Dan’s Blog

Coronavirus and Mental Health – Sleep Deprivation and Dreaming

by Dan Regan | Sep 28, 2020 | Insomnia and Sleep Disorders

Coronavirus and Mental Health – Sleep Deprivation and Dreaming

As I’ve covered in several recent articles, the coronavirus pandemic has impacted upon the mental health and well-being of many people.

In their latest release, the Office For National Statistics (ONS), say that there has been a general increase in anxiety levels among the overall population, the most vulnerable in society, such as disabled adults, people with a health condition and who feel unsafe outside the home because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, have experienced greater increases in anxiety levels. This builds upon their previous release where just over half of adults said it was affecting their well-being and nearly half of adults reported high levels of anxiety. Coronavirus and lockdown impacted on their mental health.

Whilst some may have found the easing of lockdown has resulted in an equivalent easing in anxiety, there are many, many people still struggling with anxiety, worry and fear associated with the coronavirus.

I’ve written before about some of the research and evidence around the link between the coronavirus and mental health (Covid-19 & Easing Lockdown: A Ticking Mental Health Timebomb?). In the earlier days of the pandemic, Shevlin et al (Anxiety, Depression, Traumatic Stress, and COVID-19 Related Anxiety in the UK General Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic, April 2020), investigated the prevalence of COVID-19 related anxiety, generalised anxiety, depression and trauma symptoms in a representative sample of the UK population during an early phase of the pandemic. They found that there were higher reported levels of anxiety, depression and trauma symptoms compared to previous population studies, but not dramatically so. Anxiety, depression and trauma symptoms were predicted by young age, presence of children in the home, and high estimates of personal risk. Anxiety and depression symptoms were also predicted by low income, loss of income, and pre-existing health conditions in self and others.

And, in relation to the USA, Twenge & Joiner (Mental distress among US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020) concluded that mental distress was considerably higher in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults in late April 2020 compared to a nationally representative sample from 2018, providing “an early indication that serious mental illness has become strikingly more common during the COVID-19 pandemic“. And another study from the USA by Adams-Prassl et al (The Impact of the Coronavirus Lockdown on Mental Health. 2020) has suggested that the large negative effect on mental health has been entirely driven by the impact on women’s mental health. They suggest that the negative eﬀect on women’s mental health cannot be explained by an increase in financial worries or childcare responsibilities.

I’ve worked with many people in recent weeks who have found that fears and worries over coronavirus have impacted upon their mental health, with increased anxiety and stress levels and worries about the future (such as catching the virus or losing employment).

Today, I’m covering the impact on your sleep (or sleep deprivation) and upon your dreaming when you do sleep.

World Mental Health Day – Coronavirus and Mental Health

by Dan Regan | Sep 26, 2020 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

World Mental Health Day – October 2020 – Coronavirus and Mental Health

This year, World Mental Health Day falls on 10th October 2020 and the theme for this year is ‘mental health for all.’

And, of course, mental health help and support should be as available as that which exists for physical health problems. As I’ve written about before, it’s great that there are so many mental health awareness initiatives these days. There should be no stigma around mental health issues and we all need to be aware of our own mental well-being, and that of those around us. If you have a mental health issue you should talk about it if you want to and we can all benefit from help and provide support and empathy to each other.

Yet whilst there is a plethora of mental health awareness campaigns, conversations, advocates and other sources raising awareness, they can only go so far. Most of these people and initiatives can only offer basic (if any) evidence based psychological support to help you overcome issues like anxiety and depression. After that, you are referred on and that’s where the need for mental health for all is really situated. Too many people can only chose between anti-depressants or a waiting list for treatment. Effective mental health services need to be more readily available, accessible and timely.

Of course, many people chose to work with a mental health expert like me to sort their issues, rather than continuing to suffer (and you can learn what many people have said by scrolling through my ‘What People Say‘ pages). Yet particularly in this ‘year of the coronavirus’ more is needed than just awareness and good intentions.

Coronavirus has led to many of you feeling anxious and worried. The uncertainty, restrictions and changes to our normal way of doing things can have a profound impact on your mental health and well-being. I wrote recently about the emergence of a definition for coronaphobia, the fear of contracting covid-19 and the implications of this for your health, livelihood and loved ones. Whether you have a predisposition to worry and anxiety, have a tendency to worry about physical symptoms (health anxiety) or your anxiety is more recent and related to the current times, your anxiety can have a huge impact on how you feel and on your life.

