Podcast

COVID-19: Positive points

Pandemics are bad, as a rule. But there are silver linings, too. In this episode, I will look at some of the positive things that are coming out of coronavirus so that we can fight that negative bias that anxiety brings to our lives.

Published: 3 April 2020. Length: 6:45.

COVID-19: Breaking the worry cycle

If you spend too much time worrying about coronavirus, this is the episode for you. I will discuss the one question you can ask yourself to help you break out of spending hours trawling through COVID-19 news reports.

Published: 2 April 2020. Length: 3:24.

COVID-19: Why are people panic buying?

In many parts of the world, supermarkets have struggled to keep up with demand. Toilet paper is a rare commodity during coronavirus. But is this a sign of people being selfish and showing the worst in humanity? I don't think so.

In this episode, I will discuss the reasons for increased food consumption, as well as some psychological needs, and why empty shelves may be a sign that people are being considerate and taking the threat of self-isolation seriously.

Published: 1 April 2020. Length: 7:39.

COVID-19: Mindset

Many people with anxiety are angry at themselves for worrying. We have all of these COVID-19 worries, and then we beat ourselves up for spending so much time obsessing over it.

In this episode, I will discuss the idea of the nurturing coach (or nurturing parent) and how we can develop a more positive relationship with our anxiety.

Published: 31 March 2020. Length: 6:28.

COVID-19: How to stay safe

Taking a quick break from the psychology of COVID-19, we will look at how to stay safe during coronavirus. This episode is designed for anyone who wants to know the common safety techniques without having to trawl through the mainstream media to find them. Remember, though, that the best place for guidance is government advice.

Published: 30 March 2020. Length: 8:54.

COVID-19: Common worries

A lot of the anxiety around COVID-19 comes from predictable worries. Will I get ill? How will I cope if my family gets sick? What is happening about my job? Will the healthcare system be able to cope?

In this episode, I will discuss some of the common worries and remind everyone that anxiety is a bias towards seeing the negative.

Published: 29 March 2020. Length: 9:02.

COVID-19: Normalising pandemics

COVID-19 is the most wide-spread and worrying pandemic we have seen in a while. But it is far from the only epidemic to spring up this century.

In this episode, I want to normalise the idea of pandemics. Yes, they are bad. But the world has seen them before and we have survived. We are treading on known ground.

Published: 28 March 2020. Length: 5:56.

COVID-19: How to read the news less

Constantly reading the news on COVID-19 can trigger a lot of anxiety. But just telling someone "read the news less" is like saying to someone "just don't worry about it." That's not how anxiety works.

In this episode, we will break down why we read the news so much, the meta-beliefs that underpin this behaviour, and a practical way to make a change so that you spend less time-consuming coronavirus news.

Published: 27 March 2020. Length: 5:20.

COVID-19: Why is it so scary?

It is a challenging time for anyone with health anxiety. Coronavirus/COVID-19 is running rampant across the world. How do we manage our anxiety and mental health throughout this period?

In this episode, I will look at why COVID-19 is causing so much anxiety. And, more importantly, why those worries will reduce over time, even if the virus is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Published: 26 March 2020. Length: 7:34.

Fear of public transport

Many people struggle with using public transport. It might be getting the bus, train or underground: whatever it is, it is common to worry about panic attacks, being trapped and having to interact with strangers. In this episode, Chris discusses some coping strategies that can be useful, techniques for making it easier on yourself and long-term treatments including exposure and therapy.

Published: 27 June 2017. Length: 17:12.

What is metacognitive therapy?

Metacognitive therapy (MCT) is a relatively new form of therapy that looks at thinking about thinking. It's super useful. But what exactly does it all mean? In this episode, Chris explains the basics of MCT and how it can be applicable to reducing your anxiety.

Published: 13 June 2017. Length: 14:36.

How to stop a panic attack

What do you do in the moment when you are having a panic attack? It's hard to do anything when you feel like you are going to die. In this episode, Chris shares five practical ideas that you can use when you are having a panic attack to help bring it to an end.

Published: 30 May 2017. Length: 13:26.

