Maria,

You are such a lovely person. I am very thankful for the love and support I have received on the site so far, but you have been such a lovely gift to me. I have received tons of good and practical advice and feelings of comradery, but being able to connect to your posts has helped me more than you could know. You’ve vocalized so many of the things that I have been thinking but unable to put my finger on. “I will trust life again.”

I will check out all of the links that you sent me, but I am especially interested in the one that deals with neuroplasty, and of course the Habits of a Happy Brain. I do believe that we as humans can learn and unlearn anything, but without a mentor, a role model, a parental figure, without anyone to look up to in this regard it feels so much like stabbing in the dark. It’s been a long and lonely process for me. It would feel so much more manageable if I had someone other than my partner to support me. He’s great and supportive in so many ways, but he doesn’t understand anxiety fully, he’s no therapist by any means, and truthfully I don’t want my romantic partner to be involved in therapy sessions. They’re ugly, open and raw, and well, I must have landed a great one given that he’s still around, but it’s not healthy for him to be my partner, my lover, my family, my best friend, and my therapist.

I’ve tried 5-HTP, actually I used to take it everyday but just haven’t picked any up since I’ve been traveling…I took it for about a year? Maybe two…I haven’t taken any in about 4 or 5 months. What makes you say exercise caution with it? I usually take St. John’s Wort and have been out of that for several weeks, now. I could never really tell if it made a difference…but I’ve been feeling extra bummy going through this so perhaps I should pick up another bottle…

You are so on my brainwaves about the magnesium. I never knew that it could have such calming properties but I used to add raw 100% cacao to my protein smoothies when I was back home in the states. I never connected the two thoughts, but I always felt so mellow after drinking them. Just the day before you recommended upping my magnesium levels I bought a bag for this same purpose, and hell yeah it really does work! Plus who needs an excuse to eat chocolate? 😛

Your supplement recommendations are all spot on, really. I tested the waters of veganism for several months and I went down a dark and swollen, b-vitamin deficient path before I discovered chia seeds…vitamin deficiencies are a great way to add insult to injury.

“It can be battled. There will be bad days always, but they will become fewer and fewer. You will trust life again!”

^^ 🙂 🙂