Running and Mental Health – Run My World Blog

by Dan Regan | Sep 22, 2020 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Running and Mental Health:

I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to write a guest post about my running and mental health. I mean, how could I pass up the chance to write about two of my favourite things!

Running and exercise have been an integral part of my life for many, many years. At the outset, running was a way for me to try and deal with my anxiety, overthinking and low self-esteem problems. After a day at work it gave me an escape from those unwanted thoughts and feelings. It was a chance to think things through or to think about nothing at all. And I always felt physically and mentally better afterwards.

These days, exercise and running are key aspects of my life because I enjoy them, they give me a sense of achievement and they help iron out any of the challenges in life that head my way. Exercise and running now help to keep me mentally healthy.

The awesome team over at Run My World (https://www.runmyworld.co.uk/) have recognised that lots of us get into running, or keep running, for our mental health. They organise virtual running challenges from 5km up to ultramarathons and, what is awesome, is that a percentage of profits from each challenge goes to various mental health challenges. It’s awesome to see someone raising mental health awareness, contributing to the mental health conversation, and giving something back from running that will benefit others who may be struggling. I’m super excited to take part in some of their challenges (and the bling is pretty tidy too!)

Generalised Anxiety Disorder Levels Continue To Escalate

by Dan Regan | Sep 16, 2020 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Generalised Anxiety Disorder Levels Continue To Escalate

Generalised anxiety is the biggest thing I help people with by far in my hypnotherapy sessions. Having experienced anxiety myself, I know all too well how unpleasant and uncomfortable it can be, as well as how it impacts on you physically, emotionally and socially. Anxiety can be well and truly debilitating.

Fortunately we know from the research that hypnotherapy is a very effective treatment for anxiety that can help you (for more on the effectiveness of hypnotherapy for anxiety have a read of this article: The Effectiveness of Hypnotherapy as a Treatment For Anxiety).

What we also know is that, despite effective treatments for anxiety such as hypnotherapy, the levels of generalised anxiety disorders continue to escalate over the years. More and more people are finding themselves struggling to cope with anxiety-related thoughts, feelings and symptoms.

Some time ago, I wrote about results from the Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (published in 2016) which suggested that one in six adults in England has a common mental health disorder (such as anxiety and depression). This translated to about one woman in five and one man in eight having a mental health disorder, and they also reported that rates of self-harming had increased. Studies have also previously suggested that increases in mental health disorders is being primarily driven by adolescents and young adults (for more on these see: The Rise and Rise of Anxiety and Depression).

Building upon the research that shows that generalised anxiety disorder levels continue to rise, comes a new study that looked at trends in anxiety and related mental illness in UK general practice over a twenty year period.

Coronavirus Anxiety – Are You Suffering From Coronaphobia?

by Dan Regan | Sep 12, 2020 | Phobias and Fears

Coronavirus Anxiety – Are You Suffering From Coronaphobia?

As I write this article, new restrictions have just come into force limiting social interactions and the number of new cases of coronavirus that are being reported seems to be rising back up again here in the UK. There is a lot of anxiety and fear around the prospect of a second wave and the many impacts that may follow from this for all of us.

As well as fears around contracting the virus and the potential impacts for your health and for those around you, the uncertainty and ongoing nature of coronavirus can feed your anxiety and fear and may all add up to mean that you struggle with a new emerging phobia specific to Covid-19, called coronaphobia.

The fear and anxiety around coronavirus can relate not only to contracting Covid-19 and the health impacts (worries about falling ill, infecting others and worries around death and dying), but also extends to worry around finances, employment, education and just about every facet of our normal routines and lives. There can psychological, physiological, social and financial consequences

With the many diverse and uncertain impacts of the pandemic and coronavirus, it’s no wonder that it evokes high levels of anxiety, stress and worry that can impact on your mental health and general sense of well-being.

Cambridgeshire Hypnotherapy Service of the Year!

by Dan Regan | Sep 11, 2020 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Cambridgeshire Hypnotherapy Service of the Year!

I am delighted to discover that I have been awarded the title of Cambridgeshire Hypnotherapy Business of the Year 2020!

The Corporate LiveWire Prestige Awards celebrates small and medium businesses that have thrived in their highly competitive market and who have proven their success over the last twelve months. The judges were impressed with my personal nature, consistency of reviews and overall attentiveness as well as the fact that I seem to go over and above for my clients.

