Dan’s Blog

Alcohol Anxiety

by Dan Regan | Dec 15, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks, Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Alcohol Anxiety: Why Drinking Makes Anxiety Worse

Does drinking alcohol seem to make your anxiety worse?

You may have a drink or two as a way to relax. It can mark the end of the busy day and the transition into evening. You have a couple of drinks to take the edge off, to unwind or to feel more at ease socially. Perhaps you look forward to that first sip, or you long for that initial nice feeling it can give you.

But rather than helping you feel relaxed, you may have noticed the opposite effect happening afterwards. You experience a spike in worry, racing thoughts, poor sleep and that familiar feeling of dread. Rather than waking up the next day feeling refreshed, you drag yourself out of bed fearing the worst.

With anxiety and social anxiety you may drink at social situations to try and feel more comfortable and confident. It may work for a bit but it’s easy to drink too much, too quickly. The following morning you are filled with anxiety and overthink what you may have said and done. It’s well known that hangovers often come with anxiety alongside all the other after effects of drinking too much. And some anxious people avoid alcohol as much as possible because they hate the feeling of being out of control.

I’ve worked with many people who binge drink, drink excessively or drink too much. They promise themselves (and others) that they will cut back this time. But the same habits and patterns creep back in again. They are no longer in control over their drinking.

If you’ve ever woken up the day after drinking with a pounding heart, low mood and a sense that something is wrong, then that is the alcohol anxiety. Alcohol can significantly increase your anxiety, even in people who don’t usually struggle with anxious thoughts and feelings. And if you already struggle with anxiety, despite the promise of relaxation, alcohol often makes it much worse.

As my anxiety clients have discovered, it is possible to take back control over your drinking habits and behaviours.

Anxiety in Ely at Christmas: Ely Standard

by Dan Regan | Dec 15, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Anxiety in Ely at Christmas

Christmas is billed as a time of joy, connection and fun. Yet if you are struggling with anxiety in Ely at Christmas, then it can be more about worry, overthinking, fear and dread.

As well as your usual anxiety, there can be changes in routine, social situations, pressures, expectations and a whole host of additional festive factors. It can all exacerbate your anxious feelings and negative thoughts.

My latest Ely Standard column, ‘Why Christmas can be difficult for those with anxiety’, has now been published on their website. In the article, I talk about anxiety at Christmas and offer a few practical suggestions to help.

Recently, I’ve also been covering many aspects in my website articles about dealing with the demands of the season. There are articles about social anxiety, money anxiety, family triggered anxiety, panic attacks at Christmas and sleep anxiety. There are also a couple of articles about festive eating without the guilt and managing Christmas stress eating. The articles contain a whole range of ideas and strategies for looking after your mental health so you can relax and enjoy yourself.

Be sure to take a look at those articles and you can find my latest column over on the Ely Standard website.

Holiday Money Anxiety & Financial Stress

by Dan Regan | Dec 15, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Holiday Money Anxiety & Financial Stress: How to Stay Calm This Christmas

Christmas is an expensive time of the year. Holiday money anxiety and financial stress can cause so much worry and tension that it stops you enjoying the season fully.

Christmas should be a time of joy, celebration and connection. But December may only be bringing you money anxiety and financial stress. On top of your usual monthly spending, there are presents, social occasions, extra expenses and more on food and drink. It can all overshadow the festive spirit.

That’s not to say we should all be like Scrooge at the start, where he was filled with misery and was miserly. Nor do we have to be like Scrooge after the ghosts had visited him where he was splashing the cash like nobody’s business. You still need to work within your means. But between gifts, social commitments, travel, food and household costs, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

If you already experience anxiety, then financial pressures can amplify symptoms. For many people I work with here in Ely and Newmarket, Christmas can magnify existing anxieties.

You may struggle with racing thoughts and overthinking. You may panic or dread dealing with accounts, payments and money matters. There can be sleepless nights worrying about finances and expenses. Some people experience guilt, regret or are self critical about spending, others feel trapped or helpless. And, of course, some try to ignore their anxiety, avoid dealing with it and delay things until the credit card bill arrives in January.

