It most definitely has.
I've been taking these beta blockers for a few weeks now and they do reduce the anxiety a lot, by lowering my heart rate, but with the unfortunate side effect of absolutely wiping me out. Doing things like having a rest halfway back from asda isn't good but I suppose not many drugs are perfect in terms of affect versus side effect.
I still have trouble sleeping but the zopiclone tablets seem to knock me out eventually. I was only prescribed eight a month, as the doctor is concerned about dependance but that's better than nothing. The comparison between this and the amount that were doled out to a woman I know who had a crisis is massive. More and stronger zopiclone along with dollops of diazepam on top (along with plenty of vino). Hope you've had no problems jacking them in, some strong shit, and good job avoiding an overdose by the sounds of it.
The big thing for me at the moment is I have 'taken ownership' of my own problems, can see a way forward, and am determined to get a lot of issues dealt with by the end of year. I'm completely open about it all, quite happy to talk about mental health stuff without being worried about any stigma. It's not like I walk around in a t-shirt with 'I'm mad, me." on it, but I'm not bothered if other people can't see that there's no difference between physical & mental health. If it scares them so much then that's not my problem, educate yourselves, or at least be open to the idea.
I've been going to the Nottingham Recovery College, a damn good place I've realised. It's self-referred and you get to do various courses aimed around your own specific issues rather than a one size fits 'take these/do CBT' approach. The people are there because they want to be, and are empowered to find ways and tools to deal with their issues.
It was a bit scary when I started as I didn't know what to expect. Anxiety Management was the first course I took part in. Out of about fifteen people I would class three or four as having serious problems such as bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, or serious anger issues. I suppose I'd class everyone else, including myself, as suffering from anxiety and/or depression to varying degrees. I'd place myself in the average category, rather boringly. With some people being comparitively talkative, and some painfully shy. If I start trying to describe everyone I'll be here for ever so I suppose I should try to just describe some of what I've learnt so far.
A lot of anxiety management techniques can be described as distraction. Things like deep breathing or 'tuning in to nature' help by shifting attention in an anxious situation. The more critical among us would say that is not solving anything but that would be ignoring something called Neuroplasticity.
Practising a 4-2-6 breathing pattern at least twice a day can help to prevent hyperventilization (too much oxygen). Sleep, diet, and exercise play a massive part, one which I don't take enough notice of. Slowly introducing yourself to controlled levels of anxiety can help.
The next course was Mindfulness. I'm not going to go into the pro's and con's of this as it's all over the media these days. Just to say that it has definitely clicked for me.
I get utterly fed up with people who know very little about a subject but express their opinion as if they're an expert. People will scoff about it, I don't care. If you want to express an opinion on it, then at least spend 10 minutes informing yourself. We all know how to operate a search engine by now.
Ruby Wax has become a great advocate for this. She's gone through intensive study to learn about the subject. Read her book 'Sane New World' if you want to. It explains the theory, and the science, with some great diagrams, and then the practical.
There's plenty of evidence to show how useful and economical this technique is. I just wish the NHS would stop pissing about and support local mental health services or something really useful like this will soon be discredited.
My trainer Lydia has helped me a lot. At first I found myself suddenly remembering events from the past and getting upset. but hey that makes me in touch with my emotions innit? come on ladies......
It's a work in progress, and a lot of practise needed, but I've got a good feeling about this one. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Lydia, I think you might have changed my life. Now it's down to me. Gulp!
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