Dóchas Podcast by the Irish Support Agency

We are returning to further reflect on our relationship with alcohol. Our last episode really seemed to resonate with the community and so as a New Year begins, we wanted to continue this conversation. Alcohol can not only affect our physical health, but it can also significantly affect our mental health and emotional wellbeing. When the morning after comes, we can be riddled with the ‘fear’ and anxiety, and we ask ourselves, is it really worth it? Some people may drink alcohol to relax or help cope with daily stresses; however, alcohol is a depressant drug that can cause anxiety and increase stress. Some people may drink to increase the confidence and reduce social anxiety, some people drink just for the sake of it on a night out. But excessive social drinking can lead to a world of problems when alcohol can negatively affect thoughts, feelings and actions, and contribute to the development of, or worsen, existing mental health issues over time. We are joined by Hazel and Ollie, who have their own personal and story with alcohol to share. We will dig deep, and find out why they have chosen to give up alcohol, what problem drinking looked like for them, and how their life has changed since giving up.

Show notes:

App: https://iamsober.com/en/site/home

Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/learning-as-i-go/id1613155026

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/millie-mackintosh-on-quitting-drinking-perfectionism/id1295306961?i=1000634227571

Supports:

https://align56.com/

As 2023 comes to a close, many of us will be feeling the pinch financially, with the cost of living rising.

So with this in mind, we will be joined by Jessica Brady, a leading licensed financial adviser in Australia and has over 17 yrs experience in the Financial Services industry, working with some of the biggest names in finance including, Macquarie Bank, CBA and Zurich. Recently she launched, The Greenhouse -an online program designed to make accessing affordable financial programs jargon free, stigma free and fun!

We will be exploring why Christmas time induces us to spend more money and how can we set boundaries with ourself and others when it comes to Christmas spending.  

If you have taken a big hit financially in 2023, we will look at how can we look towards our financial future in 2024 without dread and anxiety.

The original recording was a webinar, hence the reference to slides, the audio content is still very worthwhile. If you would like to see the slides used, please go to the Youtube epsiode.

Unresolved trauma can cast a long shadow over our lives, leaving a profound and enduring impact on our emotional, psychological, and physical well-being. The wounds of the past can manifest in various ways, from persistent anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem to difficulties in forming and maintaining healthy relationships. These unresolved experiences may influence our coping mechanisms, leading to maladaptive behaviours such as substance abuse or self-destructive patterns. Additionally, trauma can affect our ability to trust and connect with others, hindering our capacity for intimacy and often perpetuating a cycle of isolation.

For this episode, we are joined by psychotherapist Helen O’Byrne, who has a practice in Neutral Bay and works with clients from many backgrounds and walks of life,. Helen has a deep understanding how unresolved trauma can cast a long shadow over our lives.

Helen helps us to understand what trauma actually looks like and what we can begin to do in our adult lives to address this and start to move forward.

Show notes: ;

Helen O'Byrne - helen@elysianpsychotherapy.com.au

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EEmmIJ6cXY

Recommended Books:

Healing Trauma - Peter A. Levine PHD

The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD

The Myth of Normal - Gabor Mate, MD

Waking The Tiger - Healing Trauma - Peter A. Levine PHD

Have you ever had a poor night's sleep and you notice your mood, energy and attention span has completed depleted?

Sleep plays a pivotal role in maintaining and promoting good mental health. Sleep is also a cornerstone of good physical health. It serves as the body's natural reset button, allowing the brain to consolidate memories, process emotions, the immune system strengthens, and hormones, such as those that regulate appetite and metabolism, are balanced.

When we consistently get an adequate amount of quality sleep, our cognitive functions are optimised, enabling us to think clearly, make sound decisions, and manage stress effectively.

On the other hand, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to a range of mental and physical health issues, it can also exacerbate existing conditions.

Join Emer McDermott, Clinical Psychologist, who views Sleep as one our Superpowers! Something that significantly improve our overall wellbeing. We will dive into some of the causes of ill-sleep and what we can actually do (that works!) to get a better night's sleep.

In this episode of Dóchas, we will be looking at relationships, in particular with a partner. As an expat, often romantic relationships can have additional stresses put on them, so we want to create a safe space where we could talk about the issues that we can face in terms of boundaries, communication and expectations.

We are delighted to be joined by Katie O’Donoghue, originally from Cork, Katie is the resident relationship coach at the online counselling practice 'The Indigo Project', host of the self-help podcast 'Self Explained' and creator of 'Reclamation' a newly launched self-paced Inner Child program. She coaches a mix of singles and individuals in relationships who are looking to rewire their patterns so that they can rewire their relationships.

In this episode of Dóchas, we will be hearing from members of the community who have made the return home to Ireland.

Everyone has their own story to tell and experience to share. Some have found the move to be exactly what they hoped for, that returning to Ireland has filled a void that was present as an expat. Being close to our loved ones is the driving force behind many people’s choice to return. However, some have found the move quite difficult, logistically and emotionally. Saying goodbye to an established life and friends is never easy. Often, when people return, they realise that life has not stood still whilst they have been away and that many people have moved on with their lives.

