Hi there!
I’ll cut straight to the chase – I have always been a very anxious person. Ever since school, there has always been a weird sense of stress/fear that is always way out of proportion.
After two decades, you’d think that I’d be used to things usually working out anyway but nope – it is simply a part of my character to be a bit of a stress head!
Some people thrive on it, but joking aside it has caused so much misery and lost opportunities down the line. Sure I do OK at exams, interviews, and dating – no worse than a ‘normal’ person anyway, but there’s always that nagging doubt that I am far too risk-averse.
As anyone who has anxiety issues will know, those reflective doubts can be just as bad as the adverse premonitions, and taken hand in hand they can feel like an impossible cycle to escape from.
Strange as it may sound though I have never had serious depression. More often than not the misery of anxiety results in depressive thoughts too, but not for me. Luckily I still have the same doctor since I was a kid and they have tried everything from beta blockers to even finally getting me a place on an NHS CBT course. Nothing really helps, and because I am otherwise OK we kind of reached a dead end on what they could really do to help.
Other people I know (and grew up with) found that drinking and smoking weed at least made them feel better for a while, but neither work for me. Drinking isn’t my cup of tea and a dangerous path to go down, while dope just makes me even more anxious!
My First Steps With CBD
I was flicking through a Sunday magazine about a year ago and there was an interesting section discussing medical marijuana. Seemed to be helping lots of people – but as mentioned it is a no-go for me. Interestingly enough though, they were talking about an extract of the plant that claimed to offer all the health benefits but without any of the ‘high’ – or in my case, the paranoia.
Before it fell victim of the UK ban on psychoactive ‘legal highs’ I had enjoyed a little success with green Malay strains of Kratom. It should have banned for tasting so vile (joke!) and I was always a bit worried about the whole tolerance/dependence/withdrawal cycle to bother getting it from ‘alternative sources’ so just gave it up. But when passing the local headshop I popped in and asked about this legal weed extract and was surprised to discover that it was indeed totally legal but they didn’t stock it.
Looking online I was blown away by the variety of sites there were offering CBD. The prices were quite high too, especially for someone on a student budget. But I figured there was no point in not giving it a go, and after hours of reading up on dosages and varieties online I took the plunge and made my first order.
The little bottle arrived the next morning, and if I remember right it was a pretty low dose – 2% I think. Following the instructions online, I dosed and went about my day. Like most people, I expected to at least feel something but nope – just felt normal. Carried on over the next fortnight and then…
Oh My God This CBD Is Working!
I woke up feeling good! Not in a buzz/high sort of manner, just a fair bit calmer than usual. As usual, I had a packed out schedule including two of my least favourite seminars, but it just didn’t faze me anywhere close to as much as usual.
Honestly, it is so difficult to describe, but I took my couple of morning drops and just maintained feeling this way over the day. Not ‘feeling good’ so much – but just in a strangely peaceful and calm manner. Anyone who has taken CBD to effectively manage anxiety will know what I mean.
This carried on even when for whatever reason I missed an occasional morning or afternoon dose. After reading up more (Reddit is great for comparing experiences) I decided to try higher doses by slowly upping my intake – and hurting my overdraft!
After a couple of months going as high as 5% it was pretty clear that I didn’t need anything that strong. Little old me was lucky enough to be able to get by on just what is comparatively considered a pretty light dose.
Thanks to lower concentrations of best cbd oil being not much expensive than a decent quality e-liquid, I decided to try out vaping my dose as well. If there had been a downside to my routine, it would be that over time I did feel a little more anxious about two hours before my afternoon dose. Vaping seemed like an easy way to take a quick top-up without faffing around with droplets between my lectures.
Once again I hit the jackpot. Just a couple of draws and that hint of anxiety would chill out until it was time for my drops.
It was tempting to consider vaping as my go-to option and ‘drop the drops’ but I figured that I had established a decent working routine and didn’t want to risk unbalancing it.
Vaping serves me as a useful way for that little extra boost especially when heading off to do something stressful. Used sparingly, that first 10ml bottle lasted the best part of three months – money rather well spent in my opinion.
Do I Recommend CBD For Anxiety?
It works for me! But I do think it is important to qualify that I was lucky, needing not just a low dose but also one that was affordable and easy to manage. There are all sorts of stories of people suffering extreme anxiety/nervous disorders taking massively higher doses than me – which I could never afford anyway.
What I would say is that if you have had anxiety problems for years, but are otherwise in decent health then CBD may well offer a natural solution. It isn’t going to make you into a dumb zombie, and you will still feel anxious – but just in a far more manageable and less intrusive kind of way.
A final word of advice. Look for quality ahead of strength. I naturally opted for an oil and CBD e-liquid from a company that is as right-on, eco-friendly as it gets. I know others who have used similar products from less stringent companies and not had any or much success. That little extra does seem to go a long way, so take that on board should you be interested in trying out this amazing supplement.
