40 DAY Health Challenge coach Dr Eddie Murphy has urged Irish people who suffer with anxiety to tackle their avoidances to help “grow their life”.
Associate Professor at the UCD School of Psychology, Dr Eddie, said it can massively limit a person’s life.
He said: “In modern psychology, we’re really interested in what keeps problems going, and avoidance will always keep problems going.
“How many times have you avoided things? Is avoidance a pattern in the way you work?
“Avoidance will always keep the problem going. That’s a core lesson, a core point of view from psychology.
“So how do we tackle avoidance? Well, first of all, I’d love if you could videotape yourself on your phone.
“What do you avoid? Do you avoid people? Do you avoid situations?”
The clinical psychologist said people should “step outside” of their comfort zone.
He added: “By putting it into the record, you have it and you know what you’re avoiding, and these are the tools now to tackle that avoidance.
“See, avoidance, it reduces our anxiety when we get into avoidance.
“But it also limits our life.
“So I’m asking you to step outside your comfort zone to tackle your avoidance step by step, and you can put that on video for me because I’d like to hear you saying, ‘When I did this, my world grew bigger, I became more confident.’
“‘I was tackling my avoidances’.
“And I guarantee you this, and I guarantee very little in psychology, but your anxiety will come down when you get into that space and allow yourself into that space that you avoid.
“It will come down, use some deep breathing, nice tools. Say, ‘I can get through this’ in your head, tackle your avoidances and your life will grow.”
Brave 40 Day Health Challenge recruit Olivia Fitzgerald brought show viewers to tears when she opened up on an overlooked issue many people face.
The mum-of-four told Dr Eddie that her biggest challenge so far is facing others.
Olivia admitted: “I definitely think about what other people think about me.”
HOW TO WATCH THE EPISODES
THE latest episodes of the 40 Day Health Challenge are now available at the 40dayhealthchallenge.ie.
Readers can also follow all the action and get the latest updates, meal plans, exercises and mental health tips from Thesun.ie and Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio during the 40 days.
Dr Eddie discussed how the Limerick woman needs to have a kinder voice towards herself.
He explained: “So that’s called mind reading. You are trying to think what the other person’s thinking about me. And that’s an anxiety type behaviour.
“It’s a big feature of social anxiety. Sometimes, people in social situations are always trying to figure out what other people are thinking about them.”
Dr Eddie discussed how these thoughts can be an indicator of social anxiety – and how many people just ignore it.
Social anxiety affects nearly one in eight adults in Ireland, according to Social Anxiety Ireland.
He said: “It’s actually one of the most missed of all the anxiety presentations.
“There’s 13 per cent of people, a huge amount of people with social anxiety.
“There’s very good website called socialanxietyireland.com.
“Some people have very specific social anxiety say like giving a best man speech or something like that.”
Social anxiety was the last anxiety disorder to be discovered, which was only formally recognised in 1979.
It remains the least understood in terms of public and professional understanding.
Olivia admitted she sometimes had thoughts that she “wasn’t worth it” and hopes to “change that mind-set” during the 40 Day Health Challenge.
Dr Eddie said: “It’s so brave of you to put yourself forward for the 40 day health challenge when this is not your comfort zone.
“Everything you do here is outside your comfort zone, and that is total respect from us. Everything you do, all respectfulness.”
SIMPLE SALMON PASTA
Serves 2 (each serving contains approximately 511 kcal)
Suitable for vegetarians if an alternative to salmon is used.
Ingredients:
100g wholewheat pasta, such as fusilli or penne
1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil (15g)
2 salmon fillets (125g each)*
100g cherry tomatoes
50g baby spinach leaves
25g rinsed capers
1 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese (15g)
*Suitable vegetarian alternatives for salmon are:
345g tofu
535g mycoprotein such as Quorn vegan pieces
435g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
The method:
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water for 10-12 minutes or according to packet instructions until just tender. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the oil and then add the salmon and cook for 5-6 minutes, skin side down.
Chop the cherry tomatoes and add to the salmon, then sauté for another 2 minutes.
Remove the frying pan from the heat and flake the salmon fillets into small pieces with a fork.
Drain the pasta and add to the fish mixture with the spinach and capers. Fold everything together until evenly combined.
Divide the salmon pasta between bowls and scatter over the Parmesan to serve.
Dietitian Sophie Pratt said: “Salmon contains omega 3 fatty acids which promote heart health.”
