Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Dealing with Social Anxiety – My Ely Standard Column

by Dan Regan | Nov 23, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Dealing with Social Anxiety – My Ely Standard Column

My latest regular column in the Ely Standard is about dealing with social anxiety.

If you struggle with social anxiety, then the article has a few suggestions of positive actions you can take. You might also want to read my recent post about combating social anxiety this festive season.

Like all anxiety, social anxiety thrives in the unhelpful patterns of thoughts and feelings that go on inside of your mind. You worry before events about what if you mess up somehow and look stupid. The closer social situations get, the more you probably think about how you can avoid it. If you do go then that inner critic overthinks everything. You are constantly scanning for signs from others to check if they are judging you. You can feel hot, tense and edgy. You can get so focused on your own inner thoughts about what you are doing or saying that you struggle to engage in what is going on around you.

Dealing with social anxiety was a major challenge for me at one time. I would worry incessantly about what others thought of me and what I said or did. Every interaction felt like a potential opportunity to mess up or be judged. Before events you feel anxious and full of dread about what might go wrong. At events you feel anxious about what is happening, or could happen. Afterwards, you dwell on everything and worry about what you said and did. It’s exhausting.

You worry about saying or doing something wrong in case others think badly about you. You may also worry about the things you didn’t do but worry you should have done. There are worries about freezing and having nothing to say, or about saying or doing something stupid. You overthink and overthink about it all. And all those thoughts, feelings and behaviours just get in the way of you relaxing and being yourself.

The festive season, in particular, comes with pressure to go to, and be seen to enjoy, social events. If you are dealing with social anxiety, then you may just look forward to the relief when it is all over and done with.

However, the good news is that social anxiety is something that you can overcome. You can start feeling better and better in yourself when it comes to social events, occasions and interactions.

Combating Social Anxiety This Festive Season

by Dan Regan | Nov 21, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Combating Social Anxiety This Festive Season

Do you need some help combating social anxiety this festive season?

Christmas and the New Year are meant to be a time for connection, laughter and celebration. Every advert, TV programme and Christmas film shows people enjoying their time with others. It can bring a sense of pressure that you must enjoy yourself on social occasions. But for many people, the festive season brings a rise in their social anxiety.

If you struggle with social anxiety then the thought of work parties, family gatherings, meeting new people or other social events can leave you feeling tense, nervous and on edge even when just thinking about these situations. The nearer the situations get the more anxious you feel, and the more you may feel inclined to find an excuse to cancel. Avoidance brings temporary relief but your patterns of social anxiety rumble on. On the flip side, going to events can be exhausting as you struggle to cope with anxious feelings and the constant overthinking.

With social anxiety, there are so many perceived pitfalls over the festive season. You might worry about not having anything interesting to say, or saying the wrong thing. You may worry about being judged negatively for how you look, what you do or what you say. You overthink everything during social situations with that anxious inner commentary getting in the way. And then afterwards you replay every word, gesture and action and worry about what others may be thinking about you. It’s enough to make you dread events and want to avoid them altogether.

I’ve covered before how I used to suffer with social anxiety. I would worry incessantly about what others thought of me and what I said or did. Every interaction felt like a potential opportunity to mess up or be judged. Around people I trusted, I could relax and be myself. Around others, I’d overthink, tense-up and second-guess everything. It was exhausting.

The festive season can be a social anxiety minefield. You’re expected to go to some of the events you’d rather skip. Maybe you’d like to feel relaxed and comfortable around others. Yet you just know that the social anxiety will strangle any enjoyment and stop you from being your normal self. So how do you go about combating social anxiety this festive season?

Common Anxiety Signs and Symptoms

by Dan Regan | Nov 19, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Common Anxiety Signs and Symptoms: Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

Anxiety is a very normal human experience. Yet many of the common anxiety signs and symptoms can cause even more panic and worry. You think there’s something seriously wrong with you, you worry about feeling bad and you just long to feel ‘normal’ again.