When it comes to money matters, you might get all the typical symptoms of anxiety. You can get a tight chest thinking about money and finances, and a sense of overwhelm from the pressure to buy gifts, attend events or host other people. Money anxiety is common, particularly at this time of year. You can feel out of control of your own thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

If Christmas is causing money anxiety then hypnotherapy and some practical strategies can help you manage anxiety, deal with financial stress and regain a sense of calm this festive season.

Mindfulness for Anxiety and Stress During Festive Chaos

by Dan Regan | Dec 11, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Mindfulness for Anxiety and Stress During Festive Chaos

Within all the festive chaos and busyness, mindfulness for anxiety and stress can help you to stay calm and feel more on top of things. In this article I’ll be sharing some simple mindfulness strategies to help you stay calm so you can fully enjoy the festive season.

Amidst the celebration of the festive season, it can also be one of the most stressful and anxiety filled periods of the year. With busier schedules, family pressures, social commitments, financial worries and the constant noise and activity, it’s no surprise that you may notice your anxiety and stress levels rising.

If you already experience anxiety, the Christmas period can intensify symptoms, leaving you feeling overwhelmed, tense or emotionally drained. It can turn the festive period from something that should be enjoyable into something to struggle through and endure.

At this anxiety provoking time of the year, you need to have effective ways to manage your thoughts and feelings so that you feel on top of things. One effective approach for anxiety and stress during the festive chaos is mindfulness.

Mindfulness can help you to slow down, manage anxiety in the moment and stay grounded and present. It can help even when everything around you feels chaotic.

Within this busy festive season, you can easily learn and apply some effective mindfulness techniques to help you to feel calm and more in control.

Family Triggered Anxiety at Christmas

by Dan Regan | Dec 10, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Family Triggered Anxiety at Christmas

Do you struggle with family triggered anxiety at Christmas? Is it hard to stay calm around difficult relatives?

You may already be worrying about dealing with family dynamics during December. Christmas can already feel more challenging than other times, with increased anxiety, stress and mental health struggles. There’s festive pressure, overthinking and social stress to contend with, along with darker days, unpleasant weather and the winter slump.

On top of these seasonal pressures, you also have to contend with family dynamics, relationships and tensions.

Instead of lights, food and celebration, Christmas can become about navigating old dynamics, unspoken tensions, difficult conversations and emotional triggers that switch on when certain family members are in the room. These can be things that directly affect you with other family members, or you may feel the tension and stress that lurks just below the surface involving others.

Family triggered anxiety can leave you filled with dread when you think about spending time with relatives. You get that tightness in your chest, a feeling of irritability and a sense of overwhelm. You can play out all the worse case scenarios, worry about things kicking off or play out conversations with people who cause you stress.

Family triggered anxiety is one of the most common forms of anxiety at Christmas. There’s the planning and navigating to try and make sure things go okay. And the constant worry and anxiety that something, however small, could spiral and ruin the occasion. There’s a sense of expectation and obligation to spend time with family. It’s a melting pot of stress, anxiety and tension that leaves you filled with anxiety.

If you struggle with family triggered anxiety then hypnotherapy for anxiety in Ely can help you. You can start feeling more calm, balanced, strong and in control around your family.

Social Anxiety Hypnotherapy Review

by Dan Regan | Dec 8, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Social Anxiety Hypnotherapy Review

Today I’m delighted to be sharing a social anxiety hypnotherapy in Ely review video with you.

I’ve talked before about how I used to struggle with social anxiety and how it limited my life. I would worry incessantly about what other people thought and about being judged negatively. I felt worried before social situations, anxious when there and then would dwell negatively and overthink everything afterwards. Every situation became a threat of messing up in some way. It was exhausting and it was inhibiting. And it’s the sort of thing my social anxiety hypnotherapy clients in Ely and Newmarket describe to me.

