CBD For Anxiety: A First-Timer’s Experience

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I had my first anxiety attack my junior year of college. I never felt more out of control of my own life or body than I did then. Over the past few years I’ve struggled with anxiety off and on. Sometimes it is debilitating. I actually didn’t leave my house for three years by myself because of my anxiety. Even the though of it made me feel physically ill and it often took me hours to build myself up enough to get out even with other people for simple errands.

Since then, though, I’ve developed many coping mechanisms for my anxiety. Deep breathing exercises, connecting with my physical body, and slowly pushing myself to do more alone have helped me overcome much of my past struggles with anxiety. My last anxiety attack was in 2011 but recently, I’ve felt more anxious than ever. I realized it was becoming a problem again because I was waking up with my jaw-clenched.

I know that it likely has a lot to do with what’s going on in the world right now. Having a feeling of control helps me manage my anxious moments and right now, none of us are in very much control. I felt my anxiety creeping back in. My heart would race at night, I struggled to feel like I could take a deep breath, I felt insomnia coming on; I was really struggling with my anxiety again and I didn’t know what I was going to do about it.

I started to consider my options, and now that I’m no longer breastfeeding, I thought about trying CBD. Several of my friends are big fans and because I spent two years pregnant and breastfeeding, I didn’t try it previously. I didn’t know it was an option before that either.

What Is CBD?

CBD is short for cannabidiol which is one of 113 naturally occurring compounds in the hemp plant. It is non-psychoactive which means you don’t get “high” from it. It’s not a new practice to use these products. In fact, did you know they even make Dog hemp for your canine friends? Yep, and it’s super popular too!

We each have an endocannabinoid system that regulates functions including sleep, our mood, our appetite, and our memory. Scientists has discovered that CBD helps improve these processes by stimulating the endocannabinoid system which in turn will produce its own cannabinoids.

Using CBD can have many  different benefits, as explained by Leaf Nation. You’ll want to be well informed before making the decision if CBD is right for you. The strength of cannabis products varies, so it’s important to choose one that’s right for you. For example, gummies for sleep may contain a higher concentration than gummies for anxiety relief.

There are many different kinds of CBD products. GoldBee.com, for example, offers everything from energy gummies to CBD for dogs.

CBD For Anxiety

I was able to try FOCL to help with my anxiety. The rollercoaster of anxiety I have been experiencing lately has kept me up at night. It’s also made it hard to focus during the day. And not to mention the tight-chest feeling I get when I’m anxious. And right now, especially, that has been putting me in a vicious cycle because I can’t tell if it’s a symptom of something or if I’m just anxious.

For the past few weeks, I have been using the FOCL Day, FOCL Night, and the 300ml drops. Here’s what I think about them:

FOCL Day

This is my favorite of the three products I have been trying. I felt more relaxed and clear-headed very quickly after beginning to take these.

If you can only try one of the products, this is is the one I would recommend starting with based on my personal experience. Being more relaxed and more focused helped me stress less at night too. And I think that had a major impact on me waking up with tension in my jaw.

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FOCL Night

I do like the night version as well. I did not notice a change right away but over the past few weeks I am sleeping better and more deeply. I like that these contains Valerian Root – I used to take that instead of something like melatonin to help me sleep better. In my experience, it’s an effective ingredient that works well for me.

FOCL 300 ml Drops

I have only used these a couple of time on particularly anxious days on the past month. I really like the minty flavor. It’s somehow extra-calming to me. When I did use them, I felt almost immediately more relaxed. I don’t know if that’s typical or not but it brought me so much relief in the moments when I just wanted to hide under the covers. These I will be keeping nearby always, for sure.

Personally, I like having these on hand for when I need them. If you’ve used CBD drops before, I would definitely recommend these! They also come in cherry and orange cream.

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The Relief Cream

I haven’t used this yet because I just got it in the mail. It does have a menthol smell to it. I will update this post after I have an opinion on it!

CBD Is Cumulative

The impacts of CBD are cumulative in the body. Meaning it’s important you take your supplements regularly to see the full effects. The more regularly you take it, the better off you’ll be.

I was chatting about CBD with a friend after I started taking it and she said something that held her back was the price. Quality CBD products can get expensive. If you’re curious about trying them, I do recommend starting the the day version. FOCL offers them for $55/bottle but if you subscribe (and can cancel anytime) the bottle is $49.50.

Other Things I Have Been Doing To Manage My Anxiety

On top of taking CBD, there are a few habits that help me manage my anxiety overall:

1. Keeping a routine: Having a regular routine helps me feel more in control of what’s going on around me. I might not be able to control everything going on in the world, but I can control my actions and the progression of my day.
2. Working out: For me, staying active helps relieve tension in my body. I’m trying my best to run regularly as well as stretching on a daily basis.
3. Going to bed at a decent hour: A decent hour is generally around 10:30/11pm for me. Doing this means I give myself enough hours to get enough sleep each day.
4. Taking time for myself everyday: It’s easy to get wrapped up in the needs of others. Taking a dedicated hour for myself every evening doing something that I want to do just for the sake of doing it has been game-changing for me.

I have always been curious about CBD for anxiety and I’m glad that I decided to try it. It’s been instrumental in helping me manage my anxiety lately.

Have you tried CBD? Are you a fan? I would love to know your experience! 

About the Author

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