How to Deal with Dark Thoughts When High?

Weed is for many the medicine that can help them feel less insecure or anxious, but the effects and reactions from consuming cannabis would differ for everyone. For some it will do the complete opposite. Instead of calming down, cannabis can make certain users feel more anxious and more insecure. That’s not a typical reaction from weed, though it’s not anything abnormal either. 

Cannabis can make you feel overly aware of everything that’s going on around, and that can even equal the level of paranoia where you might start to think that everyone on the street knows you are high and they’re judging you. It can also make you feel that everything you say in a company of friends is stupid. You might go into a “freeze” mode where you sit still and don’t engage in the conversation anymore, but you continue to feel anxious inside your mind. Certainly this is the kind of reaction from weed that everyone wants to avoid, or when it happens to know what to do to stop the negative train of thoughts. 

When and Why Can Cannabis Make You Feel Insecure? 

Feeling insecurity, anxiety and unease are not the normal reactions you would expect from weed, but they are occasionally reported by some users. Insecurity from cannabis is fairly common among those who do not have a lot of experience with weed, and for whom being high is relatively new. Disoriented and with lack of control over the experience, it can lead to feeling a little nervous and anxious. 

Nevertheless, there is a scientific explanation to what happens in the body when you feel restless or insecure from using cannabis. It comes down to how THC interacts with the brain’s cannabinoid receptors. The interaction stimulates the release of several different neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin, and GABA, which is inhibitory in nature and slows down neural activity. Increased GABA in combination with increased serotonin paralyzes another neurotransmitter, norepinephrine, which usually has a calming effect in people. 

Also known as noradrenaline, the norepinephrine neurotransmitter is involved in the regulation of cognitive function, attention, focus, excitation, and reactions to stress. However, low norepinephrine can sometimes recoil and stimulate brain activities involved with excitation. That stimulation can put a burden on the sympathetic nervous system, and therefore cause rapid heart rate or palpitations and the release of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. The entire chain of reactions is what can make you feel anxious and perceive danger around you when high. 

Too much THC can also contribute to experiencing negative emotions. When you use extra potent cannabis strains or other weed products, the brain is suddenly exposed to more cannabinoids than usual. That further affects the amygdala, a small part of the brain that looks like a nut but has an essential role in regulating your response to fear and related emotions, such as anxiety, tension, stress, and paranoia. 

People’s reactions to marijuana lean toward consistency, therefore feeling insecurity from cannabis can be a repeated experience for some users, long after they’ve tried weed for the first time. It’s just how your brain is wired on weed. You may try different things such as using low potency strains, but the anxiety might always come back. In that case, it’s good to know what steps to take to get rid of cannabis-induced anxiety when it settles. 

How to Not Feel Insecure When High on Weed? 

You might be wondering how to get rid of cannabis-induced anxiety or any dark thoughts that might be going in your mind every now and then when high. Here’s what you can do to have a more pleasurable experience with weed.

Try to avoid edibles as they create a high that lasts longer. High from edibles is harder to control, principally because it lasts longer and it might hit very differently than when you take a few smokes. The extended period where you feel incapacitated from cannabis can lead to insecurity, therefore it’s best to avoid potent edible products. 

Don’t go for strains that can produce paranoid effect. Strains that are more high on THC and low on CBD can induce paranoia. Examples include Durban Poison, Green Crack, Sour Diesel, Wedding Cake, and many others. Most of these strains are powerful sativas that stimulate the mind. If you still prefer such strains, try to adjust your usage and stay safe with micro-dosing. 

Acknowledge that you feel bad at the moment. People who become anxious after they get high should be straightforward and share how they feel. That means, if you got stoned together with friends, let them know that you don’t feel particularly well at the moment. If someone around you does not look well on weed, don’t make jokes about it, but better ask them how you can help them overcome the feeling. 

Get fresh air, hydrate, and move around. In other words, do things that will speed up the metabolic processing of THC. Some play music or watch a film that doesn’t demand a lot of mental engagement and find the activity helpful. Others prepare fresh drinks, such as lemonade, and lemon is good for the effects of too much THC intake.

Try some CBD when THC kicks in badly. CBD is a proven anxiolytic, which means it can tackle anxiety. A few drops of CBD can help regulate the psychedelic THC and tone down other negative reactions from it. 

In conclusion, you can still enjoy cannabis even when it gives you feelings of insecurity, doubt, and a push of negative thoughts. Learning how to use cannabis in optimal ways might not happen overnight, but it helps when you know your limits as well as a few tricks on how to handle situations where any of the adverse reactions from the herb come into force. 

Also read on Soft Secrets: 

- CBD Is Effective for Anxiety, Depression, and Poor Sleep

- What Are Weed Shakes and Are They Dangerous?

- Can Cannabis Help You Survive the Summer Heat?