I have been struggling with my weight for most of my adult life, since my teens. I had a couple of periods when I lost significant weight and was at an appropriate weight and BMI, these times tie in with significant events in my life.  In February 2022, I was in my mid 50's and had been around 120 KG which was at the high end of obese and my BMI was 35. I was at a family event with my sister and father and when I looked at the photos we had taken of the three of us, it really hit me, finally hit me that I had to do something about my weight.    I am not saying that I hadn't thou ..read more

​I have discovered the podcast I can’t believe it’s not Buddha, with Lee Mack and Neil Webster. I find the balance between humour, which admittedly is rather silly at times and the discussions about Buddhism and meditation entertaining and very informative. ​The podcast is about the journey of Lee and Neil, who at the start have a limited knowledge of Buddhism, but have been drawn towards it and in particular meditation for sometime. Generally I find episodes are organized by Neil, who may be reading a new book or having been on a retreat, with Lee adding humor and useful inquisitive question ..read more

​To be blunt; I find Christmas a difficult time, particularly for my anxiety. Yes of course, Xmas 2020 has been very difficult for many this year and the impact on wellbeing and mental health has made it very hard for many people, especially those who have ended up on their own for Christmas and continue to miss out on vital contact with family and friends. Personally, I find Christmas hard, but this year has been easier for me; because of the restrictions on seeing people, to prevent the spread of coronavirus. ​I find the pressure and panic generated by: predominantly the retail sector pushi ..read more

I blogged in June about reviewing my anxiety medication, specifically because during the first 4 weeks of coronavirus lockdown I had experienced a significant reduction in anxiety and an insight into how life could be. I currently take 600mg of Pregabalin, (300mg in the morning and 300mg in the evening) and 100mg of Sertraline in the morning for my anxiety, in the form of generalised anxiety disorder. ​I telephoned my doctors surgery to make an appointment to speak to my doctor and was advised that appointments were not available for general medication reviews, but that I could add a not ..read more

I posted recently about my anxiety medication and my intention to ask the doctor to review it. ​Today I telephoned the Doctors surgery to ask to for a non urgent appointment to discuss my medication. I was advised that, because of Covid-19, the GP was not reviewing medication at present. So having felt somewhat deflated, after plucking up the courage to telephone, I thought I would try writing to them instead. ​I know it is difficult, because we are in the coronavirus pandemic and medical staff in particular are extremely busy, but at the same time, we should be able to access medic ..read more

I am struggling with my anxiety as usual. During the first 3- 4 weeks on lock down for coronavirus, my wife and I screened ourselves. I found that not being allowed to go out and not having any appointments to go to, resulted in my anxiety easing significantly and I was happy pottering around at home and working part time at home on my computer. Now some 12 weeks later I find my generalised anxiety back to where it was prior to lock-down and having seen how I can be during those first three weeks, I want to be more like that. ​I have completed a basic CBT course of 10 weeks, an advanced CBT c ..read more

Each year Martin Lewis and Money Savings Expert produce an incredibly helpful booklet especially for mental health sufferers with money advice and debt advice. They key message from Martin Lewis is that all debt problems are solvable and this Mental Health and Debt Guide can be a valuable guide to sorting out debt problems. Debt worries can be overwhelming and debt recovery letters very intimidating and contribute greatly to anxiety and depression illnesses. But on your own or with the help of a carer or friend, using this guide; you can tackle the problem and re ..read more

My wife and I have been screening for the past 6 weeks, during coronavirus, because my wife is medically vulnerable, and I suspect on the border of highly vulnerable. The last 6 weeks have been the best. I don’t have to go out, everyone is working remotely, we have no fixed appointments or commitments. I don’t have to go to the shops, I can’t ride my bike or walk the dog. I am not allowed out!!! I can get on with my work and do things around the house, look after my wife, read, play Sudoku, and do what I want, with no pressure to see anyone or go out. It is wonderful. My bowels have never bee ..read more

​During my initial assessment for CBT, which was a 45 minute telephone interview. I identified that I consumed a lot of caffeine. My therapist pointed out that caffeine was considered to exacerbate my anxiety problems. Whilst I knew I was drinking quite a lot of tea with the occasional coffee, I did not appreciate how many cups of caffeinated tea and coffee I was drinking and had not taken into account the amount of caffeine there was in the Pepsi Max I was drinking each evening. I have therefore made a concerted effort to reduce my caffeine intake. I was aware that there can be issues with ..read more

It has been sometime since my last blog post. I still struggle with and have been working on my anxiety and depression. About 12 months ago I went to my GP as I had a significant family event approaching in six months time; namely my daughter’s wedding. During my consultation with the GP it was agreed to a change in my medication and so I now take Sertraline in addition to the Pregabalin, medication. I started on a dose of 50 mg per day and after three weeks this was increased to 100 mg per day. I didn’t feel any particular side-effects from the medication and to be truthful it is d ..read more