The fear of public speaking is a common phobia that affects many of us. But here’s a surprising truth: this fear is learned, not innate. Think back to your childhood or observe young children around you. Kids often clamour for attention, eager to perform and be in the spotlight. It’s only later that something happens – an emotional or physical hurt – that instils this fear.

Key points to remember:
• We aren’t born fearing public speaking; it’s a learned response.
• What can be learned can also be unlearned.

For some, this fear evolves into a full-blown phobia – an irrational fear triggering a fight-or-flight response. It can manifest as panic attacks at the mere thought of addressing a group, or even speaking to a stranger. Left untreated, this phobia can be debilitating, limiting both personal and professional growth.

Common roots of public speaking fear typically fall into these categories:

1. Confidence shattered by a perceived past “disaster”
2. Terror of making mistakes in front of others
3. Extreme self-consciousness about being judged

Regardless of the category, there’s usually an underlying event (or events) in the person’s past causing these feelings. Interestingly, they may not even be consciously aware of these triggering incidents.

While linguistic techniques can help reframe these situations, offering new perspectives, hypnotherapy goes a step further. It allows us to address the root cause directly, effectively “pulling out” the problem at its source.

In my recent work with clients struggling with public speaking – both those looking to overcome fear and those aiming to enhance performance – I’ve seen remarkable results. Using hypnosis alone or in combination with NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and Havening techniques, we’ve achieved the specific outcomes each client desired.

If public speaking anxiety is holding you back and you’re committed to change, remember that help is available. Professional guidance can make a significant difference in overcoming this learned fear.

The most important takeaway? Change is possible if you truly want it and allow yourself to embrace the process. Your natural confidence in speaking publicly is still within you – it’s just waiting to be rediscovered and nurtured.

Don’t let a learned fear limit your potential. With the right approach and support, you can reclaim the spotlight and express yourself with confidence, just as you did as a child. The power to change is in your hands.

Investing in your Health
Prevention is always better than cure, especially when it comes to your mental and physical wellbeing. All toooften we look after our cars and gardens better than our own health. It’s time to change that and start to prioritize our health and wellbeing. You can change your car if it breaks down but you can’t change your body!
The prevention paradigm refers to a shift in focus and approach towards prioritizing preventive measures rather than relying primarily on reactive or curative actions. It emphasizes the idea that it is more effective, efficient andbeneficial to prevent problems and mitigate risks before they occur, rather than waiting for issues to arise and then attempting to address them.
The prevention paradigm recognizes that preventing problems or diseases can lead to better outcomes, improvedquality of life, reduced healthcare costs and overall healthier communities. By focusing on prevention,individuals and societies can proactively take steps to maintain and promote health rather than solely relying on reactive interventions when problems have already manifested.
So, let’s have a look at what strategies, practices and interventions we can implement that can help prevent disease and other physical and mental issues from occurring in the first place.

Make Sleep a Priority
Good quality sleep is essential for good health. When we sleep our bodies perform a literal essential maintenanceprogramme. The body goes into restoration and repair mode, building muscles, synthesizing hormones andcarrying out maintenance at a cellular level.
During the sleep cycle the glymphatic system is particularly active and functions very much like a cleaning system for the brain, clearing away waste products, toxins and other harmful substances. This cleansing process reduces of calcification in the brain which is believed to reduce the likelihood of Dementia and Altzheimer’s.
There is way more to sleep than getting 8 hours a night, that’s a bit of a misnomer. There are different stages of sleep all of which are important but as a rough guide you want to be aiming for at least 90 minutes of deep sleepand 90 to 120 minutes of REM per night. This is why some of the high flying, high achieving gurus can manage on3-4 hours as they have optimized their sleep patterns to ensure that they are getting into REM and deep sleep modes quickly. Us mere mortals would be safer to aim for 6-8 hours per night.
Top Tip: get yourself a smart watch or (my personal preference) The Oura Ring to accurately monitor your sleep and much more.

Nutrition is Key
Good nutrition is an absolute fundamental of good health and disease prevention. Due to over farming and genetically modified produce our food no longer contains the vital vitamins and minerals needed to support good health and prevent disease, so good smart supplementation is essential.
It’s important to get the right supplements as many on the market are full of fillers or not as potent as they could be with low absorption rates. Taking your supplements at the right time and in the correct combination is alsocrucial.
There are many important vitamins and minerals we could and indeed should be supplementing. Recent research has shown that a high percentage of the recommended daily allowances (RDA) are in fact, extremelylow when compared to requirements.
So, as an absolute minimum you should be taking a good quality multivitamin, liquid, if possible, as it’s much easier absorbed. Plus, a much higher than RDA dose of both Vitamin C and D. Oh, and collagen, we all need agood supply as we age and remember it does way more than nails and hair.
Top Tip: look for a brand that supplies all of your needs as you are more likely to have synergy between the various products.

