Boosting Self-Confidence with CBD? Are you serious?
Author: Jason Beverly
Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand brake on.
Maxwell Maltz
Self-confidence? Well, well… You have an important presentation tomorrow, and your hands are already shaking? Or you’re having the date of your life, yet cannot find the right words for the person you love? Or you think that this world is a gloomy place full of strangers, and no one will ever love you just the way you are? Does it sound familiar? All of us have felt the lack of self-confidence at least once in our lives.
However, the permanent lack of self-confidence can be truly damaging to your well-being and mental health. If you fail to take any measures to boost your confidence, this might lead you to develop depression, also known as the plague of the 21st century. Imagine living in the sad succession of countless joyless days, one darker than the other. What a pessimistic scenario, isn’t it?
So what does CBD have to do with self-confidence then? Is it a magic remedy to boost self-esteem? Obviously, CBD is neither a panacea nor a magic pill. However, integrating CBD into your daily life can help you reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and minimize mood swings. This already makes a half-way to recovery.
Wait… CBD, isn’t it weed?
Yes, CBD or cannabidiol is a chemical compound derived from cannabis, the plant you’ve been most probably told to stay away from. Do you feel like closing the article already? Bear with us.
In fact, cannabis consists of hundreds of compounds also referred to as cannabinoids among scientists. CBD is one of those compounds, and so is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the most popular among them. Indeed, THC is found in big concentrations in marijuana (or weed) and makes people intoxicated. However, CBD is not the same as THC.
Unlike THC, CBD is derived from the hemp plant and doesn’t get you high. Let’s have a look at recent research. According to the 2017 World Health Organization Report, humans and animals tolerate pure CBD extracts well. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests that adults can safely take up to 1500mg of CBD daily within a month.
OK, got it. What are the benefits of CBD then?
According to recent studies, CBD provides a range of health benefits. At present, CBD is widely used as a remedy for anxiety and insomnia. The European Journal of Pain has proved with the help of an animal model that CBD could decrease inflammation due to arthritis if applied on the skin. Another research has shown that CBD inhibits severe inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Still, the research on CBD benefits continues.
Needless to say that CBD is absolutely legal in the European Union and the United Kingdom. The UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 doesn’t list CBD among the “controlled substances”. Moreover, the European Union permits the cultivation of industrial hemp for CBD production. CBD balms, capsules, creams, oils, sprays, foods, and beverages are legally sold across the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Once again, CBD is neither psychoactive nor harmful in any other way, if consumed in the right dosage.
Still… What about self-confidence?
Indeed, let’s get back to it. Essentially self-confidence is how we perceive ourselves in this world. Typically, people with high self-confidence rarely have fears about the unknown and strongly believe in their abilities to cope with any challenges. On the contrary, people with low self-esteem tend to have a bad opinion about their abilities and performance. They do not trust themselves and frequently experience guilt and embarrassment for not “being good enough” in particular situations.
How does self-confidence develop? Unfortunately, it gradually stems from childhood. When parents show love, affection, and acceptance of their children, this usually results in higher self-esteem and stress resistance. Such children get used to a natural protective environment and thus easily take up independent risks and challenges.
On the other hand, when parents over-criticize and belittle their children, it causes a serious lack of self-confidence. The demand to be “best of the best” or to follow a set of strict “family rules” usually brings a subconscious fear for launching personal initiatives. As a consequence, such a person could face numerous difficulties in finishing education, making a career, building up communication skills, and even finding the right partner.
Obviously, it is not your fault, if your parents haven’t been able to give you enough love and affection. Not everyone has had a perfect childhood. However, there are some good news. You can still improve your self-confidence by yourself. Indeed, that could be the biggest challenge of a lifetime… However, once you improve your self-esteem, life will shine in brighter colours.
Will CBD eventually boost my self-esteem?
Again, CBD is neither a magic pill nor panacea to such a complicated issue as changing your perception about yourself, something that possibly stems from your early childhood. In order to boost your self-confidence, you have to take up a whole set of uneasy actions: write self-affirmations, question your inner critic, secure personal boundaries, take care about yourself, bravely face your deep fears, and many more.
However, cannabidiol can actually be a good assistant on your way to success. CBD is an efficient remedy for anxiety and insomnia, which tend to accompany people with low self-esteem. Indeed, anxiety can be tricky. It might appear either as thousand nagging whispers in your head or as one powerful soprano screaming out loud that you failed yet again.
Insomnia is also destructive. By not getting a proper sleep you literally sentence yourself to a bad mood and poor productiveness. Therefore, once you get rid of anxiety and improve your sleep, you will feel less tense in stressful situations and more efficient at daily tasks.
Unlike typical antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication, CBD is neither addictive nor psychoactive, hence you won’t feel like a zombie. On the contrary, cannabidiol acts in a very mild way by stimulating the so-called “bliss molecule” anandamide, which boosts the neural generation of motivation and pleasure.
When you incorporate CBD into your daily ratio, positive changes shouldn’t take too long before you start to notice them. One day you might discover that your hands don’t shake before presentations any more, and nightmares about “that horrible boss” have left you forever. You will smile cheerfully to yourself in the mirror and proudly raise your head up high.
