"Beating the Blues Course"

I just wanted to say how wonderful the Beating the Blues course that i finished about 8 months ago is! 

I have suffered quite badly from anxiety for nearly 20 years, around christmas time 2017 I was going through a particularly bad patch when a member of staff from the advocacy service mentioned the Beating the Blues course to me as a possible solution. 

I had already tried a few different kinds of drugs which all seem to help initially but then the anxiety would usually build up again over time & i would find myself in the same position of constant fear of anxiety attacks (which usually came first thing in the morning), I had also tried the other methods of CBT, mindfulness exercises & meditation which again work for a while & then didn't!

I tried to go into the beating the blues course with an open mind, which i believe helped. the course is run over i think 8 weeks. at the start of each session you are asked a series of questions about your mental state over the previous week, this was very helpful as it gave you a chance to think about your week & assess what had been going on inside, if you had had any stressful instance or if you had had a good week (towards the end i had far more good than bad & looked forward to my monday after work beating the blues sessions). 

Once you finished that section you would move onto printed sheets & computer exercises where you worked through a different section giving additional tools each week to help you with your anxiety. Sometimes the exercises could be as simple as recording your activities for the week & then working out when you felt best or giving your ideas to keep yourself distracted when you feel an attack coming on (adult colouring books & a rock music quiz app on my phone worked wonderfully for me) to more mind blowing exercises like questioning your thoughts (thinking errors) or going even deeper & questioning your core beliefs! there are also lots of useful videos to watch during the course from a variety of people from different walks of life (which help you feel less alone with your problems).

The course definitely took a lot of work & I would strongly recommend taking a few hours each week to work though the exercises, but by the end of the course you are so well armed with distraction, questioning & relaxation techniques that the work really is worth while & I certainly felt strong enough to move forward with my life as a stronger, more confident & better equip human being. 

I finished the course in March 2018 & am so happy to say that haven't had any major anxiety attacks  since February 2018 & I now feel that I have the tools & confidence to fight anxiety & win. 

Beating the Blues has definitely changed my life for the better.

Thank you Lochgilphead Advocacy service for recommending the course :- )