Anxiety is very normal, however, right now it’s happening too often and in too overwhelming a way. It’s your body’s way of signalling there may be something to pay attention to. Your body and mind search for the source of the threat and danger. Your mind races and jumps from one worst case to the next. Your anxious feelings leave you frightened and exhausted.

When it comes to persistent, intrusive and out of proportion anxiety, it can start to interfere with your day to day life. You can find yourself frequently caught in anxious thoughts and sensations. These can vary in intensity and in how much they affect you. Yet anxiety lurks there, causing you to worry about things. Even when you feel a bit calmer, you dread the anxiety coming back again. You start to wonder if it is something more than just ‘stress’ and this scares you even more.

Understanding anxiety is part of overcoming it. Everything you experience is something you are designed to do. It’s just happening at the wrong time and at too high a level. Your body and brain are overprotecting you in a way that is counter productive. Rather than being frightened, frustrated or upset, you need to understand the common anxiety sings and symptoms. Then you can recognise what is happening in your body and mind so you can take action and bring things back down.

Hypnotherapy for Anxiety in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Nov 18, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Hypnotherapy for Anxiety in Ely and Newmarket: What To Expect, How It Works and Why It Helps

So many people continue to struggle with anxiety. It can take over your thinking, drain your energy and limit what you feel able to do. It’s the main thing I help people with and I get asked a lot of questions about my hypnotherapy for anxiety in Ely and Newmarket (and online!).

Anxiety can make even the simplest of tasks feel overwhelming. There is the constant worry, intrusive thoughts and sense of dread about what could happen. Your mind can fix on one thing and think of all the potential worst cases. Or it can race through a multitude of things so quickly that you struggle to grasp hold of anything. And there are all the uncomfortable physical sensations of anxiety. You feel a tightness in your chest, your heart can race, you feel hot, tense, anxious and restless. It can affect your sleep and appetite. And the ripples of anxiety can have a negative impact upon relationships, friendships, home life and your work.

Anxiety can leave you feeling trapped in a cycle of tension, discomfort and unease. Those anxious thoughts lead to more anxious feelings that lead to even more worry. Even when you feel a bit better there is the lurking dread that your anxiety will resurface.

I remember well when I used to struggle with anxiety. That constant alertness and vigilance to try and be prepared for something going wrong. I sometimes avoided things to get some relief, yet still worried endlessly. It was hypnotherapy that helped me to overcome my anxiety and that’s why it means so much to me to help others.

If you live in Ely or Newmarket and you are struggling with anxiety, you may be wondering whether hypnotherapy could help. I get asked a lot of questions at my free consultations about my hypnotherapy for anxiety. Naturally you want to know what it involves and how it works. As many others have discovered (take a look at the review pages), hypnotherapy is a powerful and effective way to reclaim your calmness, confidence and sense of inner control.

Can Anxiety Cause Diarrhoea?

by Dan Regan | Nov 18, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Can Anxiety Cause Diarrhoea?

Have you ever noticed that when you are anxious or stressed, your stomach seems to react too? It can range from butterflies in the stomach, to nausea, to needing to go back and for to the toilet. Anxiety doesn’t just affect how you think and feel, it affects your digestive system too. One common, and sometimes embarrassing, symptom is diarrhoea. So how can anxiety cause diarrhoea?

Many people have had the experience of needing to pee when they are nervous or anxious. I can remember before my driving test years ago. I was back and for to the toilet, constantly feeling like I needed to go (to the point where I think my instructor was getting nervous about whether I’d be able to sit in the car for the test!). It’s not uncommon to need a nervous wee before an exam, test, interview, presentation or other key event.

However, for some other people, their anxiety affects their gut and manifests in the other way, with diarrhoea. There are things you can take that might help ease your stomach (and let’s not get started on that pesky advert with the song about heartburn, upset stomach and diarrhoea). However, the root cause of your stomach issues may well be anxiety because of how it impacts upon your body.

