Dan’s Blog

Holiday Social Anxiety

by Dan Regan | Dec 4, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Holiday Social Anxiety: How To Manage Festive Gatherings

Does the thought of all those upcoming festive gatherings fill you with a sense of holiday social anxiety?

For many people, the festive season brings a wealth of excitement, connection and celebration. Yet for others, December and the approach of Christmas and the New Year, creates a rising sense of dread and anxiety. There are office parties, work events, family gatherings, Christmas meals, noisy pubs, small talk and a pressure to go to everything and that you must have a good time. When you struggle with social anxiety, the holiday festive season each December can mean a struggle with feeling overwhelmed and anxious, with a heightened worry about what others think.

You can start to feel more and more anxious as social situations arise. You worry about drying up or messing up and being judged negatively. Maybe you worry about being there with no one to talk to, or that you’ll say something stupid and embarrass yourself. You might have worries about how you look and your appearance. Your social anxiety kicks in before you even get there, spikes when you are around others and then you dwell and overthink as you replay things afterwards.

Holiday social anxiety makes you worry for days beforehand about what people think. You spend way too long thinking how to avoid things or escape from things. You feel hot, tense and on edge. You may struggle to think of what to say, or you go the other way and blurt out all sorts of things without a filter. The whole time that anxious voice in your head is overthinking, observing and analysing. It can feel more like a draining ordeal that an occasion for fun and enjoyment.

Social anxiety tends to skyrocket in December. There’s the expectation, or obligation, to go to social gatherings. Social anxiety is something I help people with all year around in my Ely, Newmarket and online hypnotherapy sessions.

Yet, it’s never the social situation itself. It’s your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, expectations and habitual perceptions that create the inner anxiety, dread and fear. And that makes it possible to change those patterns to make festive socialising feel calmer and more manageable this year, and all year.

Festive Eating Without the Guilt

by Dan Regan | Dec 2, 2025 | Weight Loss

Festive Eating Without the Guilt: How Hypnotherapy Helps You Stay in Control at Christmas

Festive eating without the guilt? Can it be done?! It can with weight loss hypnotherapy to help you stay in control over your eating this Christmas.

Christmas can be a wonderful time of the year. It’s filled with family, friends…and plenty of delicious food. In fact, often there is too much food. There can be big meals, treats, snacks and grazing with sweets and chocolate in front of the TV. There is always so much food around and plenty of opportunity to eat much more than you usually might.

It can all lead to a repeat of the boom and bust of weight loss. You work hard to be healthy and lose some weight, only to undo all that effort over the festive period. You can end up entering the New Year feeling fat, bloated and disappointed that it happened again.

Festive eating can come with guilt. There’s the guilt of undoing your previous efforts. The guilt of indulging when you know you don’t really need to eat it. The guilt if you are miserable from missing out by not eating. You try to battle with yourself yet ultimately fail. And once you’ve started, the festive eating can rumble on and on.

Christmas can bring anxiety, guilt and a sense of losing control around eating. You find yourself reaching for some more or those chocolates just because it’s Christmas and it’s there. You feel bad if you ‘deprive’ yourself and you feel guilty if you eat too much.

If you struggle with eating at Christmas, hypnotherapy can help you navigate the festive season with confidence and balance.

Men Walking and Talking Ely Group

by Dan Regan | Dec 1, 2025 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Men Walking and Talking Ely Group

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting up with James Clements, who runs the Men Walking and Talking Ely group.

James has spoken openly and honestly about is own mental health journey. He was inspired to set up the Ely group after catching a segment on the One Show. Since then, the group has gone from strength to strength thanks to the ongoing endeavour, motivation and determination of James. If you are a man in Ely struggling with mental health issues, seeking to connect with other men or just looking for an evening out and a walk with others, then do contact James or join the Tuesday walk.

Men Walking and Talking started in 2021 in Telford. They run mental health walks, with the aim of bringing men together in a safe space to end the stigma around men’s mental health by supporting each other.

The Men Walking and Talking Ely group started in 2025. They meet at Barton Road Car Park every Tuesday at 7pm. James really is a lovely, approachable and friendly guy so do consider going along if this seems like something you might be interested in. There’s no obligation to go every week but it’s definitely worth giving a try if you can.

Fear of Blushing and How To Overcome It

by Dan Regan | Nov 24, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Fear of Blushing and How To Overcome It

Do you struggle with a fear of blushing?

Having a fear of blushing can turn every social occasion into a source of anxiety and stress. You worry beforehand about whether you are going to go red. When around others you feel anxious in case you blush. At the first sign of your face warming, the panic sets in. You feel your face burning up and you feel embarrassed. You’re sure the other person must have noticed and, if they do mention it, you feel mortified.

It could happen at any time, perhaps even around friends and family. Your face starts to flush when you’re talking to someone and their eyes are upon you. Your fear of blushing may become a reality when giving a presentation, speaking in a group, when in a queue or just out and about during everyday interactions. You feel that warm rush in your cheeks and you know your worst fear is happening again. The more you notice it, and worry about others noticing it, the worse it can seem to get.

For many people, the fear of blushing can lead to a cycle of worry, embarrassment and avoidance. You find yourself dreading situations where you think you could blush. You worry about what other people will think. You may try and avoid situations where it could happen. And, should it happen, then you can dwell and give yourself a hard time afterwards.

Your fear of blushing can become linked to social anxiety, fear of judgement and worry about what other people think. It all becomes an ongoing cycle of fear about blushing, anxiety about social situations, and feeling bad in yourself.

Yet just like other anxiety related issues, you can break that cycle and overcome your fear of blushing. You can start to feel more calm, confident and comfortable in yourself again.

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.

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