How to help myself - books, YouTube etc needed.

[MarbelousBadge]

I had a complete breakdown in early February, I have a diagnosis and I'm taking Pregabalin + Diazepam for this which keeps a lid on things but isn't helping in any long term way.
One of the problems is that I have Seratonin Syndrome, which means there is nothing much else that can be prescribed to me to help.

I am waiting for a referral to a Psychologist but this could be weeks and in the meantime I need to find better ways to manage myself.

I am not looking to self improvement yet, at the moment I need to heal.
I do lots of guided meditation but I need something more.

Can anyone recommend good books or links that will help me heal?
As I say, it's too early to really address the underlying causes, I am looking for something(s) to help me make peace with myself and everything before I start the process of looking at my self esteem/triggers etc.

Can you say more about your symptoms? Hard to signpost without knowing more.

I have GAD and depression.
I'll see if I can find my previous threads.

Can't link because I'm on my phone, will link later when I'm on the laptop.

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.ntw.nhs.uk/pic/selfhelp/&ved=0ahUKEwjksfrwguzMAhWMWSwKHbZUCTsQFggbMAA&usg=AFQjCNGq00NmO7OvIMLrmW0Q5x8ojFTmMQ&sig2=dyvk_iI5TRS-ECWqNPi7_w" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.ntw.nhs.uk/pic/selfhelp/&ved=0ahUKEwjksfrwguzMAhWMWSwKHbZUCTsQFggbMAA&usg=AFQjCNGq00NmO7OvIMLrmW0Q5x8ojFTmMQ&sig2=dyvk_iI5TRS-ECWqNPi7_w

Click the anxiety one and the depression one. Good these.

first thread

second thread

I was interested to read as I have the same diagnosis and I can't take anything that acts on serotonin. I was on Prozac for years and doing well on it until last year when I started shaking.

Long story but I am on Valdoxan now, it's a relatively new anti-depressant and has been helpful for me, although I really need a higher dose and can't have that because the shaking started again. Anyway I wondered if it could be an option for you. I also take Xanax when the anxiety is bad, and melatonin helps me sleep.

I see a psychologist which also helps. I think just having someone to listen when things are really bleak is good. She encourages me to try to find little things that give me pleasure... Cooking a nice meal, getting out in the garden, painting my nails, knitting. And breathing excercises. I know it sound silly to think about frivolous trivial little things when you're feeling really low and anxious but sometimes I think if I can distract myself for a few minutes with something nice it is a few minutes out of my day when I'm not feeling awful. I hope that makes sense.

I don't know much about your condition but I've found this book to be very good. It's called The Feeling Good Handbook by Dr David Burns. I'll find the Amazon link for you.

www.goodreads.com/book/show/2222.The_Feeling_Good_Handbook

Have a look at the reviews, I hope it helps.

Thank you destinys. I'll take a look at that and see if I can get it on Audible.

To my intense frustration I'm finding it very difficult to read more than a paragraph at a time at the moment so audiobooks are my saviour.

I think I need to begin with acceptance, at the moment I'm still frustrated and sometimes angry with myself that I'm not getting better faster. So anything that talks about acceptance - of life, myself, my situation, of the changes going on within and outside of me that I can't do anything about - would be a useful start.

I think I need to work on accepting things before I can realistically look at improving them. Would beginners Buddhism be any use for that? Or anything else?

Mountain thank you, I will look at those drugs particularly. I'm seeing my psychiatrist tomorrow and I already have a list of questions for him so I'll google those and add them to the list if they look like possibles.

I've just looked at Valdoxan Mountain and it wouldn't be suitable for me because it works on seratonin and I have a violent and potentially fatal reaction to anything seratonin based.

I take Xanax, or at least benzodiazepines already.

I'm on the waiting list for a psychologist so fingers crossed that the appointment comes through soon.

Have you seen the getselfhelp website?

Lots of printable workshops for CBT type exercises.

The book, Sacred Therapies, has specific Kundalini Yoga meditations for mental health issues. It might be worth a look.

Ah that's interesting about Valdoxan. I had a review of all my medication done by a psychopharmacologist when my psychiatrist was trying to find an AD that I could take. The psychopharmacologist said it would be safe for me to take because it only acts on melatonin, noradrenalin and dopamine. I guess he was wrong and that's why I had a reaction to the higher dose. I did check myself online before taking it but only found one reference saying it acted indirectly on serotonin and lots that said it didn't so I decided to trust him... stupidly it seems.

I hope you find some things that help