I thought I'd do a quick health update. I know that a few of my readers wanted me to keep them posted about my migraines, depression and anxiety, so I'll give you guys a brief overview of what's helped me and how I'm doing now.
I'm delighted to say I'm doing so much better than I was in August, when I was first diagnosed with acute anxiety and depression. I've been on medication since then to try and make my emotions a little less like a rollercoaster. Initially, the side effects were awful and I could be laughing one minute and hysterically crying the next! Not really a great way to go back to college. After a while (and I mean a while, probably about 8 weeks or longer) things finally started to stabilise themselves and I slowly started to get better. Healing from anything mental health related is a slow process, I had days where I felt as though I was improving and then the next day even dropping a slice of toast on the floor was enough to set me off again. It's completely natural. You wouldn't expect a broken arm to heal as soon as the cast goes on so why should your mental health be any different?
While medication can help for some people - and I am a firm believer in 'if it works, stick with it' - I think feeling better is a holistic thing. As well as my tablets I tried to get up and go to college as much as I could, do the things I used to enjoy, keep in touch with friends, try and cook healthy meals and, most importantly, talk about it. I'm very fortunate to have a strong support network around me and I live with my fantastic boyfriend Laurence who is always on hand if I need a cuddle or some reassurance.
I also had 6 sessions of counselling which I found helped along with all the other things I was doing, but I wouldn't say it was solely the counselling that made me recover. However, everyone is different so what works for me may not work for you and vice versa.
With regards to the migraines, I posted last month that I got a daith piercing (a part of cartilage in my ear) as I'd heard it can help with migraines. My migraines had gotten so bad I was getting one every week which lasted 2-3 days. They were so severe I'd collapse on my way to the toilet and couldn't stop throwing up. Glamorous, eh? I've also gone on beta blockers since then which are a commonly prescribed migraine preventative treatment. I don't know if it's the piercing, the beta blockers or a combination of both, but I haven't had a migraine in 3 weeks now, which for me is incredible. I honestly feel like my life has changed. I was taking so much time off from college due to my migraines and now I feel as though they're not impeding on my life anymore. So if any of you reading this suffer from migraines, it may be worthwhile to try the piercing and the beta blockers - they definitely helped me.
To conclude, I'm so much happier and healthier than I was a few months ago. I am a bit worried I'll have a relapse of sorts and fall down again, but as my counselor said: "You're going to have bad days again. That's life. But I don't think we ever quite go back to where we were, no matter how bad it gets."
If you need to talk to someone here are a few useful numbers:
Samaritans 116 123
Aware 1800 80 48 48
Pieta House 01 623 5606
Or don't hesitate to send me an e-mail.
Useful books for depression/anxiety:
"Owning It: Your Bullsh*t-Free Guide to Living with Anxiety" by Caroline Foran
"Shoot the Damn Dog" by Sally Brampton
"The Happiness Trap" by Russ Harris
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