Stress & Anxiety Podcasts

BACP Accredited Body Psychotherapist, Shelley Treacher gives “short, inspirational gems of wisdom” in her Stress and Anxiety focused podcasts to her podcast listeners.

Shelley’s podcasts are about disrupting harmful habits, from binge-eating to self-criticism. Learn how to deal with anxiety and stress, the feelings that cause overeating and explore healthier ways to connect.

Madsandwich75 , 28/02/2021

Enlightening – 5*

I’m really enjoying this series. It is full of insightful ideas presented in a compassionate way. I often find myself pausing the playback to reflect on what’s been said and have even made notes, something I never normally do! I found writing a proud list at the end of each day particularly powerful. It gives me something to fight the negative thoughts with and helps me get to sleep.

Shelley helps you to understand the causes of overthinking and how to relax your mind. This podcast explores signs of overthinking and offers strategies to deal with it, focusing on listening to your body to recognise stress, anxiety and an overactive nervous system.

In this podcast:

• Becoming aware of overthinking
• Mental, physical and emotional symptoms of overthinking.
• Breaking the belief that overthinking is productive.
• 3 ways that you can challenge overthinking; taking a practical approach, a physiological approach, or an experiential approach.
• 2 exercises that shift your nervous system.
• Underlying causes of overthinking.
• The role of the left and the right brain in overthinking.

Nowadays, we are more worried than ever, with so many things on our minds. Some anxiety is essential, as it helps us to focus on what’s important and to avoid potential danger. However, we are not often taught how to deal with anxiety, or what it really is.

Here we will look at:

• Podcast Q&A What is compassion?
• Podcast Q&A How can I stop eating?
• What anxiety is
• 10 ways to reduce anxiety

Feeling ashamed is common, strong, and uncomfortable for people who struggle with binge-eating.

In this podcast:

1. What shame and embarrassment mean for us
2. How it affects binge-eaters
3. Body-shame in our culture
4. Ways to release shame (for ANYONE experiencing shame)

“Whenever we get close, one of us pulls away”

If you’ve ever wondered why your partner (or date) seems to withdraw after you’ve got on so well, this might be why. In this podcast I talk about how the fear of being dependent on people can lead to a fear of commitment, ghosting, an avoidance of intimacy, and a reliance on substances. This podcast will help you to understand what’s happening with avoidance, so that you can better protect yourselves and each other.

Here we will look at:

• What avoidance is and where it comes from.
• How the fear of being dependent can lead to avoidant behaviour
• Ways to spot avoidance

If you started a diet or exercise regime in the New Year but now struggle to keep it going, it might be because you didn’t understand what was going on for you. It’s normal for most of us to struggle with procrastination. But there are reasons for this and it can be stopped! In ​today’s podcast​, I’m going to show you how ‘failing’ can help you.

In this Podcast we’ll look at and cover the following:

• Why you lose control and how to regain it
• The origins of self-control in your brain
• Recognising how stress, tiredness, and distraction stop you taking control
• Retraining your brain to take action
• I’ll also share my experiences with impulse buying & how I stop myself

We’ll discuss the small steps that add up to a big change.

Bessel van der Kolk said, “You can be fully in charge of your life, only if you can acknowledge the reality of your body, in all its visceral dimensions”

In this episode

• Podcast Q&A What is a comfort food?
• I introduce you to becoming more aware of your internal body experience, as a way to manage anxiety, stress, or binge-eating
• Personal examples are given

Becoming more embodied helps us to notice how and when we cheat ourselves of being kind to ourselves.

Areas of our body and brain work together to decide how to respond to any situation.
Most of this happens unconsciously, especially with comfort eating. Embodiment will help you get to know your system from the inside, so that you can have some conscious control over that.

In this episode

• Podcast Q&A: Is a craving physical?
• A guided embodiment exercise exploring self-worth and body image

In this episode, we look at ways to regulate the autonomic nervous system to come out of a stress state, depression, anxiety or compulsion.

I also give you a summary of everything I talked about in the first 8 podcasts of the year. This will give you a massive jump start to coping with anxiety, depression or any compulsion.

We cover:

• The psychology and physiology behind stress, anxiety, depression, binge eating or addiction.
• Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory & A Polyvagal exercise (to kickstart the parasympathetic response out of anxiety & triggering).
• The physiology of being triggered into stress, anxiety, or depression.
• 11 ways to regulate the parasympathetic nervous system response (to come out of a stress or depressed state).

& More…

Self-criticism is one of the underlying reasons that people come to therapy. Recovering your self-esteem lies in NOT trying to be perfect.

We explore:

• What self-criticism is & how it shows up.
• The root of self-criticism
• How self-criticism goes hand in hand with binge-eating or compulsions.
• How you can stop criticising yourself so much

Maybe you’re frustrated with yourself for not being able to stop eating. Or maybe you know your triggers are emotional?

We dive into:

• The complexities of binge-eating and the various factors that contribute to the difficulty of stopping.
• Five reasons why managing binge-eating has nothing to do with self-discipline.
• The chemical, ancestral, genetic, physiological, and biological influences that play a role.
• The effects of food availability, marketing, society, culture, and habit formation.
• The emotional reasons behind binge-eating and how it is often used as a coping mechanism for various life stressors. Here, I show you that compassion is your secret weapon against binge-eating.

In this podcast, I talk about the biggest mistakes I made when trying to stop binge-eating and lose weight.

In this podcast:

• I now advise against being too hard on yourself and going on strict diets.
• When you want to stop doing something that comforts you, it’s important to learn to be kind to yourself.
• It’s also helpful to pay attention to your senses while eating and be aware of how you feel when you choose what to eat.

This is your reminder. Could you be kinder to yourself?

Whiskers and Tears – Healing From Pet Bereavement

Listen and read the transcript here

How to recover from Binge-Eating – 2022 End of Season Summary

Listen and read the transcript here

 

EmmaABB , 12/07/2020

So helpful

I searched for a podcast that addressed the emotional side of binge-eating, and in the few episodes I’ve learned so much. The practical advice and exercises Shelley gives are easy to implement and practice. Her voice is soothing and calm, and her kind words make me feel less alone with this struggle. Love listening in! Looking forward to the next episode. Thank you, Shelley.

Shelley Treacher BACP Accred

Underground Confidence, with Shelley Treacher, MA BACP Accred.

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