Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in the U.S, affecting around 40 million adults. The recent pandemic and the online work culture that it has brought in is making matters even worse. Chronic stress and anxiety lead to physical ailments such as heart disease, hypertension, etc. Additionally, prolonged stress and anxiety cause psychological issues and mood disorders.
Finding healthy ways like using CBD distillate, practicing yoga, etc, to manage stress and reduce anxiety symptoms contribute to better overall welfare. Since unhealthy coping mechanisms could exacerbate any conditions emanating from stress and anxiety, you need to choose your options carefully. With that being said, what are the top 6 methods to relax and reduce stress and anxiety?
CBD products
Research efforts into finding organic treatment methods for stress and anxiety have led to an interesting discovery regarding neuropathy. Cannabinoids extracted from cannabis positively affect brain cells (neurons) at a neuropathic level. When CBD products rich in cannabinoids are introduced into the nervous system, it positively affects brain cells. As a result, perceived stress and generalized or chronic anxiety can be treated organically.
This research, supported by several medical studies conducted by different institutions, corroborated that CBD directly impacts stress and anxiety. And one of the leading products that can help you in this regard is the CBD distillate. Using CBD distillate products is a convenient and effective method of treating chronic stress and anxiety. Due to the efficacy of cannabinoids, CBD products have become an open market in most U.S states and other countries. Some of the best CBD products currently available include oil tinctures, vape cartridges, topicals and edibles.
Depending on your preferences, you can choose any one of these products. Oil tinctures, edibles, and vape cartridges are the most effective since they deliver the cannabinoids directly into the nervous system.
If you are experienced with making edibles, adding suitable CBD products to your recipes can reduce stress. For the less experienced one, some edibles can be bought off-shelf from dispensaries and online. These edibles range from gummy bears to beverages such as CBD energy drinks.
Mindful meditation
Mindful meditation is an effective method of reducing stress by replacing negative emotions and thoughts with deep tranquility and relaxation. The main cause of stress is constant worrying and thinking about challenges or simply overthinking. Anxiety also results from excessive worrying and overthinking, but mindful meditation helps weed out any of those symptoms. Once you are in a mindful state, there are no racing thoughts through your mind, but it is ’empty’ in a sense. Subsequently, mindfulness brings relaxation, peace, and tranquility that is unparalleled.
Additionally, mindful meditation regulates emotions by affecting brain regions activated when stress and anxiety overtake the mind. Meditating to reduce stress directly impacts physical and emotional well-being. That improves the quality of life and reduces any stress caused by physical or emotional aspects.
There are mobile apps that help guide users throughout their meditation sessions. Therefore, if you do not know where to start with mindful meditation, consider downloading an app for this task. Meditating frequently, either daily or multiple times a week, will have a better impact on reducing stress or anxiety. To meditate effectively, get a peaceful and quiet spot at home without any disturbances or loud noises that could disturb your session. Take a seat, regulate your breathing and be mindful of what you are physically feeling.
Cannabis flowers
In addition to CBD oil tinctures and products made from this helpful organic remedy, cannabis flower also reduces stress and anxiety significantly. Depending on your preferences, you can choose between using hemp flowers or marijuana to treat these conditions. The major difference between these two cannabis flowers is that marijuana has THC potency, and hemp virtually does not have it. If hemp flowers do have some THC is unnoticeable and very insignificant.
Those who suffer from stress and anxiety can use hemp flowers for the CBD since this type of cannabis is rich in cannabinoids. Patients suffering from chronic stress or anxiety can smoke hemp flowers or use them for edibles. The best part about hemp flowers is that you will get all the stress reduction benefits without being cognitively altered by smoking this type of cannabis.
On the other hand, using marijuana also reduces stress, but high THC potency tends to alter the cognitive function of the user. Some strains might make the user sleepy which might not be good for users that have to use this remedy during the day while working or doing daily activities. However, marijuana flowers can help boost mood and bring a state of euphoria to the user. This removes any negative feelings such as stress and anxiety while preventing any mood conditions that might ensue.