Making such a move, is a very personal decision, and one that is not easy. Especially when there is so much chatter on the subject, that you don’t know what to believe.

People also have to return in times of crisis or distress, which can cause an additional level of turmoil in a difficult situation.

So weighing all of this up, we felt it was important to hear from those who have made the move and ask whether they have any particular insights to share.

We will be joined by Donna McKiernan, Natalie Lucey and James Parnell.

In 2016, James returned to Dublin after 16 years in Sydney.

He published several articles in the Irish Times about his experience, appeared on RTE, TodayFM and Newstalk and participated in Irish Government forums helping emigrants return to Ireland. Mostly though, James is a fellow emigrant navigating through his new life and wanting to share the journey with fellow returnees.

The wellbeing movement has seen a huge surge in its following over the past 15 years. From healthy eating, to exercise programs, and self-care strategies, the amount of information that is being shared is vast, but how can we distinguish between fads and trends, and research and science backed approaches?

Join Roisin Trainor, Founder of Mind Yourself, Mental Health First Aid Training and Wellbeing Practitioner and Alan Earls, Project Lead at Sydney Safe Space, as we dive into the changes that have occurred in the health and mental health space, and we learn to separate fact from fiction.

This enlightening episode sparks a very interesting conversation and poses questions such as, is it our own responsibility for the information that we consume, or is there a shared responsibility with those who are circulating this information and misinformation?

Have you ever felt pressure to achieve a certain milestone—a career, marriage, education or motherhood—by a certain age?
At some point, many of us will have witnessed how society’s expectations of what we should have in our lives—and by when—affects us. How it demoralises us. How it becomes a driving force in our lives and the inflection point of our decisions.
So how can we get a better understanding of what it is we actually want in life, things that align with our values, versus, the expectations that we put on ourselves, through social conditioning and being told, well this is what you should want, and also a sense of inherited legacy from our parents?
Join us as we delve deep into this with Irish expat and psychotherapist Claire Quigley.

Join us as we explore the choice that Irish emigrants make on permanently settling in Australia. We will be chatting with a number of people who have chosen to call Australia home.

Some have lived here longer than others, and some have found the decision easier to make than others, but for their own personal reasons, they chose to emigrate to Australia and permanently settle here.

As an expat, we are often faced with the unbearable decision as to where to spend the rest of our lives. For some, the pull of the heartstrings to Ireland, calls them back home. For others, that pull, is not enough, and whilst they may miss Ireland and their family, the life they have created in Australia, wins out.

This episode aims to bring a sense of hope and optimism about a future in Australia, but we will also be asking the tough questions about how difficult the journey might have been.

Hear from people who have had this experience and a professional's guidance if you find yourself in this situation.

A diagnosis of cancer,  or other serious illness can be devastating. But there are ways to cope with the emotional distress and preserve your quality of life.

Many serious health problems seem to develop unexpectedly, upsetting your life out of the blue. You may feel overwhelmed by waves of difficult emotions—from fear and worry to profound sadness, despair, and grief—or just numb, frozen by shock or the feeling that you’ll never be able to cope. The emotional upheaval can make it difficult to function or think straight, and even lead to mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

But whatever your diagnosis or emotional response, it’s important to know that you’re not powerless.

We will hear from Martine, Helen and Gillian who have all been through their own journey with a health diagnosis and we will also chat to Conor McCaffrey, GP  who offers some information about healthcare for serious illness and how we can look after ourselves mentally during this time.

Join us as we examine our relationship with alcohol, especially during the festive season and how to recognise problem drinking and addiction in ourselves and our loved ones.

The festive season is a good time to reflect on our drinking culture and the way we drink.

Alcohol can not only affect our physical health but it can also significantly affect our mental health and emotional wellbeing. Some people may feel down over Christmas and New Year, and drinking can make this worse.

The relationship between alcohol and mental health is complex. Some people may drink alcohol to relax or help cope with daily stresses; however, alcohol is a depressant drug that can cause anxiety and increase stress. Alcohol can negatively affect thoughts, feelings and actions, and contribute to the development of, or worsen, existing mental health issues over time.

We are delighted to be joined by Joan Purcell, COO of Foundation House, Geraldine Leyden who has lived experience of alcohol addiction and Melissa Meenan who made the decision to stop drinking in her late twenties. 

Show notes: 

Geraldine Leyden - https://www.instagram.com/serenitytenx/

Melissa Meenan - https://www.instagram.com/lady_mil123/

Joan Purcell - jpurcell@foundationhouse.net.au / https://www.foundationhouse.net.au/

Supporting a loved one through a crisis is one of the most difficult things you’ll ever have to do, and so often we tough it out alone. We do our best with the skills and knowledge we have, but often we’re fumbling in the dark, unsure of whether we’re on the right track, afraid of doing more harm than good.

While most people have some intuition and the best of intentions when it comes to caring for loved ones in crisis, most people could benefit from some upskilling provided by a mental health professional, alongside a group of people going through a similar experience. We will be joined by clinical psychologist Emer McDermott and our special guest Sean Keenan who is living through this experience.