by Jennifer Leigh | Jan 20, 2020 | Coping Skills |
There have been a few life-changing realizations in my life. One of them—perhaps the most life-changing—was the realization that I was either for myself of against myself. I had the choice to decide how I wanted to respond to my thoughts and feelings. I couldn’t... 
by Jennifer Leigh | Jan 12, 2020 | Coping Skills |
Fear is a common benzo withdrawal emotion. It can come out of the blue, settling over us like a heavy wet blanket. Sometimes we don’t have any idea why we are fearful or what we are fearful about; we only know that we are very much afraid. And, that the fear is... 
by Jennifer Leigh | Jan 7, 2020 | Coping Skills |
When the wheels of my wagon began to spin crazily in benzo withdrawal, threatening to come off at any moment, my best friend reminded me to “work my program.” No stranger to suffering herself, she had firsthand knowledge of what it took to weather the... 
by Jennifer Leigh | Dec 1, 2019 | Coping Skills |
No one prepared me for the hell that engulfed my life once I started tapering off the benzo I’d taken (for wayyyyyy too many years) as prescribed. My doctor told me I could cut out a quarter of the dose every week and be done with it. What did he know? Not much.... 
by Jennifer Leigh | Oct 23, 2019 | Coping Skills |
It Sucks. There is no polite way to describe the feeling of being misunderstood. It sucks. It’s uncomfortable. It’s demoralizing. It triggers our nervous system into a fight, flight, or freeze response even though there is no physical danger. Any type of... 
by Jennifer Leigh | Jul 2, 2019 | Coping Skills |
In a wave at 12, 24, or 36 months out? One of the most interesting things I read about benzo withdrawal when I was tapering was the phenomenon of anniversary waves. Why in the world would the anniversary of our getting off of our benzo cause an uptick in symptoms?...