Active lifestyle
Pursuing an active lifestyle contributes to mental health and reduces symptoms of anxiety. Chronic stress is also reduced by a physically active lifestyle compared to a sedentary life. Healthcare studies indicate that doing aerobic exercises for just two days can significantly reduce perceived stress. An additional benefit to this was that the same exercise routine reduces self-diagnosed depression. These emotional and psychological benefits reduce overall symptoms caused by stress and anxiety.
Depending on physical limitations and comorbidities, try to structure a regular exercise routine to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. Physical inactivity is the leading cause of poor mood and heightened stress. An active lifestyle also reduces stress and anxiety by contributing to qualitative sleep. Insomnia elevates stress levels and could cause generalized anxiety disorder.
Regular exercise builds up mental fitness, which reduces stress while preventing anxiety symptoms and mood-related conditions. If circumstances do not allow regular exercise, consider taking your pet for a walk or strolling down the street to get some physical activity. For those who have not been physically active in a long time, gently start your routine by walking or cycling. From then, you can opt for aerobic exercises or physically intensive workouts like running or CrossFit.
Reducing screen time
Blue light emitted by devices such as smartphones, tablets, and desktops has a negative impact on your mood and mental state. The blue light irritates the eyes, which leads to sleep disturbances that cause stress in the long run. Reducing screen time is a crucial element in improving sleep patterns and ultimately impacting stress levels. Although tech gadgets and devices are an unavoidable part of most people’s lives, your digital wellbeing really matters. Reducing the time spent on various screens can have a significant positive impact on your life.
At the same time, tech gadgets promote a sedentary life without much physical activity. As mentioned above, a sedentary lifestyle causes poor mood and triggers stress easier than active life habits. In a nutshell, using tech gadgets and devices chips away the time you can use to pursue an active lifestyle. Another disadvantage tech devices have is that they may inadvertently elevate stress and anxiety levels through their contents. For example, some people might be stressed about their lifestyles compared to the lives other people display online.
The easy accessibility of news and horrifying graphics can trigger anxiety and panic attacks. Therefore, minimizing the time spent using tech devices has multiple benefits, and they all contribute to improved mental health. At the same time, reducing screen time gives you enough quality sleep, which also reduces stress and anxiety triggers. Consider getting off tech devices well in advance of your bedtime to reduce the impact blue light has on sleep and mental health.
Practicing self-care
The lives most people lead daily are very busy, and there is seemingly no good time for self-care. Between demanding careers and family responsibilities, stress triggers are endless, whereas detaching and taking care of oneself can reduce stress and anxiety symptoms to a great degree. Carefully planning your day and week to include self-care routines will contribute to better emotional and physical well-being. Taking care of yourself also promotes self-development, effectively reducing stress in the long run.
Depending on your preferences, you can integrate various types of self-care into your daily routines. An act as simple as doing yoga each morning is considered self-care since you get off the “crazy train” for a bit and get to be with yourself.
Others have found it beneficial to read a book every morning as their self-care routine. This is an act of self-development that can be useful in the future, especially when you are reading books relevant to your career or life experiences. For some people, getting a deep tissue massage every now and then relieves tension and directly reduces stress. Taking part in these types of self-care reduces stress in the short term and the long term. Brainstorm self-care routines you could greatly benefit from and start integrating them into your lifestyle.
The bottom line
Stress and anxiety have several triggers, and trying to address each one at the root level can contribute to overall good mental health and physical wellbeing. Using supplements like CBD oil tinctures or hemp or cannabis flower can significantly reduce stress and anxiety. Additionally, supplementing these organic remedies with lifestyle changes such as regular exercise or ingraining self-care routines in your life can drastically improve mood and mental health. Subsequently, if you are suffering from elevated stress and anxiety levels, these symptoms will be relieved gradually.