Ever reach for a glass of wine after a long day, thinking it will help you unwind — only to feel more sluggish, low, or anxious the next morning? You’re not imagining it. Alcohol may feel relaxing at the time, but for many of us, it creates an “artificial depression” in the brain and nervous system afterward — and we often don’t connect the dots.

In this fun, practical episode, based on a top CBT workbook by Veronica Walsh, we explore the simple science behind how your “stress relief” drink can backfire, and how CBT can help you regain control of your mood, energy, and evenings.

This brain-friendly episode blends insight with practical action — easy to understand, remember, and apply:

You’ll learn how to:

• Recognize the difference between genuine stress recovery and alcohol-driven “relief” that masks your nervous system activation
• Spot automatic thoughts and misattributions that keep the habit in place (“I need this to relax”)
• Observe and experiment with your own mood, energy, and stress levels to gather evidence for smarter choices
• Apply simple CBT strategies to interrupt the habit loop and replace it with healthier routines step by step
• Experiment to identify which anxiety, low mood, or shakiness might actually be alcohol-related rather than stress-related

CBT is about awareness, evidence, and self-compassion — not judgment. Even small changes in understanding and behaviour can produce surprisingly big improvements in how steady, calm, and energised you feel.

Whether you want to cut back, moderate, or simply understand the habit better, this episode gives you practical tools to reclaim evenings that truly restore your mood, energy, and calm.

Access more CBT resources — handouts, workbooks, audios, and videos:

• Blog & free CBT resource guides: iVeronicaWalsh.wordpress.com
• CBT practice (Ireland): CBTandFeelingGood.com

Why does your brain go “wired stupid” when you speak in public — and how can you fix it?

When you face an audience, your inner ape often overreacts, triggering a pesky primal fight-or-flight response for a harmless situation. Your brain floods your body with adrenaline, oxygen, and cortisol as if you were facing a physical threat. The result? Racing heart, shaky voice, and a frazzled mind — totally unnecessary and unhelpful for delivering a presentation. It’s a neurological nuisance.

It doesn’t have to stay that way. Public speaking anxiety is the most common form of social phobia — but it is completely manageable with CBT.

This episode, based on a top CBT workbook by Veronica Walsh, is fun, fast, and engaging — giving you practical, proven skills to understand and manage public speaking anxiety:

CBT helps you to:

• Shift your perception: See speaking as a ‘task’, and even an opportunity rather than a terrifying threat
• Evaluate your resources: Build the cognitive and emotional skills to handle the task confidently
• Harness adrenaline: Use the natural surge of energy to feel “buzzed and pumped” instead of freaked out
• Change behaviour: Show up and build the skill over time, rather than avoiding or self-sabotaging
• Focus on the message: You’re just the messenger of the information - make the value of what you’re communicating more important than ego or self-judgment — it’s not about you!

By interrupting automatic reactions — cognitive, physical, and emotional — with CBT, you can transform your performance and regulate your nervous system. Science is beautiful — and you have the power to change your mind, mood, and delivery. Dive in!

Access more CBT resources — handouts, workbooks, audios, and videos:

• Blog & free CBT resource guides: iVeronicaWalsh.wordpress.com
• CBT practice (Ireland): CBTandFeelingGood.com

A Practical Guide to Silencing Your Inner Critic

Do you have an annoying negative critic in your head, narrating your life and driving you in the wrong direction? Of course you do! We all have one — that’s why we’re not perfect rational creatures.

It’s that nagging inner voice that seems to get louder when we’re anxious or down. Your inner critic whispers harsh judgments, fuels self-doubt, and keeps you from living fully. It’s the human condition — we’re messy!

This episode, based on a top CBT workbook by Veronica Walsh, gives you practical, proven skills to challenge the critic. Silencing it can be fun — and empowering, when done with intention and CBT strategies.

CBT helps you to:

• Spot automatic negative thoughts and recognize when they’re distorted

• Separate internalized beliefs from your true self

• Interrupt and reframe unhelpful thinking

• Reduce guilt, shame, and emotional hijacking

• Use humour to pause fear, anxiety, or depression long enough to think differently

Even the most logical, cynical people often find this simple, child-like technique surprisingly effective - and even enjoyable.

Small shifts in thinking can create big changes in how you feel and live. This episode shows you how to begin — easy to understand, remember, and apply. Dive in.

Access more CBT resources — handouts, workbooks, audios, and videos:

• Blog & free guides: iVeronicaWalsh.wordpress.com

• CBT practice (Ireland): CBTandFeelingGood.com