Anxiety Clinic Dublin

Tag: Mental health

  • Feeding anxiety through repetition

    Cannot sleep

    Picture the scene, your in bed, anxiously just lying there,the seconds on the clock becoming minutes which soon become hours. No sleep just thoughts bouncing around your head. This is so common when we are anxious.Worry, stress, rerun conversations going round and round and feeling totally bushwhacked when it’s time to get up.

    We never seem to be able to relax, always walking zombie like through life always making mistakes and that no matter how hard we try we always seem to be in trouble or doing things wrong.

    Despite our best of intentions of trying to keep helping other people, or to make a positive difference, it all seems to keep going wrong.

    Sometimes when we are anxious, we end up trying too hard, or not seeing the problems in what we’re doing, because we’re rushing around not able to focus on what we are doing we end up making a mess of things.

    I can think of so many people who just couldn’t stop and kept making things worse even though they had the best of intentions.

    When the anxiety systems of the brain are active, we’ll often get that knot in the stomach, or a tight chest, and those physical feelings make everything feel urgent and really strong. We act instinctively trying to do the right thing but time after time it seems like we just keep getting it wrong.

    The more you try the worse it seems to get , your anxiety feeding self doubts and feelings of failure. You beat yourself up over the smallest things , you feel alone as if it’s only you going through this constant cycle of anxious failure.

    It doesn’t all have to be like this. Little changes can make a big difference. Cutting stress with simple activities like mindfulness, exercise, focused breathing etc can all dial down the strength of that worry reaction.

    However, if there’s been a lifelong tendency of anxiety or to always be worrying, or having constant mental reruns , then there’s probably a lot of opportunity to make life better by dealing with those issues. That’s what has completely turned the lives around for many people I have seen.

    My honest advice is be true to yourself and make a list of what and how often you are worrying or stressing and see how big an issue it is in life. You can choose to ignore it but if that’s what you have been doing up until now ask yourself how that’s been working out for you.

    There are a lot of proven ways to reduce anxiety, worry, fears and phobias – I use a variety of strategies tailored to personal needs.

    Recognizing that there’s room for improvement in life is very often the first step that takes us to doing what we need to do to make our life better in the future.

    You have lost enough sleep to anxiety now is the time to get the help you need.

    David McAllister Contact

    • “When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius

      Good morning feel good

    • Mindful communication

      Operating theatre door

      Getting ready to deliver some mindful communication with the fantastic theatre nurses of CHI @Temple Street Dublin. It’s always a pleasure.

    • World Mental Health Day 2021

      Not just for today

      World Mental Health Day 2021

    • Letting the happiness of gratitude in

      Just having a little moment of gratitude to say thanks to my beautiful family for a great fun weekend of games and laughter.

      It’s the simple pleasure of your company that bonds our connection no matter what we do.

      Hopefully we can all find the little moments in our lives that may seem trivial yet have profound impact, even without our conscious awareness.

      So when it comes to you just let the happiness of gratitude in whichever way you can.

      Classic board games

    • Monday Quote

      Peace of mind

      “When you’ve seen beyond yourself, then you may find, peace of mind is waiting there.”
      ― George Harrison

    • The Stroop Effect Myth or Reality?

      The Stroop Test

      Just been helping my daughter with her science project with one of my all time favourite psychological experiments. The Stroop Test.

      Although used for assessing attention deficiencies and brain injury disorders it can also help people become more aware of how we process information and how we can improve our attention span and focused attention.

      Try it out you might just surprise yourself : https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html

      For any more information please feel free to contact me:

      Contact

    • Now you come to mention it Yes I am stressed and anxious.

      Anxiety Stressed

      Stress and anxiety are in my experience involved in a great many of the causes for clients coming for hypnotherapy.

      People looking for hypnotherapy may present with an issue such as smoking or weight loss however I see stress and anxiety as an underlying cause and can lead to many problems if ignored.

      Relaxation exercises, and other stress management techniques can be very useful in overcoming stress and anxiety caused by everyday life. So much so I utilise these frequently.

      Due to a variety of socio-economic conditions, stress and anxiety have now become more widely recognised by both individuals and employers. Globally thousands of work days are lost to these conditions .

      In addition there is great personal anxiety which can lead to relationship tension , depression, panic attacks and many other problems.

      Effective stress and anxiety management means not just dealing with the presenting stress and anxiety but to also help to avoid reaching high stress and anxiety levels in the first place. Hypnosis can help by:


      >Creating an understanding about the reasons and factors underlying stress and anxiety.

      > Teaching relaxation techniques so you can develop new ways to relax naturally and easily.


      >Reframing thinking to help with panic attacks, anxiety and fears.

      Remember stress and anxiety can cause problems in very clever and unhelpful ways. But it doesn’t have to be like this, even if you don’t think you have choices- you do.

      We might not be able to avoid stress and anxiety and indeed we all need a little edge to keep us alive but let’s take action before it gets too much to handle.

      Stay safe and for any further information please feel free to contact me:

      Contact

    • Poll: Has the pandemic affected your mental health? · TheJournal.ie

      The Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on many people.
      — Read on www.thejournal.ie/mental-health-covid-19-2-5176991-Aug2020/

      Nearly 60 % of people surveyed said their mental health has been affected during this pandemic.