Increase your motivation with temptation bundling

Today was supposed to be a "go out and exercise" day. But it's cold. And raining. And this bed is warm. And I don't want to go out and exercise. Ever had this conversation with yourself? If you are anything like me, you have probably had the debate repeatedly. The barrier: there is no reason for me to go out and exercise. Sure, there is a long-term benefit, but I don't feel that immediately. So, how do we motivate ourselves do the things we don't want to do? One solution is temptation bundling. In this episode, we will discuss what it is and how to use it.

Published: 9 May 2017. Length: 8:08.

How to distract yourself from anxiety

When you just need to get through something, distraction can be a powerful tool for taking your thoughts away from your anxiety. However, it is only effective when used correctly. In this episode, we will discuss the differences between effective and ineffective distraction, and look at the different options available.

Published: 25 April 2017. Length: 9:47.

How to conquer your fear of flying

If you find flying an awful experience, you are not alone. For many people, it is the bane of their summer holiday. In this episode, we will look at strategies to reduce the anxiety surrounding flying. These include cognitive interventions, exposure therapy, using distraction properly, taking medication and joining a fear of flying course.

Published: 11 April 2017. Length: 16:01.

How to use small steps to reduce your anxiety

Our new book "Do More, Worry Less" teaches you how to use small changes to your lifestyle to reduce anxiety. In this episode, we look at why you would use lifestyle to reduce anxiety, what aspects of your life have an effect on your mental health, how to avoid the common pitfalls of lifestyle changes and how the book can help you do this.

Published: 28 March 2017. Length: 16:00.

The difference between being busy and being productive

As anxiety sufferers, it is easy to be busy without being productive. In fact, many of us find ourselves so busy that we are unable to be productive. This is not a coincidence. When we find ourselves with anxiety-provoking high resistance tasks to complete, we make ourselves busy. Or we use busyness to distract ourselves from anxiety. In this episode, we will look at some strategies for making ourselves productive, rather than busy.

Published: 14 March 2017. Length: 09:47.

What to do when CBT doesn't work

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective treatments we have for anxiety. However, it does not work for everyone. If you find yourself in this situation, what do you do then? In this episode, we will explore some of the options. These including counselling, mindfulness, acceptance, lifestyle and medication, as well as ways to get more out of CBT itself.

Published: 28 February 2017. Length: 15:31.

Introducing our manifesto

One of the key components of a relationship with a therapist is the relationship that you build with them. This is built from mutual understanding and trust. It is this relationship that allows the whole system to function, and to allow you to improve your mental health. This podcast is not therapy. But we are talking about mental health, and the same rules still apply: if you are on a different wavelength to us, we are going to struggle to connect.

But how do you know what we believe? To make that clear, we have written a manifesto. It is a five-point plan, setting out what we think about anxiety. In this episode, I will discuss each of the five points and what they mean. You can read the full manifesto on our website.

Published: 2 January 2017. Length: 10:08.

What comes first: thoughts or feelings?

When we think about thoughts and feelings, what comes first? The intuitive way round is that our thoughts come first, and these power our feelings. But is this view correct? And if not, what implications does this have for managing anxiety? In this episode we will look at all of these questions, and apply it to some real-world examples.

Published: 20 December 2016. Length: 10:42.

How to eat less chocolate while enjoying it more

What if I told you that you could reduce the amount of chocolate you eat, while actually increasing the pleasure you get from it? It is totally possible and in this episode, I will give you two techniques for doing it. One is a cognitive behavioural style technique and the other is using mindfulness to enjoy we really enjoy every calorie.

Published: 12 December 2016. Length: 12:43.

Why CBT doesn't work - and what to do about it

Did you know what the most important part of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) happens outside of the therapy sessions? Many people do not get on with CBT simply because this is not properly explained to them. In this lesson we will look at how we, as service users, can get the most out of our therapy.

Published: 29 November 2016. Length: 9:54.

How to motivate yourself to go out and exercise

Ever wake up and think to yourself "uugh, I REALLY do not want to go outside today"? In this episode, I will teach you how to use CBT-style techniques to overcome these feelings.

Published: 22 November 2016. Length: 14:01.

Seven specific ways to beat the winter blues

If you are in the northern hemisphere, November is a time of year when the weather gets colder and the nights get longer. How to do we keep our mood up? Here are seven highly-actionable ideas.

Published: 13 November 2016. Length: 16:52.