I’ve been taking propranolol more regularly lately—not just for performance anxiety, but as a daily tool. It’s been surprisingly effective, and I think it’s worth talking about.
Originally, I was prescribed propranolol to help with situational anxiety—those moments when stress spikes and the physical symptoms take over. But I found myself taking it more proactively. Not more than once a day, not at high doses, but regularly enough that I started to notice something important: it makes me feel like a more chill version of myself. A more normal version.
Not sedated. Not dulled. Just... calm. Like the constant background hum of tension isn’t there anymore.
I’ve talked in other journal entries about how there’s often a gap between what I know and what I feel. Rationally, I can tell myself I’m fine. But physically, my body doesn’t always get the message. The heart rate spikes, my chest tightens, and before I know it, I’m spiraling—sometimes over nothing.
That’s where propranolol comes in. It seems to cut off the physical response at the knees. And when the physical part doesn’t start, the mental spiral never gets a foothold.
That’s been a revelation.
I used to have occasional full-blown panic attacks. Even after getting better at recognizing and managing them mentally, my body would still betray me. I’d get the racing heart, the chest pressure, the sense of impending doom. Even if my brain knew I was okay, my body wasn’t buying it.
Now, with propranolol in the mix, I’m not getting “worked up.” The anxious energy just isn’t there.
Here’s where I land so far: For me, the physical symptoms of anxiety were what kept the loop going. I’d feel something physically, then mentally latch onto it with worry, which made the physical part worse, which fueled more worry—and on and on.
Propranolol has short-circuited that loop. No physical spark, no mental wildfire.
I get that it’s a beta blocker—it works by blocking adrenaline. That tracks. But I guess I’m still surprised by just how effective it’s been.
Something else I want to note: I don’t feel altered. I don’t feel foggy or slow. I feel like myself—but without that edge of tension that used to follow me around.