

Do you have a habit of criticising yourself and putting yourself down? A lot of people struggle with their own inner self-talk and thinking, let alone with having to deal with all of the other challenges that can come their way in life.

Your inner critic is that voice in your head and in your self-talk where you habitually put yourself down, criticise yourself and exacerbate your perceived failings. It leads to feeling low, bad and lacking confidence in yourself. If that inner critical thinking has been there for a long time, you may not even notice you are doing it. You get lost in a cycle of negativity, doubt and rumination over what you do, how you do it and who you consider yourself to be.

It can be incredibly frustrating to seemingly be your own worst enemy and to undermine and sabotage how you feel and what you do. You may tell yourself that you aren’t good enough or worthy, that you will fail and that you don’t deserve to be happy. You overlook your positive qualities (the ones others may mention) and instead amplify and focus upon your own perceived failings. It becomes a cycle of feeling bad and limiting yourself.

Yet it doesn’t have to be this way. You can start to become more encouraging, supportive and kind to yourself. This will mean feeling better and more motivated to take action on your goals and to trust in your ability to successfully handle any challenges. You can accept yourself and recognise that no-one is perfect and that there is always potential for learning and growth.

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Fear of Spiders Hypnotherapy Review

Fear of Spiders Hypnotherapy Review

Fear of Spiders Hypnotherapy Review

Today I’m sharing with you an overcoming fear of spiders hypnotherapy review video from someone I have worked with.

Our eight legged friends certainly do get around don’t they. You can just be sitting there at home or work getting on with something and then, out of the corner of your eye, you notice something scuttling across the floor or wall. Now, if you have a fear of spiders then you probably already did a little check when you came in the room. You may not even notice how you scan the corners of the room in case there is one about.

I’ve worked with people who get anxious and fearful just going near a place where they’ve seen a spider before, even though the spider they saw back then is long gone. A cobweb may put you on edge. People talking about them or a picture of one may get your heart rate up. And if there is one anywhere near you then you can panic and either freeze with your eyes locked onto the spider, or you may run as fast as you can from the room. You may have to get someone else to get rid of the spider and you either can’t look at it or need evidence that it has been removed. And my client who is sharing her hypnotherapy review today couldn’t even say the word spider when we first met, let alone get near enough to get rid of one.

You know that your fear of spiders is irrational. Yet that doesn’t stop the anxiety, worry and panic whenever you see one. Although there is a time of year when they are more likely to come in your house, they can appear anytime. Perhaps even more worryingly they can soon disappear into any little dark space so that you don’t know where they are or when they may appear. For some it’s any spider and for others it’s the bigger bodied ones. Either way, hypnotherapy can help you to feel calm, confident and in control to either humanely remove a spider or to just let it be as you get on with other things.

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Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder – Hypnotherapy Ely & Newmarket

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (AFRID) has been in the press recently after one charity reported a large spike in people seeking help for this type of food problem.

People who struggle with this form of eating disorder will avoid certain foods and so have a limited range of things they eat. I’ve helped many people over the years with this sort of eating disorder. They will usually have a pretty restricted range of foods that they can currently cope with eating. In various combinations these ‘safe’ foods are repeated over and over.

When it comes to trying to eat anything new, there can be an overwhelming sense of fear, stress and anxiety. It’s pretty common for someone to gag if they try to eat something new. It is such an unpleasant experience, and so stress inducing, that most people just continue with their same restricted range of foods. It can cause problems eating around others or going out to eat. You can feel frustrated and even annoyed with yourself for being unable to eat the things other people seem to cope with eating. Often, it means a fairly unhealthy and restricted diet and eating can lack any sense of joy or fun.

Although there can be some variations between people, there is a heightened sensitivity to certain food tastes, textures or smells. Even the thought of eating something outside the ordinary can lead to tension and anxiety.

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Anxiety, Depression and Agoraphobia Hypnotherapy Review Video

Anxiety, Depression and Agoraphobia Hypnotherapy Review Video

Anxiety, Depression and Agoraphobia Hypnotherapy Review Video

As a former anxiety sufferer, I know how limiting and debilitating it can be. It can take over your life and limit what you feel capable of doing and achieving. You struggle on in a battle with your own thoughts and feelings and missing out on doing things you want to do.

