General Resources
http://www.benzoexodus.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=43
Studies and Downloads
http://www.benzoexodus.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=78
Recovery Tips
Always Withdraw Under Medical Supervision
Benzo withdrawal discussion boards are a great way to meet others going through similar experiences but are not a substitution for qualified medical supervision and advice. Always withdraw under medical supervision and trust your doctor who has had many years of medical training and experience.
Take Care of Your Body
Try to do all those things you know are good for your physical well being: get regular exercise, even if just walking leisurely for 10 minutes a day; take it easy on or abstain from caffeine, sugar and alcohol; get as much sleep as you can; eat healthy food - you know this stuff. This is the baseline of stress reduction.
Track Your Physical Comfort
Take some time (not too much time) to check in and see how your body is feeling. Once you notice, you can make small corrections to try to relieve discomfort before it takes over. Breathe into tight places; stretch and move when your back or neck feels stiff; look out the window when your eyes are straining at the computer screen; massage your neck and press the accupoints when a headache is lurking or present. But you have to notice what is amiss first.
Take A Break When You're Getting Crazed
When you find yourself starting to lose it, or butting up against your own rigidity or distorted thinking, take a quick break. Step away. Go outside for your walk, do some guided imagery, snuggle your favorite child/blanket/pillow/stuffed animal, play some music, go outside and listen to the birds sing, call a loving friend or do a couple of stretches. Five minutes of conscious AWOL can clear your mind and give you back some perspective, flexibility and common sense.
Dose Your Day with Humor
Humor, by its nature, provides instant distance, balance and perspective, if even for a moment. As long as it's not aimed at mocking others, it allows us to step back and take everything, including ourselves, less seriously. So practice the art of finding the ludicrous, paradoxical and nonsensical in daily events. And laughing itself is priceless. A belly laugh changes biochemistry and clears out emotional gunk like little else.
Be Realistic and Know Your Limits
It's a wonderful thing to know what you can and cannot do. Wrestle your perfectionism to the ground and don't let idealized expectations press you into doing more than you can realistically manage. Say no. Set limits. Be smart. This is especially important around holiday time, when trying too hard to do too much creates the exact opposite of the holiday feeling you're striving for.
Throw Something Out Every Day
Useless clutter is another low level, subliminal stress-producer. And we all know how quickly a clean surface can attract overwhelming piles of stuff. If you commit to throwing out one or two things a day, it really helps, no kidding. And if you're one of those people who need to see your papers or stuff spread around you, just contain the surface area you allot to this and nothing else.
Don't Be Proud - Get Support When the Chips are Down
Sometimes talking things out with someone you trust who is impartial will allow you to safely acknowledge your feelings, let off some steam, get you away from circular thinking and rearrange your mislaid perspective. Sometimes friends even have helpful advice to give. Sometimes they actually stop us from doing something really ridiculous.
Practice Staying in the Moment
By mindfully going about your day. Putting your awareness into what you are doing at the moment, you will be using even mundane, everyday activities as the focus of de-stressing and meditation, and simple as it sounds, you will regain peace and balance. Yes, peeling potatoes or fixing a leaky faucet can be a route to spiritual attainment and inner peace.
Notice Little Moments of Beauty and Sweetness
This sounds hokey but it works. Notice beauty around you and take a moment to breathe it in...same with a smile, a gracious act, a loving gesture. Practicing gratitude for these lovely bits and pieces of daily life is a potent way to de-stress, and it's contagious, too.
Patience and Forgiveness
Try to practice patience and forgiveness for yourself and those around you. Catching a negative thought process and turning it into something positive and humble makes all the difference in balancing your chemistry. Don't blame yourself or anyone else for your current situation. Patience an Forgiveness are easy ways out of a destructive pattern that can set you rolling and hinder your recovery for a long time. These two simple acts can actually stop the mind from churning into astronomical ideations and relieve stress/anxiety in a much stronger way that trying to talk yourself into or out of things.
Distract Yourself
Listen to music, watch a television show, sit outside, talk to someone on the phone, do some small chores within your ability, take up a hobby, color in a coloring book, listen to books on CD or any other thing that you can manage to keep your mind off of your current situation.
