I swapped antidepressants for magic mushrooms

A little mushroom dust with your morning vitamins anyone? Perhaps a scoop of mushroom powder in your morning smoothie.

When seeking help for your mental health micro-dosing might not be your first thought.. But maybe it should be?

Before you label me a lunatic who you think is tripping balls on the daily to better my anxiety, just hear me out for a moment. Let's talk about micro-dosing vs macro-dosing.

To experience a balls to the wall mushroom trip and taste the colour purple, this would require you to take a macro-dose which is 1 gram of (dried) mushrooms at the minimum. The psilocybin in the mushrooms binds and stimulates serotonin 2A receptors in the brain. In a macro-dose, this can create effects such as: an altered state of mind, altered sensory perception, and hallucinations.

But if running around the forest butt naked and talking to trees isn't your vibe but you still want those feel-good effects, there is micro-dosing.

Micro-dosing is taking small doses of (dried) mushrooms on a regular basis, about one-tenth of a macro-dose. Taking this amount shouldn't cause any hallucinogenic effects at all, the right amount and you may completely forget that you've taken mushrooms that morning.

Taking mushrooms is no longer a thing of the 70's. People are not taking them to escape their lives but to instead enhance them.

So why am I taking mushrooms?

I've struggled with my mental health for a long time, it's only in my late 20's I've realised I can actually do something about it. Living in a constant state of tension and carrying my anxiety around like a survival kit, I learned to deal with the bad times and soak up the good.