This morning Mairead got an emailer from a listener who was in need of some tips ahead of a doctor's appointment where she would be getting a blood test. This person is petrified of blood tests and wants to avoid the stress they've caused in the past.

There was lots of excellent tips from listeners, and the advantage of sharing an office with a meditation teacher meant that Dermot Whelan was able to drop in to give some advice as well.

Dermot explained why people feel the way they do when faced with doing something they're scared of, and offered a simple breathing technique to help remain calm.

You can hear the chat in full by pressing the play button on screen.