This weekend I went along to my bootcamp Christmas drinks at RBK in Ely. Years ago, in the mindset of social anxiety, this sort of group situation would have filled me with dread. I’d have worried about who would be there, how I’d come across, whether I’d have anything to say or if I’d just stand there like a lemon on my own. I’d have stressed about walking in on my own and joining everyone. And I’d have been overthinking, running a critical inner commentary and scanning for signs of what other people might be thinking about me. I’d have needed a few drinks to try and help me relax a bit. I might have avoided it altogether. But if I did go, I’d have gone over and over it in my head afterwards, replaying every word, look and action and berating myself over it all.

Without social anxiety, these sorts of group social events become straightforward. You can go to them if you want to but also be ok if you chose to do something else instead. You relax beforehand knowing whatever happens it’ll be fine. You can chat away happily to others however well you know them. You feel comfortable during conversations, relax and speak naturally and even feel comfortable in the quieter moments when just standing there. Afterwards, if you do think back on it all, you remember the good bits or just know it all went fine. Social situations become things where you can just relax and be yourself, without wasting time imagining what others may be thinking.

It may seem strange to you to even consider how good life may feel without social anxiety. Right now, it feels like something that you are stuck with and that you’ve learnt to live with. However, it is possible to overcome that anxiety. In this article I’m sharing a social anxiety hypnotherapy review from a client of mine in Ely. He ended the anxiety and worry about what others thought and now feels more calm and confident as he gets on with his life.

Panic Attacks at Christmas

by Dan Regan | Dec 8, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Panic Attacks at Christmas

If you struggle with panic attacks at Christmas then it can turn what should be a time of joy into one of despair and anguish. Anxiety and panic attacks can increase at Christmas, yet it is possible to regain control and feel calmer.

Christmas can be the time when your panic attacks suddenly appear, or they return after a period of calm. Perhaps seemingly out of the blue, you feel that rush of adrenaline, your heart pounds, you start shaking and the panic attack hits you. Your mind races, you’re filled with fear and you don’t know what to do with yourself.

Once you start experiencing panic attacks at Christmas, you start to worry and stress about when the next one will strike. You worry before events or about being embarrassed in front of others. You can easily fall into a spiral of feeling anxious about the possibility of having another overwhelming panic attack.

Anxiety can feel more intense in December. You feel a tightness in your chest, your sleep is more broken and your thoughts can race ahead to worst case scenarios. The festive season can place a huge strain on your nervous system. Panic attacks are like your mind and body saying it has all become too much. Even worse, you feel bad because you should be enjoying yourself at Christmas and you may worry about ruining things for others.

Panic attacks often follow a period of increased stress and a build up of anxiety. Just when things seem to settle, you experience a panic attack and it knocks you. Panic attacks are not dangerous, you are designed to be able to respond this way in the face of actual danger. However, they are disorientating, upsetting and frightening when they hit you. You know there is no reason for them, yet the anxiety and dread rumble on and it feels as if another panic attacks could happen at any time.

Regardless of whether you have had one or several panic attacks at Christmas, and regardless of whether you have ever or have never had them before, it is possible to feel calmer and regain control.

Managing Christmas Stress Eating

by Dan Regan | Dec 7, 2025 | Weight Loss

Managing Christmas Stress Eating

Christmas is a time when it is easy to pile on weight from all the food and drink that is always so nearby. Hypnotherapy can help you stay calm and in control around food and with managing Christmas stress eating.

Emotional and stress eating can happen at any time of year. Yet, during the bubble of Christmas, everything can feel magnified and intensified. There’s the planning, socialising, expectation and rush to get everything done and to please everyone. As I’ve covered in previous articles, this time of year can bring holiday social anxiety, December sleep anxiety and festive exhaustion and overwhelm. Your stress builds and that’s when stress eating can kick in.

I’ve helped many people throughout the year who use food to manage how they feel. You feel stressed, angry, low, happy or any other feeling or emotion. You then habitually reach for food irrespective of whether you are hungry. You eat too much and your weight and well-being suffer. With emotional and stress eating it will usually be unhealthy things and too much of them. You can get a sugar hit that may make you feel a little better for a bit. Yet it never lasts and you probably feel worse from having eaten the junk and added to your waist line.

