I Tracked My Moods Daily To Find Out How Microdosing Altered It

Elenor RayFollowAug 27 · 4 min read

Like many, I was curious to see if microdosing is as miraculous of a mood booster as it is hyped up to be. As I was already tracking my moods daily, I decided to experiment and try microdosing on mushrooms to see how it would alter my mood long-term.

While hoping for a happier self, I tracked my mood over the months before, during and after. Note that during this time period, I was not on any other drug, natural or synthetic, and used the app Daylio for tracking.

Before

Mood: Most months, my mood stayed fairly stable with one or two dips, which may just be my female hormones. This was my typical pattern before microdosing, therefore my ‘baseline’. However, my life was clearly mundane, given how mediocre my mood was most of the month.

Life status: I was working a job I didn’t like and felt unfulfilled. I felt the need to make changes but I just didn’t know what or how yet.

During

Mood: More ups and downs. I was essentially feeling my feelings much more intensely — my life was no longer mundane! The days I was microdosed were uplifting but the more frequent downs were slightly disruptive. Occasionally, I felt I was just too emotionally sensitive during this time.

Life: I was able to see all that was ‘not right’ in my life during this period and took major initiatives towards a career change. I also had enhanced intuition during this time, leading to greater awareness of my patterns and habits. In terms of productivity, I did not notice a major difference.

Dosage: 0.30 g, with 2–3 days gap in between. On taking 0.45 g one time I even had visuals, so I’d say I’m very sensitive to small dosages. After the first few times I lowered my dosage to 0.15 g.

Why I stopped: Mushrooms and LSD mimic serotonin function in the brain by attaching to serotonin receptors, which may demote natural serotonin production temporarily. I felt this ‘withdrawal’ may have been causing the frequent downs I was experiencing and it’s possible that longer gaps between doses could’ve reduced this effect. This may not affect everyone as intensely, but was a major reason why I stopped.

Right after

Mood: The period following when I stopped was the roughest, but in hindsight the most healing. I was easily anxious and overall just in a bad state of mind. But you need to break down the old structures to build the new. That’s exactly what happened here — a lot of ‘breakdowns’.

Life: I had a lot of deep subconsciously suppressed issues come to surface that I was forced to work through. And it wasn’t pretty. But in the end, I came out of this phase with significant personal growth and understanding of self.

Eventually

Mood: Now I’m all stabilized, I like to think. I definitely haven’t had such sustained good mood in a very long time. Overall, I feel more in touch with my intuition and more in control of my emotions.

Life: I have an easier time letting go and focusing within. I feel more compassionate, understanding and grounded. I find myself to be more creative, productive and motivated in general. Additionally, I’ve started actively pursuing my ideal career and reading a lot on spirituality.

Overall

Result: While I had improved moods, I clearly had more ‘downs’ during the microdosing period and right after. But It’s especially great to see how less mediocre my life has become over time. Also, I did reach my goal of sustained improved mood by microdosing for just two months.

This process did reset my brain and for me, it wasn’t the easiest. But healing often isn’t. Just like physical wounds can hurt when healing, so can emotional and psychological wounds. Through a cycle of awareness, healing and renewal, my experience was gradual, yet incredibly significant.