It’s normal to experience stress and anxiety from time to time, and there are strategies you can use to make them more manageable.
Lifestyle changes
Certain lifestyle changes can help alleviate symptoms of stress and anxiety. These techniques can be used along with medical treatments for anxiety. Techniques to reduce stress and anxiety include:
- eating a balanced, healthy diet
- limiting caffeine and alcohol consumption
- getting enough sleep
- meditating
- scheduling time for hobbies
- keeping a diary of your feelings
- practicing deep breathing
- talking to a friend
Moving more
Exercise won’t make your stress disappear, but it will reduce some of the emotional intensity that you’re feeling, clearing your thoughts, and letting you deal with your problems more calmly.
Try and integrate physical exercise into your lifestyle as it can be very effective in relieving stress. Even just going out and getting some fresh air, and taking some light physical exercise, like going for a walk to the shops can really help.
Practice mindfulness or meditation
Mindfulness is a mind-body approach to life that helps us to relate differently to experiences. It involves paying attention to our thoughts and feelings in a way that increases our ability to manage difficult situations and make wise choices.
Try to practice mindfulness regularly – it can be practiced anywhere at any time and utilised if you feel particularly anxious or stressed in a situation. Research has suggested that it can reduce the effects of stress, anxiety, and related problems such as insomnia, poor concentration, and low moods.
CBD oil
There have been many studies which identify the potential impact of CBD on mood, including its built-in anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects. A study published in 2018 in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that cannabis significantly reduced feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress in both women and men.
And, in a 2019 study published in the Permanente Journal, researchers investigated whether CBD would improve sleep and anxiety. They provided CBD treatment to 72 adults and found that anxiety scores decreased in 79% of patients within the first month of use.
One of the most commonly reported side effects of people dealing with stress and anxiety is poor sleep, which causes its own mental and physical health issues. The same Permanente Journal study also looked at how CBD use could improve sleep – sleep scores improved in 67% of patients within the first month.
It’s believed CBD does this by tackling the root causes of your sleep issues and it goes without saying that the less anxious you are the better night’s sleep you a likely to get.
Therapy
While some amount of stress and anxiety in life is expected and shouldn’t be cause for concern, it’s important to recognise when the stress in your life is causing negative consequences. If you feel like your stress and anxiety are becoming unmanageable, seek professional help or ask others to help you find the support you need.
We’re here for you
At Nutrivive, we understand everyone’s CBD journey is different, and if you’re just starting out and still aren’t sure if it’s right for you then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have and we’ll do our best to provide you with the facts so that you can make an informed decision.
