I’m hanging in the sky somewhere above the heartland. I have another three hours to go before I land back in San Francisco. I was never a good flier before withdrawal, and I have to admit that this flight is challenging. We’ve hit some crazy bumpy air and I am having to use ALL of my stress-relief skills to stay calm. But the good news is, I got on the plane, and I am traveling! I spent the last three weeks with my parents on our farm in Georgia. It was incredible. I was there a year ago in February, and the amount of healing in just the past year has been measurable. I am so much better now than I was then.
And that’s the message of this post. I want to reassure you that we do get well. The last lingering symptoms that you have will eventually fade away. You’ll get your life back. While it’s true that we may always be susceptible to stress long after we’ve healed (maybe the rest of our lives) we can live full lives. We can enjoy waking up and facing the day. We can relish the good and hold our heads high when the “bad” comes our way. After surviving benzo withdrawal, we can do ANYTHING, even fly when we don’t like to fly, without medicating or drinking away the uncomfortable emotions. Life after benzo withdrawal is “a piece of cake.”
Will we encounter waves now and then, long after we think we’ve healed? We might. I had a wave at Christmas that we a challenge. It was easy to dip into hopelessness. For those of us in protracted withdrawal, the journey seems never ending. But the waves don’t last very long and they do get less and less and more easy to manage. We learn to manage our exposure to stress, we eat well, and we go with the flow should a wave come along. We’re old hats at this game, aren’t we?
Once I get back on the ground and settled, I’ll be posting info about the private BWH community. I am targeting a June launch. I’ll keep everyone posted as to what benefits the community will offer.
If you are suffering in the depths of withdrawal, I know how dark and lonely it can be. I was there, for a long time. It DOES go away, in time. Please hold on. Life gets very sweet again once your receptors heal more. It really does. I promise.
Bright blessings and all of my love to you,
Jennifer