How CBD helped me through my toughest times.

September is self-care month and I want to finish up this month by telling a little story about something that happened to me recently regarding CBD and anxiety. This also explains why I haven’t written a blog post in a few weeks and some exciting news I want to share with my amazing readers.

First, my blog was chosen to as a top 40 blog in the list of best CBD blogs and you can read about it here. Check out the ribbon on the front page and check out all the other amazing CBD blogs out there too!

If you’ve been following the blog, you probably have read about my struggles with anxiety and if you aren’t aware, go HERE to read more about it.

I’ve been using CBD in various forms for quite some time for anxiety, depression and chronic pain and I’ve written about how it has helped, but recently, CBD really showed me it’s true colors.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I lost my health insurance and after a relocation quite a while back, I couldn’t get any assistance with that here in my home state. I tried just about every resource I could, but nothing seemed to pan out. The health insurance available to everyone on the government site was way out of my budget and yet I didn’t qualify for stated funded insurance, so I was stuck. It’s important for anyone to be covered for their health, but for someone with a diagnosed mental health disorder, it’s imperative.

I was on antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications prior to moving, but after losing my health insurance, I was fearful of running out of medication due to cost out-of-pocket. I first had to get established with a new doctor and I did, two months out. I really started to panic. Two months and I had less than a month of medication left.

I made an appointment and did what I needed to do to get established and on the books with a doctor, but in the meantime, what could I do?

I did find an online doctor that I paid a high co-pay to see through video chat. The service I used has just about any doctor you can think of in any specialty and I was able to get refills to hold me over until my appointment, so this is a great thing, but there was time between making the initial face-to-face appointment and discovering that there is even such a thing as online physicians that I was totally without my meds.

I decided to turn to CBD to help me through the worst times while waiting for my appointment to come up.

I increased my dosage and monitored it’s effects and I can honestly say, that if I hadn’t had CBD and the support of my husband, I am pretty confident I would have hospitalized myself for the anxiety and crippling depression.

Let me emphasize that this does not mean CBD is a cure for depression or anxiety. It should not replace doctor prescribed medications or therapies, but in my personal experience, it helps me with daily anxiety and depression and through the really tough moments.

So, why am I writing this? It’s probably all stuff you’ve read already on other blogs right? Well, maybe so, but I write it to give hope and help those of you who may be struggling to hang on.

Here are my tips for using CBD when you are struggling with your anxiety or depression and also some resources on how to get help if you are without insurance or need to talk to someone.

1. If you are a CBD user already, consider increasing your dosage until you feel relief. CBD cannot be overdosed on. That being said, don’t always assume more is better. Increase your dosage slightly and track how it affects you. You may find your sweet spot and figure out just what dosage you need. Also, make sure you are dosing correctly for your intended effects. Try this calculatorr to take the guesswork out of dosages on different brands.
2. If you aren’t yet using CBD, consider trying it and reach out to companies who offer discount programs to veterans, senior citizens, students and low-income individuals to help with the cost. https://www.lazarusnaturals.com/ and https://bluebirdbotanicals.com/ are a couple I have used and Koicbd.com has a lifetime veterans discount program as well.
3. If you don’t have a doctor and need one, research online doctors or local community clinics and health departments. Online services such as Amwell, may be a bit pricey, but if you are in need and can see them once or twice to help with your situation at the moment, then this is absolutely worth it. Local community clinics and health departments are set up to help those who are have a lower income or have lost or can’t afford health insurance. Many work on a sliding scale. The downside may be a wait for an appointment, but the online option can help in the meantime as they typically have sooner appointments and this will help while waiting for your face-to-face appointment.
4. If you are suicidal, there is no shame in asking for help and there are so many options. One that has helped me many times is the crisis text line. It’s a totally free option for any type of crisis run by professionals who are trained to deal with crisis. The suicide prevention lifeline also has an online chat option with counselors ready to help. Don’t be afraid to reach out.
5. Last, but not least, make sure you have a support system. If you don’t have family or friends who you can turn to for help, even if it’s just to help make an appointment or have a cup of coffee with, then look into local support groups or your local mental health agency. Your local resources are designed to help those of us who may need help getting appointments and making sense of financial paperwork, pharmacy information and even may provide free or discount counseling.

What is most important o take away from this is the fact that there are always options and you are not alone. I wrote this because I struggle with anxiety every single day and some days are better than others.

I am back on meds now and take my CBD in conjunction with them and it helps more than I can express. Not every option works for everyone, but medication is nothing to be ashamed of and honestly, it’s no one’s business if you are on it in the first place. Medication has as stigma, just as mental illness does and finding the right option for you, no matter what it is, is really important in self-care. There’s no shame is exploring all your options and I hope I’ve made it at least a little easier to understand some of them as well as let you know that you aren’t alone in this fight.

You got this!

Disclosure: This blog may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. All opinions are strictly my own and do not reflect the company or product I am reviewing. Disclaimer: Sweet Honeybee Health and its owners are not medical professionals. Content on this website is intended for informational purposes only. I research and write on numerous health topics and companies. Do not use the information you find on this site as medical advice. You are encouraged to seek the advice of a medical professional prior to trying any health remedy, no matter how safe or risk-free it may claim to be. This blog may contain posts by guest bloggers. These posts may not reflect the opinion of sweethoneybeehealth.com or any affiliates that are posted or mentioned on this page. CBD Disclaimer: While some CBD products contain THC, there are many that do not. If you have question about the content of CBD in a product, contact the CBD company for these questions. Reputable companies should have no more than 0.3% or less THC in their product and this should not produce any psychoactive effects.