Dan’s Blog

Are You More Resilient Than You Think? Dealing With Challenges Post Covid-19

by Dan Regan | Apr 23, 2020 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Are You More Resilient Than You Think? Dealing With Challenges Post Covid-19

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown, one element of us all that has been well and truly tested is our resilience. We’ve all had to cope with changes to our usual habits and patterns and we’ve all faced restrictions on leaving home. Whilst we all face challenges throughout our lives at one time or another, it’s rare for a countrywide, and even worldwide, challenge to affect so many at one time.

As time passes and the rate of cases and deaths continue to drop here in the UK, more and more the focus turns to life after lockdown and the gradual return to more of a sense of normality, albeit that social distancing may be here to stay for quite some time yet.

For many of you, lockdown may have taken a toll on your mental health with increased symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. Some of the things that you may usually do to feel better, such as socialising, getting out, and some forms of exercise are not available at all or in the usual way. Combined with these changes to normality is the risk to health from catching the disease, financial worries, home schooling and a sense of being confined and trapped in a situation where you aren’t in control.

Certainly your resilience has already been tested, and when the lockdown is lifted or relaxed, that resilience may be needed to an even great extent.

Meat and Mental Health – Do Vegans & Vegetarians Have More Anxiety and Depression?

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

Meat and Mental Health – Do Vegans & Vegetarians Have More Anxiety and Depression?

It’s an interesting question that I’m covering today: is there a link between how much meat you do (or don’t) consume and your mental health? As more and more people turn to a vegetarian or vegan diet for health or ethical reasons, are they in danger of damaging their psychological health and well-being?

Recently (April 2020) a systematic review of the current evidence set out to examine the relationship between the consumption or avoidance of meat and psychological health and well-being, such as anxiety and depression.

Before I get onto their findings, it’s worth me mentioning that I am a vegetarian and have been for nearly thirty years now. My decision was an ethical one, yet I’ve always been of the view that there are health benefits too from avoiding things like processed meat and red meat (but hey I’m not a dietician so you should always satisfy yourself about the physical health benefits either way). And because it’s always the next question people ask: no my kids aren’t vegetarian; that’s for them to decide when they are old enough.

Certainly there is some evidence that a diet without meat can help to reduce the likelihood of a number of diseases and so, if nutritionally adequate, can provide health benefits in that regard.

When I became a vegetarian my mental health was pretty poor and I struggled with anxiety and low self-esteem. Was there a link between my anxiety and becoming vegetarian? I couldn’t tell you. Has my mental health improved since then? Massively. But is there any sort link between meat consumption and mental health?

Using Negative Visualisation To Support Having A Wonderful Life

by Dan Regan | Apr 20, 2020 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Using Negative Visualisation To Support Having A Wonderful Life:

Here in the UK, the covid-19 lockdown continues and I’ve noticed an increasing number of posts online recently from people expressing how they won’t take certain things for granted again in the way they used to, once things return to normal.

There are many things I think we will all appreciate when life does ease back into normality. Most of us have missed the freedom and luxury of just going out to places whenever we wish, of strolling around and sitting in nature and the great outdoors, and spending time with people from outside our own households. Many are looking forward to getting back onto their usual routines and doing the things they enjoy. And, as we watch the figures rise for the number of people affected by covid-19, I think we can all be grateful for our own health and, here in the UK, every week we show our appreciation for the NHS and key workers by ‘clapping for carers’.

Indeed, the NHS is perhaps one of those things that as a country we’ve grown used to over the years and adapted to it being there so that now, in this time of pandemic, we have one again truly appreciated those who work within the health service and the fact that it is there for all of us.

Expressing gratitude is certainly one of those practices that can boost our sense of well-being and happiness and a wealth of science supports that fact.

Mindful Hypnotherapy to Reduce Stress and Increase Mindfulness

by Dan Regan | Apr 17, 2020 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Mindful Hypnotherapy to Reduce Stress and Increase Mindfulness:

Mindfulness has been popular for quite some time now, and in the same way that hypnotherapy shares a huge amount of common ground with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, there is also an overlapping between hypnotherapy and mindfulness.

Within all of these therapeutic approaches, we are seeking to deal with our thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions. You find yourself with troublesome thoughts, feelings and behaviours and you want to change those patterns to something more helpful and beneficial.

Mindfulness can be deﬁned as ‘paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.’ It is something that I employ within my therapy room in combination with hypnosis to help clients with anxiety, stress and so forth, as part of helping them to achieve their goals and feel better. In addition to being okay with thoughts as they happen in the present moment, we also want to expand upon this to help you take this ability into everyday situations and to help you to progress towards your goals.

Recently, some research was published that examined the results of adding hypnosis to mindfulness to reduce stress symptoms.

What Are The Key Strategies for Weight Loss Success?

by Dan Regan | Apr 17, 2020 | Weight Loss

What Are The Key Strategies for Weight Loss Success?

Have you ever wondered how some people are able to achieve their weight loss and then go on to maintain it over time? So many people who sign up for a weight loss programme or group can start to lose weight with the initial burst of motivation and focus but then somehow it all comes back on. It’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of yo-yo weight loss and gain, or to simply decide that no programme works for you.

Well, now we have the research and evidence that shows exactly what behavioural and psychological strategies these weight loss maintainers are using that support keeping the weight off over time. I’ve covered the findings below. You may be surprised at how unsurprising the strategies for successful weight loss actually are, however, on the plus side, that means anyone can utilise them to increase results.

