How I Eased Social Anxiety with CBD
After CBD was legalized in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, CBD shops started popping up across America. Maybe you’ve seen them in your town. Perhaps you’ve also seen numerous claims made about CBD’s benefits, such as pain and anxiety relief.
As we move closer and closer toward legalization of cannabis in states like Louisiana, and hopefully one day as a nation, it’s important to keep chipping away at the plant’s stigma, and to share our personal anecdotes and experiences in an effort to educate and inspire others.
With that being said, I’d like to share a bit about my experience with CBD.
From 2016-2019, I lived in California. It was there that I was truly able to explore the potential of cannabis. Dispensary shelves were lined with all sorts of goodies, such as THC-infused coffees and chocolates, fancy pre-rolled joints, and tinctures. I tried lots of the different options over time, discovering what worked best for me. Most of my consumption was recreational at the time, and I was sticking to sativa-dominant strains of THC.
Things shifted in early 2019, however, as I developed acute social anxiety and depression in response to the sudden passing of my father. Some days I couldn’t bear to drag myself off the floor, much less out of the house. And if I did make it out with my friends, I felt alone. It felt as if I was sunken somewhere deep inside myself, unable to interact with those around me. Even though they were there to support me, I felt distant and detached.
A good friend of mine, whom I smoked with occasionally, suggested that I try CBD. He took me to his local dispensary and helped me pick out a CBD tincture. If you’re unfamiliar with the term “tincture,” it’s basically a liquid infused with cannabis extract. It comes in a small glass dropper bottle, and you use the dropper to apply a few milliliters of the tincture under your tongue.
If you’re interested in trying a CBD tincture for yourself, I recommend Wellcana’s CBD Rich 20:1 (1300mg CBD/65mg THC) – Mint from Capitol Wellness.
I began to use this tincture medically and saw results almost immediately. Suddenly, thanks to the CBD extract, I was able to be more present in social situations, as well as at work. Of course, I still had to deal with the grief on my own, but I was able to get out and do more things that helped me feel better.
This CBD tincture became a part of my daily life for a little over a year. Due to its non-psychoactive property, I never had to worry about altering my conscious state to feel relief. I remained focused, but I found more ease and peace.
Finally, the day came where I woke up and said, “You know what? I don’t think I need CBD to feel like myself today!” I’m happy to report that, two years later, I still feel that way.
If you’re the type who would rather have cold, hard data than personal anecdotes, numerous studies have been conducted to measure the effectiveness of CBD on various mental health disorders, such as anxiety, PTSD, and depression. The results of these studies have been very promising, and I encourage you to look into them for yourself.
Traditionally, mental disorders have been treated with pharmaceutical drugs, many of which can cause drastic side effects or even dependance. CBD offers a natural alternative without those nasty drawbacks.
While I am in no way certified to offer medical advice, I will tell you what I tell all of my friends, and anyone I come across who is suffering from social anxiety and depression like I was:
Give CBD a try. It’s non-psychoactive, so you won’t “get high.” But it can help give your mind a break from all of the noise and worry. It helped me, and I hope it can help you.