Naturally I’m very pleased to be able to add this to my Hypnotherapy Business of the Year award that I achieved a little while back.

Most importantly though I’m very grateful and thankful to you great people for choosing to work with me and to sharing your awesome, positive results (which you can find here: What People Say).

Stop Overthinking It (Where I Get Totally Freaked Out By A Horse!)

by Dan Regan | Sep 9, 2020 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Stop Overthinking It

Do you have a habit of overthinking things? Whether it’s anxiety, stress or worry related, or you struggle to switch off from thinking and thinking, overthinking can be a real pain. It can stop you getting on with things and enjoying things, it can make you anxious and frustrated and it can leave you wide awake at night when you’d rather be relaxing into a deep sleep.

In the last of the videos I recorded down in the New Forest, I decided to talk a bit about overthinking and why you should emulate a horse and just be happy with having loved ones around you, enough to eat and being in a safe place. As you’ll see, unfortunatley the horses (who up to that point and the entire week had not got up to much) decided to show-boat and totally freaked me out! This was totally unexpected (especially as I wasn’t looking) and totally threw me for a bit! But anyway, stop overthinking!

Time In Nature For Your Mental Health

by Dan Regan | Sep 9, 2020 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Time In Nature For Your Mental Health:

There’s no doubt that getting away from things and spending some time in nature has a positive impact on your mental health, and can help you to reduce your stress and anxiety levels. Like me, you may know this already from personal experience, yet the science and evidence also exists to back it up.

The research shows that just ten to twenty minutes in nature has significant and positive impacts on your mental health and well-being and that just doing these a few times a week is enough for you to benefit.

As you’ll know if you read my blogs, I like to combine the benefits of being outdoors in a nature environment with the (also well evidenced and researched) benefits of running (or walking/jogging). I love training runs that go through woodland or that involve getting away from the built up areas and just being around the sights and sounds of nature. It’s also why I enjoy my walk to my new office and looking out of the windows across the fields watching the birds and the deer doing their thing.

While on my recent rip to the New Forest I spent every early morning walking and jogging around the forest and enjoying being around the horses and other wildlife in the solitude and silence. I was fortunte enough to watch a fascinating ‘stand off’ between two groups of horses at a stream, where in complete silence they just seemed to stare at each other for minute after minute until the deadlock ended (there’s a little bit from that at the end of the video below so keep watching to see the horses).

In this video, I talk about some of the benefits of time in nature for improving your mental health and well-being, and for reducing stress and anxiety:

Hypnotherapy in Newmarket Now Back Open!

by Dan Regan | Sep 9, 2020 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Hypnotherapy in Newmarket Now Back Open!

Hypnotherapy in Newmarket is back! After the long months of the pandemic lockdown and then sorting out my new office in Ely, I’m delighted to confirm that I am now back offering hypnotherapy sessions from the wonderful White Tara Therapy Centre in Newmarket.

Naturally there are a few Covid-19 secure changes since the start of the year, so please wash your hands (or use hand gel) upon arrival and wear a face mask when you come into the Centre and when leaving. Other than that, it’s all systems go and I’ve already been helping people to deal with issues such as anxiety, increasing confidence and feeling better in themselves.

If you need a reminder about where the Centre is located then do take a look at the details here: Hypnotherapy in Newmarket

Worrying What Other People Think – Thoughts From The New Forest

by Dan Regan | Sep 8, 2020 | Confidence and Self Esteem

Worrying What Other People Think – Thoughts From The New Forest

A few weeks ago I was on holiday down in the New Forest with my family and recorded a video whilst out exploring all about worrying what other people think.

This is something that comes up a lot when I work with people on issues around anxiety, low confidence and low self-esteem. It might mean worrying so much about being judged that you don’t do something you’d like to be doing, or don’t contribute and say what you want to. You might worry when you are actually around those people and find yourself second guessing yourself inside of your head or trying to ‘get things right’ before you say or do anything. And you may well dwell on things afterwards and either judge yourself harshly for how you feel you did, or else worry that others are thinking badly of you in some way.

I know I used to do all of these things and more when I struggled with anxiety and low self-esteem. In fact, I almost thought there was something seriously wrong with me because of how I was around other people and for holding back and doubting myself when I should have just got on with it.

And as it’s something that has come up a lot in sessions recently, here’s my short video where I share some thoughts about worrying what other people think about you:

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