Now, of course, in a recent post I wrote about how weight loss in itself won’t necessarily make you feel happier, according to all the research. Yet there is no doubt that there are substantial health benefits to losing weight and that is certainly a goal worth achieving. And if you want a better quality of life, to wear those clothes, have more energy, move more easily and prove to yourself and others that you can do it, then so much the better.

So what are the strategies of those people who lose weight and keep it off over the years?

Weight Loss: Will Losing Weight Make You Happier and Healthier?

by Dan Regan | Apr 16, 2020 | Weight Loss

Weight Loss: Will Losing Weight Make You Happier and Healthier?

As I write this post, we are still under lockdown here in the UK and in many ways this seems to have become the new normal after a few weeks of limitation and social distancing.

Certainly my days have formed their own reasonably familiar structure from getting up to exercise and then onto doing some work, playing with the kids, practicing guitar, watching a movie, a bit of reading and then bed. Certainly I’ve found having a rough sort of routine and being occupied are making the days pass by reasonably smoothly.

And one thing I’ve been doing as part of my work on mental health and wellbeing, is revisiting the excellent Science of Wellbeing course run by Yale University (you can sign up and take the course for free on Coursera here: The Science of Wellbeing). I first went through this course early last year and found it to be excellent, which is why I’m taking the opportunity to go through the science again.

As the science shows, what we think will make us happier and what actually does increase our happiness are often two very different things.

More Ways To Deal With Anxiety – Mental Health During Coronavirus and Beyond

by Dan Regan | Apr 7, 2020 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

More Ways To Deal With Anxiety – Mental Health During Coronavirus and Beyond

The Covid-19 coronavirus pendemic continues to dominate life here in the UK and elsewhere across the globe. As I write this, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has just left hospital after a stay in intensive care and the daily number of people who have sadly died in the UK has just been published and has risen over the ten thousand mark.

Each and every day we are hearing more worrying news and updates about the coronavirus and its terrible ramifications. Life is uncertain right now and none of us know when any semblance of normality may return. And even in the things we can do under the current restrictions, there’s a constant (justified) need to be alert and vigilant, to wash hands regularly, maintain social distancing and only go out for specified reasons. To beat this coronavirus, we all need to be thinking and aware, to keep abreast of the latest developments and to do all we can to protect our own loved ones and save lives.

It’s no wonder in this kind of environment that so many people are struggling right now with anxiety and stress and are experiencing an impact on their mental health.

Health Anxiety Hypnotherapy Testimonial (and Fear of Flying)

by Dan Regan | Apr 2, 2020 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Health Anxiety Hypnotherapy Testimonial (and Fear of Flying):

Whilst the coronavirus pandemic continues unabated here in the UK, there has been a surge in the number of people struggling with anxiety, health anxiety, stress and worry.

Within this mental health storm, I wanted to offer something positive in the form of my most recent hypnotherapy testimonial. Feedback like this can offer everyone hope and belief that it is possible to learn how to manage anxiety, worry and stress. If all of the people who have left feedback on my What People Say pages have been able to overcome anxiety then that means that you can benefit too.

It’s always a huge privilege to help someone to make positive changes like overcoming anxiety, so it’s a massive thank you to Charlotte for sharing her feedback on how her sessions helped with her health anxiety (and fear of flying too).

Free Stress Relief Hypnosis Download to Help During Coronavirus Lockdown

by Dan Regan | Mar 31, 2020 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Free Stress Relief Hypnosis Download to Help During Coronavirus Lockdown

Hey! I hope you are doing ok in the current lockdown climate?

I’ve already covered some ways to manage anxiety during the coronavirus outbreak so this is just a really short reminder that my stress relief hypnosis download is still available free of charge to help you. If you could use some stress relief or anxiety help then my hypnosis download can really help you right now.

How To Cope With Coronavirus Anxiety

by Dan Regan | Mar 30, 2020 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

How To Cope With Coronavirus Anxiety

It’s perhaps hard to believe that we are only into week two of the lockdown as I write this. So much seems to have happened over the last ten days or so and I hope you are doing ok in these challenging times.

Certainly normal life and usual routines have all changed for all of us right now, which can only be a good thing because the more we all stay home and keep our distance from others, the more our awesome NHS will be able to cope and the more lives will be saved.

And whilst we are all calling it a lockdown, let’s not forget that currently there are a whole range of specific reasons that mean you can get out and about if essential or needed. Compared to some other countries who are struggling more than the UK right now and have much tighter restrictions, I’m certainly grateful that I can get out for a walk or run to exercise each day.

The impact of the coronavirus can be felt by all of us yet in many different ways. Many of us are now working from home yet others are still going to work because they are essential workers or can’t work from home. Some businesses and employers are doing well whilst others are struggling. Some people have financial concerns or are waiting upon Government support. You may be worried about your own health or that of loved ones should they contract the virus. Some of us are now also trying to do at least a bit of home schooling with the challenges that entails. And some people are being very productive and perhaps learning new skills, whilst many others are struggling with anxiety, depression and stress and just trying to cope each day.

With all the uncertainty and worry, you may very well be struggling with anxiety and stress about one or several aspects related to the coronavirus. In this first article about how to manage anxiety during the coronavirus I’ve covered the first three things that I suggest you start (or continue) doing to boast your mental health under lockdown.

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