And so, one of the happiest and most positive moments during my work is when a client tells me how their hypnotherapy sessions have helped them to feel better, stronger and more confident. I love sharing client reviews because I want it to bring hope to you if you are currently stuck in the cycle of anxiety. It really is possible to overcome issues such as anxiety, depression and agoraphobia so that you feel calm, confident and in control over your own thoughts and feelings. Rather than being thrown from one anxious thought to another, you can direct your thinking, emotions and responses in a way that allows you to feel confident and in control.

I’m very fortunate in that I work with a lot of amazing people who are happy to share their hypnotherapy feedback. These videos and comments are why I do what I do and why I put so much time, effort and persistence into helping as many people as I can to overcome their challenges and move forward with their goals. I particularly love it when a client shares a hypnotherapy video review because I want you to know that these are real people sharing their real life results.

And here in this article I’m sharing my latest hypnotherapy video review from a client who was battling anxiety, depression and agoraphobia and who is now feeling stronger and more confident and being their true self. It’s definitely worth a watch!

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Running For Macmillan Cancer Support

Running For Macmillan Cancer Support

Running For Macmillan Cancer Support

I’ve been busy with my running training and I’m delighted to confirm that I’m going to be raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support when I take part in my next event in April.

For those of you who have been following me for a long time, you may just about remember that I’ve run to help Macmillan before. Way back in about 2013, while my Dad was very poorly with cancer but still with us, I headed back to my home town of Cardiff to take part in the half marathon there. The whole event was outstanding, especially the start where I got to hang around inside the castle for a while before heading to the start line and heading off. A crazy, enjoyable, busy event that helped me to raise a few hundred pounds for such a great cause.

And so Macmillan are a cause close to my heart. They were there when my Dad had cancer to provide advice, information and support. More recently, they have provided help while my father in law has been going through his battle with cancer and his treatment.

Last time it was a half marathon and this time I’m making it more of a challenge for myself. I’ll be heading to Huntingdon in April to do as many laps as I can of a looped course within the six hour time limit. Fingers crossed, I’ll get beyond a marathon and somewhere around the 50k mark. Based on my return to long distance running last year, I’m expecting it to be pretty tough. Yet every penny for Macmillan matters so if you can spare some change then I’d be massively grateful, it’ll help me to persist on the day and it will help Macmillan to help more people who are going through the tough challenge of facing cancer.

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Random Acts of Kindness – Hypnotherapy Ely and Newmarket

Random Acts of Kindness – Hypnotherapy Ely and Newmarket

Random Acts of Kindness – Hypnotherapy Ely and Newmarket

Today, as I write this, is Random Acts of Kindness Day, a day created with the aim of encouraging more positive interactions and kindness between people. These can be big things or little things yet the aim is to do something nice for someone else or something that brightens the day of another person.

Now, of course, this is a lovely idea. And  it’s even more lovely when it becomes your general mindset in your actions and interactions with the people you come into contact with in your community. Recently here in Ely there was Pay It Forward Day (promoted by Spotted in Ely) which has a similar ethos and just yesterday, on my walk into the office I saw a colouring book that had been left for someone lucky to find. As there is a child care centre near my office I’m sure the book found a good home.

And so Random Acts of Kindness Day is all about positively and purposefully sharing positive acts and doing some nice things for others.  These acts of kindness don’t need to cost anything, it can be as simple as saying please and thank you, holding a door for someone or just smiling and offering a compliment to someone else. You get the chance to make someone’s else’s day that much brighter. And let’s be honest, although this should be how we all set out to interact with others, sometimes a reminder and a recharge is helpful.

And so you get the opportunity to give someone else a bit of a lift and positive energy. Yet, even better, the research suggests that doing kind acts for others actually makes you happier. In fact, if you want to feel happier in your life then kindness is certainly something that you should be actively and purposefully making part of your outlook, intention and actions.

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