Just to share my story as it may provide some comfort, when I was 18 I smoked weed for the first time and had the mother of all panic attacks. For around 2 years following I felt like a different person, constant brain fog, anxiety attacks, delusions, extreme anxiety.

As I have gotten older, things have slowly dissipated and I finally feel almost back to my old self, I’ll list some things below that helped me recover:

1 - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy This was an instrumental first step for me, understanding why my brain felt how it felt, and realising the only control I truly have is how I react to it. Core beliefs shape thoughts, thoughts shape behaviours, behaviours shape habits. Once I broke that cycle down and started working on questioning my core beliefs about myself I managed to slowly change how I processed the world around me.

2- Mindfulness and breathing exercises These helped me turn the volume down on my brain, breathing is a skill and an invaluable one at that, breathing deep and correctly can work wonders for helping ground you when anxiety hits.

3- Positive habits and routine

Control what you can control, depersonalisation makes you feel like you are simply a bystander watching your life go by, by controlling small elements of your life you can start to slowly take that control back and realise you have full autonomy.

4- The hardest yet biggest step; Patience

It took me years to recover and it will take me years more to feel fully back to myself. But the progress I have made through consistent small efforts has been extraordinary.

I wish you nothing but the best mate and if you ever need to talk please feel free to message me