Using external means to manage internal feelings can happen in any number of ways. When food is how you routinely manage feelings, this time of year can become challenging. There will be more food, particularly sweet treats and calorie loaded snacks, that make Christmas stress eating something that can get out of hand. Add in the extra stress and pressure of Christmas, and you really do need to be prepared for managing Christmas stress eating. You can enjoy food but you don’t want to reach January feeling despondent with your weight.

If you find yourself reaching for food to cope with festive tension, then hypnotherapy can help you to break the cycle and feel healthier, calmer and more in control throughout the season.

December Sleep Anxiety

by Dan Regan | Dec 6, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

December Sleep Anxiety: Why Racing Thoughts Get Worse At Night

December can be a time of increased sleep anxiety. There is just so much to get done each day. There are work pressures and social events. And there are all the presents and preparations ready for Christmas. It all comes on top of your normal day to day busyness and it can all feel like too much to do and not enough time to get it all done.

So many people struggle with December sleep anxiety. You lie awake with your mind running through to do lists, worries and negative what-ifs. Poor sleep and anxiety often increase at this time of year. It’s something that many of my hypnotherapy clients in Ely, Newmarket and online mention to me.

During the day you can keep busy and you are distracted as you rush around and do things. Then at night, just when you want to sleep, your mind is still going at the same rate it has been all day. This is especially true if your wind down routine has been squeezed out as you go from one thing to the next. Your brain hasn’t shut down and you get frustrated and stressed about not getting enough sleep to prepare you for the next day.

Anxiety loves time and space. As you lie there at night, there is nothing to distract you from your own thoughts. You replay the day and plans for tomorrow, you think about what you need to get done, runs through all the scenarios you’ve been sidelining, and can easily jump from one worst case to the next. The more anxious, stressed and frustrated you become, the more your thinking races on.

Some people have anxiety about sleep as a result of their general anxiety. Maybe you think about all the nights you’ve lain awake feeling anxious and restless. You can dread the approach of night time and the threat of a repeat of another long night alone with your anxiety.

Yet, sleep anxiety often gets worse for many people in December. There are longer to do lists, holiday pressures, social expectations and financial stresses. If that wasn’t enough, there are disrupted routines, increased screen time and potentially more caffeine, sugar and alcohol. Your brain and body can feel like they are stuck in ‘on’ mode. It all creates a perfect mix for December sleep anxiety.

The good news is that there are practical ways to ease sleep anxiety, calm your mind and improve your sleep.

Festive Exhaustion and Overwhelm

by Dan Regan | Dec 6, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Festive Exhaustion and Overwhelm

December is often described as the most wonderful time of the year. Yet it can easily become a time of festive exhaustion and overwhelm. Christmas stress can feel so intense, but it is possible to break that cycle.

Christmas seems to start earlier each year. The adverts and marketing now kicks in from November meaning there is a long, long stretch until the actual festive period arrives. When my two girls were little, Christmas was all about excitement, school nativity plays, seeing the Christmas lights and meeting Santa. It was enjoyable but busy and exhausting, especially Christmas day after having only had about two hours sleep! Now they are teenagers it can be draining trying to prise out of them what they actually want for Christmas that they don’t already have. And let’s just say that when it comes to toiletries, makeup and clothes, they probably don’t want to leave me to my own devices.

A client was telling me the other day how crazy people seem to go in preparation for Christmas. There are the presents, social events and grabbing a weeks worth of food for one day. The pressure to create the perfect Christmas, keep everyone happy, manage work deadlines and organise endless tasks can leave you feeling burnt out even before the big day even arrives.

December can create so much stress, exhaustion and overwhelm. There are more commitments and less free time. There are family expectations, changes to routine, less sleep and more rushing around to try and get everything done on time.

It’s no wonder some people start looking forward to when it is all over and they can finally try and relax. Yet it isn’t a nice place to be when you are just wishing it all away and that it was all done with. If you are struggling with festive exhaustion and overwhelm then there are ways to calm things down and regain control.

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