Always Withdraw Under Medical Supervision
Benzo withdrawal discussion boards are a great way to meet others going through similar experiences but are not a substitution for qualified medical supervision and advice. Always withdraw under medical supervision and trust your doctor who has had many years of medical training and experience.
Take Care of Your Body
Try to do all those things you know are good for your physical well being: get regular exercise, even if just walking leisurely for 10 minutes a day; take it easy on or abstain from caffeine, sugar and alcohol; get as much sleep as you can; eat healthy food - you know this stuff. This is the baseline of stress reduction.
Track Your Physical Comfort
Take some time (not too much time) to check in and see how your body is feeling. Once you notice, you can make small corrections to try to relieve discomfort before it takes over. Breathe into tight places; stretch and move when your back or neck feels stiff; look out the window when your eyes are straining at the computer screen; massage your neck and press the accupoints when a headache is lurking or present. But you have to notice what is amiss first.
Take A Break When You're Getting Crazed
When you find yourself starting to lose it, or butting up against your own rigidity or distorted thinking, take a quick break. Step away. Go outside for your walk, do some guided imagery, snuggle your favorite child/blanket/pillow/stuffed animal, play some music, go outside and listen to the birds sing, call a loving friend or do a couple of stretches. Five minutes of conscious AWOL can clear your mind and give you back some perspective, flexibility and common sense.
Dose Your Day with Humor
Humor, by its nature, provides instant distance, balance and perspective, if even for a moment. As long as it's not aimed at mocking others, it allows us to step back and take everything, including ourselves, less seriously. So practice the art of finding the ludicrous, paradoxical and nonsensical in daily events. And laughing itself is priceless. A belly laugh changes biochemistry and clears out emotional gunk like little else.
Be Realistic and Know Your Limits
It's a wonderful thing to know what you can and cannot do. Wrestle your perfectionism to the ground and don't let idealized expectations press you into doing more than you can realistically manage. Say no. Set limits. Be smart. This is especially important around holiday time, when trying too hard to do too much creates the exact opposite of the holiday feeling you're striving for.
Throw Something Out Every Day
Useless clutter is another low level, subliminal stress-producer. And we all know how quickly a clean surface can attract overwhelming piles of stuff. If you commit to throwing out one or two things a day, it really helps, no kidding. And if you're one of those people who need to see your papers or stuff spread around you, just contain the surface area you allot to this and nothing else.
Don't Be Proud - Get Support When the Chips are Down
Sometimes talking things out with someone you trust who is impartial will allow you to safely acknowledge your feelings, let off some steam, get you away from circular thinking and rearrange your mislaid perspective. Sometimes friends even have helpful advice to give. Sometimes they actually stop us from doing something really ridiculous.
Practice Staying in the Moment
By mindfully going about your day. Putting your awareness into what you are doing at the moment, you will be using even mundane, everyday activities as the focus of de-stressing and meditation, and simple as it sounds, you will regain peace and balance. Yes, peeling potatoes or fixing a leaky faucet can be a route to spiritual attainment and inner peace.
Notice Little Moments of Beauty and Sweetness
This sounds hokey but it works. Notice beauty around you and take a moment to breathe it in...same with a smile, a gracious act, a loving gesture. Practicing gratitude for these lovely bits and pieces of daily life is a potent way to de-stress, and it's contagious, too.
Patience and Forgiveness
Try to practice patience and forgiveness for yourself and those around you. Catching a negative thought process and turning it into something positive and humble makes all the difference in balancing your chemistry. Don't blame yourself or anyone else for your current situation. Patience an Forgiveness are easy ways out of a destructive pattern that can set you rolling and hinder your recovery for a long time. These two simple acts can actually stop the mind from churning into astronomical ideations and relieve stress/anxiety in a much stronger way that trying to talk yourself into or out of things.
Distract Yourself
Listen to music, watch a television show, sit outside, talk to someone on the phone, do some small chores within your ability, take up a hobby, color in a coloring book, listen to books on CD or any other thing that you can manage to keep your mind off of your current situation.