[DJ Danz]

So i have been smoking daily for a month, and just today i decided to quit, i have been suffering mood swings, restlesness, fear, social anxiety and all of these things all together,and also 24/7 depersonalization.

Any ideas on how i can become normal again? And why am i going through all this, it really feels like i am loosing it. Am i going crazy?

[gma45]

That can happen for a bit after you stop smoking. Things usually get better after a few weeks. You are not going crazy! Try to get some exercise and practice deep breathing and it may help a bit. If it doesn't go away I would suggest going to a dr. and letting them know how you are feeling. I wish you the best.

[RogueWolf]

Hi, Try to not obsess/dwell on paranoid or upsetting thoughts. If you are really struggling see a therapist. I used to smoke a lot of weed.... Like a lot, people never really seem to get what I mean by a lot... A LOT. LOL. But anyway I loved it heaps but then one day I started to feel weird, at first I ignored nd hid how I felt but got worse and worse, turned to agoraphobia and anxieties and all sorts of messed up sht. (Though I was mixing it with alcohol, anti-depressants- particualrly zoloft and other drugs.) I ended up quitting cos of that.

[Hellion]

If it was the cannabis contributing to the anxiety mostly, then yeah stopping for a while should certainly help as any lingering effects should wear off so you'd be back to normal....but if you had anxiety issues before it might be worth talking to a therapist/doctor or something about that, or if you're not seeming to feel any better at all perhaps it would be something worth addressing.

I find it helps my anxiety, but it doesn't do that for everyone that is for sure.

[not quite right]

I find smoking relaxing and enjoyable, I did go from a heavy user to someone who can smoke if I want or not. The only useful thing I can add is did you consider your excessive use was an attempt to self medication? Just a thought. Good luck to you

I've experienced terrible anxiety from mj and from alcohol - even just beer.

[AllonsY]

Breathing meditation can be very useful when you start feeling anxious - it engages your parasympathetic nervous system and calms you down.

Basically:

Sit (either in a meditative position or on a chair, try to keep your back straight) with your eyes partially closed (I usually do with eyes fully closed when I meditate), and breathe in slowly (maybe to a slow count of 4) - hold your breath for a moment - and slowly release your breath at the same speed. Breathing through the nose is preferable.

Your mind will be pretty busy - but that's ok, the idea is to become aware of your thoughts and to calm the mind so you can be calm, and present. The key is to focus on the breath itself, that is the object of your attention. If meditation isn't something you're used to - you're likely to find your mind begin to follow random thoughts that pop in your head - when this happens simply tell yourself "return to the breath", and then do so. Don't fight the thoughts, just let them float through your mind and dissipate, without following them or feeding into them (when you fight or follow them, typically they're given strength and stick more in your mind).

If you have a smartphone, there's meditation timer apps, if not, there's onlinemeditationtimer.com (you don't want something that's grating and jolts you like an annoying alarm clock). 5 minutes is a good start (twice a day if possible)… if you're not near any timer, just do it for what seems like a little bit and until you calm down. You might not be totally calm, but it can make a world of difference - trust me. It might not take the anxiety away totally - but it should help quite a bit with dealing with the anxiety, and even may help with other symptoms you listed, from not having cannabis.