It can also create a spiral of worry. You feel anxious and experience diarrhoea. And this then makes you even more anxious about leaving the house because what if it strikes when you are out. You may even have avoided some situations because you weren’t sure there would be a clean toilet handy if you needed it. And you probably don’t want to have to explain to other people why you need to keep heading off to the toilet all the time. There is the risk you’ll be out and need to go urgently but you worry about not making it.

If you’ve ever experienced an upset stomach before a big event, presentation or stressful situation, then you know how anxiety can affect your gut. If you struggle with more generalised anxiety, the stomach issues can be debilitating.

Can Anxiety Cause Chest Pain?

by Dan Regan | Nov 17, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Can Anxiety Cause Chest Pain?

You feel anxious and your chest feels tight. You start to worry even more than something is seriously wrong with you. After all, can anxiety cause chest pain? Or is something more sinister occurring?

When you feel stressed or anxious, your chest can feel tight and heavy. Chest pain can be a worrying symptom, it feels like something could be wrong with your heart. You may have called the NHS or even sought an ambulance because of how uncomfortable and worrying it feels. Especially when it first happens, you may have thought you were having a heart attack. Many clients I work with have been to hospital and their GP repeatedly and had all sorts of tests about their chest pain that all come back clear.

Chest pain can be a worrying symptom, especially when you are unclear what is happening and why. Yet for many people I work with, anxiety itself can be the cause of their chest discomfort.

Can anxiety cause chest pain? Yes, it can. So lets explore how anxiety can lead to chest pain, why it happens and what you can do to calm both your body and mind when those sensations arise.

Can Anxiety Cause Dizziness?

by Dan Regan | Nov 16, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Can Anxiety Cause Dizziness? Anxiety Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

I work with dozens of people every week with anxiety in Ely, Newmarket and Online. Common symptoms they describe include feeling dizzy, disorientated and light headed. You may worry that something is wrong when you experience these sorts of symptoms because can anxiety cause dizziness?

If you feel dizzy then it can make you feel unsteady and unwell. You may start to worry that there is something seriously wrong with you. Whilst not everyone with anxiety reports it, certainly anxiety can cause dizziness and a sense of being lightheaded and feeling unsteady. Dizziness is one of the more unsettling physical symptoms of anxiety, and it can make you feel even more worried once it starts happening.

Anxiety causes many physical sensation in your body. You can feel tense, hot and restless. You may get a tight chest, have heart palpitations and feel nauseous. You start feeling anxious and then your thoughts and feelings start to feed off each other, ramping it up more and more uncomfortably.

Many people I work with for anxiety describe feeling off balance, spaced out or like things are spinning when they are stressed and anxious. The more anxious you get, the greater you can experience it. You struggle to do things, panic something is seriously wrong with your health and you may feel sick. It can be scary, especially if you are unsure what’s causing it.

Can anxiety cause dizziness? Yes, it certainly can. So what is happening and what can you do about it so that you feel more steady and more calm.

Controlled Breathing To Calm Anxious Feelings

by Dan Regan | Nov 12, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Controlled Breathing To Calm Anxious Feelings

Almost everyone with anxiety has tried deep breathing at some point. It tends to be hit and miss whether it helps. So here I’m covering how to use controlled breathing to help calm anxious feelings effectively.

When you feel anxious, your breathing gets faster and shallower. That signals for your heart to beat faster and the adrenaline starts. You notice all of the physical sensations and you know the anxiety is rising. You’ve been here before and you know how bad it makes you feel. You start to panic about becoming anxious and that makes things even worse. Your thoughts and feelings start to spiral and the anxiety takes over.

People who come to see me for help with anxiety often talk about feeling a tightness or weight on their chest. As they talk about anxiety and panic they describe that feeling of constriction. When I hear this I know they are describing their breathing getting faster and shallower. Most of us are pretty oblivious to our breathing most of the time, it just happens all by itself. You may not notice your breathing accelerating but you notice the sensations that follow it.