Get More Better Water
Water is vitally important for good health, weight maintenance, cognition, good skin, digestion and absorption of nutrients. At home when I was a child my father called it Adams Ale and it’s easy to see why. In a recent studyin the UK, it was found that less than 40% of people were adequately hydrated. That means that there’s more than 60% of us not drinking enough of this vital and free liquid.
It’s important to know that when we are born, we are almost 70% water and as we grow older this drops to the low60’s for the majority of people. This decrease is simply due to the ageing process and changes in the muscle andfat composition of the body. So many of the body’s vital processes work less effectively when we are not properlyhydrated. Just to give you a little bit of a visual that might help you drink more water: if you imagine a glass full of pure clean fresh spring water that would represent the quantity and clarity of a newborn baby’s water volume. Thenthink of the same glass but it’s no longer full and now the water is a murky brown colour full of toxins that’s the average adults current water clarity and volume. You can however optimize your water consumption and this willhelp your body eliminate toxins and function better. So keep hydrated!
Top Tip: Take a look at your urine is its dark in colour you need to drink more. If you are healthy and not taking any meds your urine should be clear and pale yellow.

Be More Active
Now don’t be scared, I’m not suggesting a marathon although don’t let me put you off if that’s your idea of active. I’m suggesting you could aim for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. It could be a walk, a run, housework, a cycleride, visit to the gym or a spin class it’s up to you but it’s important to commit. Do a combo of activities and remember its always better if its something you enjoy and get some company if that helps. Do whatever it takesto get you moving more.
Movement is key on activating the lymphatic drainage system, which is a vital component of the body’s immune and waste management systems. It helps maintain fluid balance, remove waste products and support immune function, thereby contributing to overall health and well-being.

It’s important to remember that unlike the circulatory system, the lymphatic system does not have a central pump like the heart. Instead, it relies on movement, breathing and some arterial movement assists to facilitate the movement of lymph throughout the body. Hence, regular physical activity, deep breathing exercises andmaintaining a healthy lifestyle can help support lymphatic circulation and overall lymphatic function.
Top Tip: Book a lymphatic drainage massage with a good masseuse feel the benefits and then make it a monthly or bi-monthly event. Your body will thank you.

Tame Your Toxins
It’s important to note that toxin exposure can come from various sources, including the air we breathe, water we drink, food we consume, personal care products, household cleaners and the environment. Adopting healthylifestyle choices, such as eating organic foods, drinking clean water, using natural and non-toxic products and minimizing exposure to pollutants can help reduce toxin load and promote better health outcomes.
One of the main side effects of living in our current environment bombarded by toxins is Oxidative Stress. Putsimply Oxidative Stress is where there is an imbalance or build-up of Free Radicals (Reactive Oxygen Species) and not enough Anti-oxidants to neutralise these. This excess of free radicals can damage cells, proteins, lipids and DNA. This damage is known as oxidative damage and can contribute to chronic inflammation, tissue damage,accelerated aging and an increased risk of various diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and other chronic conditions.
There are many environmental toxins over which we have no control making it vital that we limit any exposure that we do have control over.
Top Tip: Get yourself the App Think Dirty. It rates household products and cosmetics on a scale of zero to ten based on the toxicity of the ingredients.

Manage Your Emotions

It’s important to be aware of the mind body connection. The mind and body are interconnected and emotional states can manifest physically. Stress and anxiety can easily cause headaches, muscle tension, digestive issues and disturbed sleep all of which if ignored can lead to much more concerning medical issues.
It’s vital to recognize that emotional well-being is an essential aspect of overall health. Taking proactive steps to manage emotions, reduce stress, and foster positive emotional states can positively impact physical health and contribute to a better quality of life. It’s important to recognise any behaviour patterns or specific emotions whichyou struggle to deal with effectively and where necessary get the right professional help to manage these and ensure a better outcome and prevent future health problems.
Top Tip If you are feeling anxious you can hold an ice cube to the roof of your mouth to stimulate your vagus nerve and help calm you down. If you don’t have an ice cube cold water can do the same trick. Try it out.

Concerned? What To Do Next

Come to The Wellness Hub in Belfast and have a Holistic Wellness Assessment. Set aside two hours to do a lifestyle review and allow us to create an action plan to ensure that you are 100% on the right side of the Prevention Paradigm and doing everything you can to ensure the best possible outcomes for your physical and mental health. Every assessment in July will have a complimentary Aromatouch hand massage (Bliss).

Book in Now

We have been conditioned to believe that we only take action regarding our health and wellbeing when something goes wrong I’m passionate about changing that and helping you to make a paradigm shift in the direction of health, peace and success.