posted Wed, 03/11/2026 - 06:22
492
+ 4 The Confidence Shift on Cycle
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Not talking about roid rage. Not talking about the memes. I'm talking about the real shift that happens when androgens are elevated.
You carry yourself different. Social situations that used to bother you just don't anymore. Decision making feels cleaner. Some guys chalk it up to looking better and feeling good about yourself. Others say it's deeper than that — it's a direct neurological effect.
What's your take? Do you notice a real mental shift when you're on? Does it change depending on the compound?
This is one of those things a lot of guys experience but nobody really breaks down openly.
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Very good topic to discuss I was just wondering about my well being increase last night and how I love testosterone. Helped me with anxiety and self confidence regardless of whether I’m working out or just living a good life.
Night and Day difference for me.
Having run a TRT clinic in the past I can reassure you it’s definently a direct physiological effect of the steroids. Patients almost always reported improved mood, energy and mental clarity 2-3 weeks after beginning treatment. These effects combined definitely lead to an increase in confidence. It’s a legit effect and not just placebo.
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Oh yeah. I feel like everything is great and I feel like a king walking into a room
I feel you bro!
I notice when the gear kicks in especially deca or npp. Others notice to I get more looks and offers way before I look different. It also effects my actions like I will inadvertently growle or whistle at an attractive woman and she will like it I only act like that when I am on 600mg a week or more. I found most of my girlfriends that way the last 5+ years. I also keep my bathroom cleaner when I am on cycle that doesn't make any sense to me but it happens.
There is real truth to the above. I have said before ‘my wife loves me at 300mg / week of Test, she just doesn’t know it.’ I can’t say it’s dramatic, and I dont really notice anything is happening minute to minute, but there is a change in overall motivation.
But there is a breaking point for me, and it’s usually tied more to E2 than Test. I have legitimate OCD (diagnosed over 15 years ago) and I can manage it better at 200-500mg / week of Test along with a slightly high E2 level (45 - 75) than I could on any SSRI. BUT, if I get too high or worse, too low, on E2 I start to ‘melt down.’ I can feel it coming and course correct ASAP but some days can suck. It’s why I now use Primo to manage E2.
NPP and Deca can create their own issues with me. It blunts dopamine responses which in some people can make them feel flat, but for me… it pushes the mental health issues. I stick to 200mg / week or under, and I take Oxytocin when Im using to help counteract the Nand.
I get similar things with EQ, but I can run it 1:1 and Im fine. Mast, I get ruminations pretty easily.
Tren, fuck that. I won’t even touch the stuff. You much risk for me.
So I know you were leaning into all the positives, and with Test, there are certainly. But for someone with metal health challenges, I figured I would give my experiences.
1000 % I have noticed a shift in my way of thinking since I started this journey over 1 year ago. From having horrible anxiety and not liking to leave the house unless I am going to the bar, to having a confidence about me that I havent had since I joined the military back in 09.
I no longer people please for the sake of keeping the peace. I have a mission and a purpose now, and that is to better myself and walk a path that is intentional, a one way street and if someone trys to stop me or drag me down , they are discarded and stepped over. If it does not benefit the direction my life is going, I have no issue telling someone to fuck off. May sound exaggerated a bit, but I have a whole new lease on life because of this shit
Anxiety to mission mindset is a hell of a shift... That's not exaggerated, that's just what happens when you stop tolerating things that don't serve you. Once you stop people pleasing and start living intentional everything around you changes. New lease on life hits different when you earned it.
Agree.... i have a hypothesis, I also think my pheromones are also different. My woman is all over me, more than normal, when on cycle. Her libido matches mine. That could be from the confidence or harder body look, but like i said above, I think i release stronger masculine pheromones (scent). I've researched the topic but have yet to find anything scientific to back up my hypothesis.
I work with a woman on HRT and her E2 levels and Test level are high. I met her about.year ago. We met when I was on cycle and I was probably 2500+ test levels. There was an IMMEDIATE attraction. I mean immediate. And other people noticed. We are both married and both happy with our lives and for a long time we didn’t talk about it, but we do now work close together (in seperate locations, but are together at least once a week), and one day I just opened the door and we both spent 30 minutes laughing our asses off at it (we are also both 50 years old). She thinks the same thing. It’s the pheromones we were/are both giving off and picking up. To both of us, it’s hilarious that neither one of us can control it and we can’t do anything about it. It’s not ’going away.’
// and yeah, we are still attracted to each other. It’s palpable. It’s fine and doesn’t affect our work and we certainly dont talk about it, but we both can tell and other people still notice. We just ignore it and them. And neither one of us are known for our bubbling personalities and for getting along with people, but we can be in the same room together for hours and we are both comfortable. And yeah, we’ve shared our bloodwork with each other.
The pheromone piece is so real
I do and am going through it now. Been 3 months on TRT dose. I cut my last cycle short becuase of bloodwork when in reality I think it was dehydration. None the less I been saying ot my wife that I need to jump on a cycle. I feel liek crap just all around. I feel like a tub of goo with no confidence. I think most of it is mental. I def have body dismorphia. So the Compounds just help ease that mental part of me.
For me I feel much better and I attribute that to the Testosterone which then gave me the energy to hit the gym constantly. What boosts the confidence even more is when random people come up and tell you that you look good. Then when people see you they treat you different, more respect, more flirty. The dating scene improves and then you have the issue with too many people wanting to instantly have sex with you on the first date.
The ripple effect is real. Testosterone gives you the energy, the energy gets you in the gym, the gym changes how you look, and then the world starts treating you different. That feedback loop is powerful.
Yes sir and thank you guys for being a good source
Thank you for the kind words!
There is def. a confidence in me that I never had before.
I’ve definitely noticed the shift. It’s not rage like the memes, it’s more of a calm confidence. Social hesitation drops and decisions feel cleaner and easier. Nothing about who I am really changes, it just feels like a sharper version of myself. My girlfriend has pointed it out a few times too. She says I seem more focused and grounded when I’m dialed in, and she definitely prefers that version of me.
Dialed in and focused, thats a great way to put it!