Great Resources That Have Helped Me So Far.

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Hi everyone,

 

I apologize in advance if some of these points have already been mentioned or discussed. This site is an invaluable resource for coping and managing the withdrawal process. I see so many members giving back to the community, and I want to contribute where I can.

I’m currently close to nine months into my journey and experiencing one of my worst waves for about two weeks now. Despite that, I’ve been implementing some of the strategies below and have already noticed significant improvements. What I appreciate most about these resources is that they’re helpful not only during withdrawal but also for managing the anxiety or depression that may have led us to take medication in the first place.

I’d like to preface this by saying that much of the research and methods I’ve used are inspired by Claire Weekes’ book Hope and Help for Your Nerves. I purchased this book a few days ago, and it has already been incredibly helpful for coping with withdrawal.

Resources

Samuel Eddy (YouTube)
https://www.youtube.com/@openchangeau
Samuel does an excellent job breaking down Claire Weekes’ methods and explaining how to implement them in daily life.

 

The Anxious Truth (Podcast)
https://theanxioustruth.com/
The host of this podcast went through SSRI withdrawal and shares his journey, including how forums like this one (e.g., Paxil Progress) helped him. He also uses Claire Weekes’ methods and continues to release weekly podcasts on anxiety. I recommend Episodes 145, 146, and 147, where he details his experiences.

 

The Lovely Grind (Website and YouTube)
https://www.lovelygrind.com/
Michael shares his story and insights about SSRI and Benzo withdrawal. His advice is reassuring and practical. While he offers paid counseling and member access, his free YouTube videos are also incredibly helpful.

 

Hope and Help for Your Nerves: End Anxiety Now (Book)
Amazon Link

 

Even if our symptoms are chemically induced and not something we can simply “think away,” there’s so much to gain from these coping strategies. One key takeaway is that our thoughts and feelings, no matter how intense, cannot harm us and will eventually pass. Anxiety is particularly good at creating new symptoms, which is its way of distracting us once we stop worrying about older ones (a sign we’re healing!).

 

Claire Weekes talks extensively about “secondary fear,” and I’ve noticed that the peak of my waves often occurs when I give my anxiety and intrusive thoughts too much attention.

I’m still early in my journey with these strategies, but I’m already noticing differences and some symptom relief. These are learned habits—just like the mechanisms we’ve developed for dealing with stress or anxiety in the past. It will take time to retrain the brain, but what do we have to lose?

 

I truly hope this helps some of you find relief and move closer to ending withdrawal. I’ll do my best to keep everyone updated on my progress with these strategies.

Godspeed, everyone!

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