How CBD Has Improved My Life

Contributed by guest blogger Lizzie Braiks-Rinker from Donuts & Downdog

Dearest reader,

You are reading this at MadRitual.com, home to one of my favorite CBD products on the planet, so I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that you have heard of CBD before. I can also assume that I’m not totally far off in assuming that you, just like me, are a big fan of CBD. If you aren’t a fan and are just starting to dabble in CBD, hold on to your hat! You are about to discover your new favorite thing, and something that has absolutely changed my life.

I am a bit of a CBD evangelist. I will tell anybody and everybody that will listen (and, tbh, some people that don’t really want to listen) just how great it is. Want to know why? GREAT!

CBD taught me how to listen to my body.

Before I tried CBD I felt like I was constantly asking myself how much discomfort I was “OK” with living with. Tired muscles, chronic pain, sore lady bits, you name it. I would slam some ibuprofen, maybe drink a glass of wine, do some light stretching, and shrug it off. Looking back, I don’t think that I had a very clear idea in my head of what it meant for my body to feel good.

Using CBD products both externally and internally has helped me see how good my body has the ability to feel. Having that knowledge, in turn, has made me WAY better about listening to my body. CBD products helped me understand the difference between “good” and “tolerable”. I also feel like I now have way more tools in my arsenal for when things get uncomfortable. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I would slather my entire life in CBD if I could.

I learned alternative methods for dealing with discomfort.

Raise your hand if you’ve been prescribed pain pills before? Did they help you in the long run? Did they fry your brain? Did they make you constipated AF? Using CBD (and rad products like Mad Ritual) showed me that there are other options for recovery, pain management, and self care. Once I saw how well CBD worked for me I became more open minded to other things like meditation, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, and the like. And you know what? They all have worked one million times better for me than the crap I was trying before.

Kicked anxiety in the butt.

Ever since puberty I’ve been dealing with some pretty hardcore anxiety. It’s like my constant obnoxious companion that just won’t get the hint and go home. Anxiety absolutely comes and goes for me. Traditional medicine has helped me a ton – don’t get me wrong. Sometimes, though, life happens and I just need something a little more. CBD pills and tinctures have given me some of my life back when my brain decides to go on a spiral. I can’t tell you the amount of times that CBD has helped calm my anxiety enough that I’m able to get out of bed and show up for my life. It’s been a lifesaver.

Gave me my time back my helping with chronic pain.

I am sore from life in a myriad of ways, but especially from two separate situations that cause me chronic pain (peep my post about this on the MR website!). Chronic pain is painful (duh!), debilitating, and exhausting. Before I discovered cannabis products my chronic pain flares could leave me in bed all day unable to focus, hold my head up, or do much more than roll over. Now that I know I can use products like Mad Ritual I am able to get things done when my friendly pain monster decides to snow up. I also no longer live in the constant fear of getting a flare when I’m away from home. Now I carry a small and mighty pharmacy of CBD products with me wherever I go. When I feel something coming on I’m able to deal with it discreetly instead of panicking about needing to get home ASAP.