      It doesn’t all have to be like this.

      Let’s do something together to change this affect.

      This is a global phenomenon so no one should be left behind.

      So if you’re one of the 60% or not sure how you feel then take action now.

      There is no need to suffer alone people like me are here to help so get the help you need.

    • Katy Perry’s hypnotising heartbreak ditty is perfect therapy for fans

      guess I could try hypnotherapy, I gotta rewire this brain’
      — Read on www.metro.news/katy-perrys-hypnotising-heartbreak-ditty-is-perfect-therapy-for-fans/1594959/

    • Embrace the fear and do it anyway

      Fear is okay

      Bertrand Russell , a hard read, but worth it.

    • Is it time to fill the constant that is time?

      The speed of time standing still

      Zoom! – “What was that”?

      “That was your life, mate”.

      “That was quick, do I get another”?

      “Sorry mate, that’s your lot.”

      Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, BBC Television. (John Cleese)

      Our lives might not seem to be moving quickly at the moment but they are moving at the same pace as yesterday, the days before that and the days to come.

      The virus has however changed all our lives. Time has remained the constant that it always was but how we use this time as changed.

      Before we probably didn’t think we had enough of it but now that has altered and we are not too sure how to deal with it.

      Most of us like to have a degree of certainty in our lives and a sense of control over our choices and actions. This is being challenged as we are being forced into actions and behaviours that are not ours.

      Therefore if we do not feel we own these choices, then our actions and behaviours are in conflict and that leads to confusion, disillusionment and anger.

      Now most of us can put up with this sort of thing for a short while but when it drags on, with no real end in sight the pressure can begin to mount and with any excess pressure something has to give.

      So what can we do?

      1. Acceptance.

      Ouch, really, we have had enough and you are saying just accept the situation we are in? Well yes I am, if we can accept the situation then we will not be fighting it anymore. Stressing ourselves out over something we cannot fix is no cure. By accepting where we are will allow us to see things in a different way.

      2. Changing our perspective.

      Now that we are no longer fighting the situation we can use the time, remember it is the same amount of time we always had, to review what is important in our lives and really see how we can get more of these things and ditch the ones that were really just filling space in our lives but not really adding any value to it. WARNING!!! This might be something that you have been putting off for years as you know the answers and they might not be palatable but now is the opportunity to clear the decks.

      • Work : do really miss it, other than the paycheck? Is there something that you always wanted to do that you now have the time to tackle? Are you a music genius, a writer perhaps, an artist? No matter what now is the time to express yourself.

      • Health: can you take the time now to review your health, stop smoking perhaps, cut down on alcohol, try a vegetarian diet, exercise more – become a yoga master twisting your limbs into pretzel shapes in no time! (remember to check with your physician before radically changing your diet and exercise regime)

      • Wealth: How much is enough? How can you get by with what you have, review where your money has been going, can this now be trimmed and even can you do without things that never have been essential anyway.

      • Relationships: This is a real challenge as in times like these, our relationships are under pressure but we need to know if we can get through this then we can get through anything. However it might be time to review those who have not been helpful and have been more of a drain on your energies and take the opportunity to say “sayonara”.

      3. Comparison trap.

      Stop comparing yourself to others, there will always be someone who is more attractive, wealthier, has a bigger car, has a bigger house, has something you don’t have. But do you really need what they have? Is it that important? Is it okay to just have what you have, now is a great opportunity to review this.

      4. Future planning.

      This situation will not last forever. It will end. Take this chance to see how you are going to live your life in the future. Do you want to go back to the way it was, but this is unlikely as social distancing and various health protocols might be around for some time to come. So now is the chance to plan a different life, taking everything above into consideration, now you can really plan for a life that is less stressful, less chaotic and just better as you have taken the time to plan your life.

      Remember you only get one life, but rarely do you get the chance to review and reset it to the way it should have been in the first place. Now might be that opportunity. Seize the opportunity as this is something you can still control.

      Zoom! – “What was that”?

      “That was your life, mate”.

      “That was quick, do I get another”?

      “Sorry mate, that’s your lot.”

      David McAllister

      anxietyclinicdublin.com

      anxietyclinic@dublin.com

      0858435939

    • Dingle’s WWII survivor: ‘People need to relax’

      Dingle’s WWII survivor: ‘People need to relax’
      — Read on www.rte.ie/amp/1132874/

      Wise words from a patient lady on her 90th birthday.

      It’s not easy at the moment, which is understandable , we all feel uneasy, we are restless, we want to get back to our lives.

      But we can’t, not just yet. This is the message on a global scale. Stay patient we will get through it together.

      Let’s respect the wisdom.

    • Let the happiness in…

      In these curious times happiness can mean so many different things to different people and words cannot truly describe what it is, for it is a feeling, a unique feeling within us that hopefully we have all experienced, even for the briefest of moments.

      So even when happiness seems short on supply, grasp and savour the depth of its existence when it comes your way.

      For it is yours to experience any way you like.

      So when it comes your way , let it in, or if it’s not for you, please share it with someone who might just need it.