Probably the social anxiety existed before cannabis, and is not really drug-induced although perhaps exacerbated or worsened slightly. As for the numbness, that is probably very drug induced, and I hear it very often and commonly reported in cannabis users (i don't talk have chance to dialogue with many ex-users unfortunately, but there too it seems common), due to depressed corticostriatal gluatmate autoreceptors, or something similar.
Not sure how many of these "numb" co-suffering "socially anxious" people might have another mental illness (schizophreniform), but cannabis can mimic in non-schizophrenics a range of schizo effects, including numbness/anhedonia/blunted affect:
9-THC also produced negative symptoms of schizophrenia which included blunted affect, reduced rapport, lack of spontaneity, psychomotor retardation, and emotional withdrawal. Of note, these schizophrenia-like negative symptoms may have been confounded by the known cataleptic and sedating effects of 9-THC and further, acute pharmacological studies may have limitations in their capacity to “model” negative symptoms. Nevertheless, a persistent “amotivational syndrome” has been described in chronic heavy cannabis users by some [81, 82, 118, 155, 216] but not others [97, 190]. This so-called “amotivational syndrome” is characterized by apathy, amotivation, social withdrawal, narrowing of interests, lethargy, impaired memory, impaired concentration, disturbed judgment, and impaired occupational achievement. The syndrome has resembled the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. However, other drug use, poverty, low socio-economic status, or preexisting psychiatric disorders existing data confound the interpretation of the existing literature.
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Two trials compared exercise to standard care and both found exercise to significantly improve negative symptoms of mental state. No absolute effects were found for positive symptoms of mental state.
I don't have ghastly social anxiety, or fear of strangers. It's more like I'm afraid if I have to see the person again, then i could really regret making a bad impression. Like today I asked a girl at the gym for a photo together by the window, not caring about her sweater and sweatpants, she says "Oh no!".
I hobble back to the calf press, dagger in heart, jump on for a set, and I realize on the eccentric contraction my legs are trembling like a shivering diabetic grandma, tho I didn't at any point feel severely anxious, I was definitely moderately anxious, and looking back to the conversation, I did stutter and fumble important words, and probably moments before this is when my heartrate jumped.
So next time I approach a girl, I will have more fear of saying the wrong/awkward thing/blowing it. And by trying to let go of anxiety with anxiety, it becomes worse, and takes til the end of time getting worse. I just try not to worry what others think. If they think only sociable people are cool, and I'm not sociable, fine: I'm uncool... someone else (with similar anxiety) will embrace my nature, and see my social side. Especially if it's just mild-moderate, this little self-exercise of not caring, of reminding yourself failures do not ultimately matter... this should remind you fear/uncertainty is foolish and easy to let go off, otherwise it hurts your confidence more and more. Anyways, I've never date a girl, so I'm way out of my element in this paragraph.
I would try some helpful ones. Bacopa and kava are effective (possibly ash too), herbal, anxiolytic non-benzodiazapines. Even ginkgo, it's $20 for 100g powder, and you could see if it helped (though tends to be stimulating/anxiogenic)
http://examine.com/topics/anxiety/
I would assume, there is no research or data to corroborate my guess, that cardio induces more BDNF/NMDAR upregulation for the same amount of time, just cause of rest periods, lower heart rate, lower metabolic output in resistance training. And increased BDNF/NMDA activity are two ways exercise combats psychiatric illness. Again I would assume in the same time, treadmill upregulates D2 receptors more than resistance training, so you definitely want to include cardio. But being skinny and only lifting 4 days a week, i wouldn't let cardio cut into my lifting, eg) lift just as often, but include cardio.
I do 20-30mins freeweights followed by 2 miles on the elliptical. Leg day I usually do just half a mile, plus warmup sets. I should do standalone cardio sessions too, but I'm bad, and usually what usually happens is I do free weights and skip cardio.
As for the tea, it could have just been your mindset wasn't very anxious those 3 hours due to placebo or external factors, it could have been due an unusual quantity of theanine (high quality leaves usually), or a sort of tolerance which has developed. Not sure.
The acute effects of L-theanine in comparison with alprazolam on anticipatory anxiety in humans.
L-Theanine (delta-glutamylethylamide) is one of the predominant amino acids ordinarily found in green tea, and historically has been used as a relaxing agent. The current study examined the acute effects of L-theanine in comparison with a standard benzodiazepine anxiolytic, alprazolam (Xanax) and placebo on behavioural measures of anxiety in healthy human subjects using the model of anticipatory anxiety (AA). Sixteen healthy volunteers received alprazolam (1 mg), L-theanine (200 mg) or placebo in a double-blind placebo-controlled repeated measures design. The acute effects of alprazolam and L-theanine were assessed under a relaxed and experimentally induced anxiety condition. Subjective self-reports of anxiety including BAI, VAMS, STAI state anxiety, were obtained during both task conditions at pre- and post-drug administrations. The results showed some evidence for relaxing effects of L-theanine during the baseline condition on the tranquil-troubled subscale of the VAMS. Alprazolam did not exert any anxiolytic effects in comparison with the placebo on any of the measures during the relaxed state. Neither L-theanine nor alprazalam had any significant anxiolytic effects during the experimentally induced anxiety state. The findings suggest that while L-theanine may have some relaxing effects under resting conditions, neither L-theanine not alprazolam demonstrate any acute anxiolytic effects under conditions of increased anxiety in the AA model.
? Reckless doses? Not all drugs act through the same neurotransmitters, so for them all to ineffective, you'd have to have polymorphisms on multiple neurotransmitter receptor types, which is exceedingly improbable (DNA fucks up here and there, but never everywhere, lest we prey to God). This is probably why cannabis, cocaine and alcohol affect you (having major dopamine components), but MDMA and LSD won't (having major serotonin components).