Anxiety is your body getting ready to actively do something, the fight or flight response. It’s what your body does when you exercise, except there the energy has an outlet as you move. Anxiety can strike when you are just sitting there. Your body is prepared for movement but you aren’t being active. The oxygen, blood and adrenaline goes to your muscles and builds and builds.

In contrast, when you are calm and relaxed, your breathing is slower and deeper. You probably don’t really notice this either, you are too busy relaxing. However, we can use this, how your body works, to calm anxious feelings. One of the most immediate and accessible tools you always have at your disposal is your breathing.

Done right, controlled breathing can help you calm anxious feelings quickly and effectively.

Anxiety Therapy in Ely

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

Anxiety Therapy in Ely

Recently I covered how I’m celebrating fifteen years of delivering anxiety therapy in Ely and Newmarket. Thank you so much for all the positive messages you’ve sent me for reaching this milestone. It’s always great hearing from people who have benefited from my anxiety hypnotherapy and who continue to thrive long after their sessions.

When you struggle with anxiety, it can be hard to think clearly enough to seek effective help. You may be struggling just to manage day to day with all the overthinking and uncomfortable feelings that you experience. First of all, you’ll probably hope it passes. Yet as time moves on you realise that your anxiety is only getting worse.

I know from personal experience how debilitating anxiety can be. When it strikes, your heart races, you feel hot, tense and agitated. Your mind races, you can’t think clearly, you struggle to make decisions and everything becomes harder. It’s like anxiety robs you of all your usual capabilities and leaves you in a state of dread and fear. And the worse you feel, the less you feel like doing. You start to retreat and do less of the things you usually enjoy. And those unwanted thoughts and feelings are there to fill every quiet moment.

I used to think of it as a sort of Jekyll and Hyde thing. One day I felt relaxed, happy and comfortable in my own skin. The next day I could struggle to leave the house and was filled with adrenaline and anxiety.

One of the main reasons I love helping others with my anxiety therapy in Ely is because I know it is very possible for you to start feeling better and better in yourself again.

Night-Time Anxiety

by Dan Regan | Nov 7, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Night-Time Anxiety: Why It Happens and How To Break The Cycle

Do you struggle with night-time anxiety?

For some people, their anxiety doesn’t just affect them during the day. At night-time, when you want to switch off and relax, your anxiety starts to take over. For others, they keep distracted during the day and then their anxiety comes racing back at night. And some people struggle with anxiety that increases towards bed time and they worry whether they will get enough, or any, sleep.

Whether you worry about sleep itself or your anxiety races at night, the end result is the same. You feel tense, agitated and restless. Your mind accelerates through all sorts of unwanted anxious thoughts. Just when you want to rest and sleep, you find yourself lying awake. Your thoughts race thinking about your day or what might happen tomorrow. You stress about getting enough sleep and how tired you’ll be the next day. It can become a cycle where night-time anxiety becomes linked with bed time.

We’ve all had those nights where sleep just seems never to come. Maybe you haven’t yet switched off from the day, or you’re still thinking about what you need to do the next day or you just aren’t ready for sleep yet. However, with night-time anxiety it becomes an unwelcome habit. Night after night you are filled with dread and foreboding about the night ahead. Will you sleep? Will you disturb others? Is it going to be another long night in the dark, alone with your thoughts?

Night-time anxiety is stressful and frustrating. The dread and anxiety can start as the evening unfolds. You are desperate for a good night of sleep but worried about another night of anxiety. You’re exhausted and longing for sleep. Yet your mind refuses to co-operate. It becomes an ongoing pattern where anxiety leads to poor and disturbed sleep. Your lack of sleep then makes it harder to deal with your thoughts and you struggle to cope with even more of the anxiety.

You find yourself stuck with night-time anxiety that you can’t find a way to find relief from. So why does night-time anxiety happen and how can you start to break the cycle so that you feel calm and relaxed enough to sleep soundly and restfully?

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