It’s Stress Awareness Month so we take a look at what are the signs of stress, how to cope with stress. Find out more about stress and CBD.
What are the Signs of Stress – Stress & CBD
April is the month of Stress Awareness - everyone gets stressed sometimes and some more than others
Stress is not a modern problem, but it’s one that modern times have certainly helped increase. The stress epidemic has become rife with the pandemic that introduced a strange new world to many that only highlighted stresses that were already growing with people. It could be stresses caused by work, family life, or the world around us, but you’re not alone with it.
Millions of people in the UK experience stress that can damage their health, and you could be one of them. April is the month for stress awareness, a move to try and remove the stigma surrounding stress and start to open a conversation about it.
What is stress?
First off, it’s important to know that stress is a completely normal human reaction. The human body is actually well equipped to experience and react to stress, adjusting your body’s reactions to work alongside it. Stress responses help your body adjust to new situations, and keep you alert and motivated, stemming back to our primitive needs to avoid danger.
The problem therein is when stress is continuous. Our bodies are designed to handle stress in bursts but not continually or for long periods of time. If there’s no period of relaxation problems can arise from stress.
How do I know if I’m stressed? - The common signs of stress
You may have already heard of the ‘fight-or-flight response’, where our autonomic nervous systems go into overdrive in response to stressful situations. This response could occur when something perceived as dangerous occurs around you or could be something as simple as you’re running late and find this stressful. Physically, your body reacts in a way to help you react to these situations such as increased heart rate, breathing, vision changes and more.
But when a person has long-term (chronic) stress it can wear the body out. Cortisol, the main chemical created during the stress response, is used to help your body deal with stress. It does this by increasing the sugars in our bloodstream, enhancing the brain’s usage of those sugars and limiting non-essential functions. It also suppresses the immune response among other things while the stress response is active which, in the short term may have you feeling a little rundown, but in the long term can create issues.
This makes sense as the common physical symptoms of stress include:
• Aches and pains
• Chest pain/feeling of heart is racing
• Exhaustion or trouble sleeping
• Headaches, dizziness or shaking
• High blood pressure
• Muscle tension
• Stomach or digestive problems
• Weak immune system
There are also mental and emotional symptoms that occur due to prolonged stress such as:
• Anxiety and irritability
• Depression
• Panic attacks
• Sadness
Stress is very subjective though so it can be hard to diagnose it or measure it from person to person. But these reactions are the most common signs that you are possibly suffering with stress. You can also take the Individual Stress Test online from the Stress Management Society.
How can I reduce stress?
Seeking advice from your healthcare provider may help to understand your stress and how best to deal with it. Especially if you have chronic stress, there may be symptoms resulting from the stress that require being diagnosed and treated. But generally, here are some tips for helping to reduce stress.
Get active
You’d be surprised how much a simple walk can help you feel if you’re stressed. Walking it off or sweating it out are great ways to relieve stress. Doing anything active even housecleaning, swimming, biking or gardening can all help as long as it gets you active. It will help improve your mood and help you forget about the day’s stresses.
You are what you eat – eat healthier
We’re not saying you need to swap to a diet of fruit and veg and nothing more, but introducing a healthier diet is an important part of taking care of yourself. And taking care of yourself is a great way to feel less stressed. Give yourself a treat but be more mindful of what you eat and you’ll notice a difference.
Meditate
It’s quickly been growing in popularity and for all the right reasons. During meditation, you are focused allowing you to think, reflect and feel calm. Practice meditation once a day and you’ll feel the stress melt away.
Connect with friends, family or anyone
When stressed it can make you feel like you want to be on your own, but in fact, you should do the exact opposite. Reach out to friends and family or connect with like-minded people online or out in the world. Social contact is a great stress reliever as it provides distraction, and support and the simple act of talking about your problems can be a relieving force.
Make an appointment with your healthcare provider or therapist
Sometimes stress can be more challenging to deal with and is beyond your capability to handle. If other methods aren’t relieving your stress, then it may be time to speak to a professional. Your healthcare provider can likely refer you to a therapist, and there are many mental health organisations that are available for free in the UK. They can help you identify sources of your stress and learn new coping mechanisms.
Find your local mental health services here.
CBD and stress
In the UK, CBD is available in oil form or as a vape juice and is often used in lotions and creams among other self-care products. Many use CBD as part of their well-being and daily lifestyle routines. The benefits of CBD are subjective to the user and research is still ongoing to see what benefits CBD can truly offer.
If you want to introduce CBD into your routine we offer a range of products giving you versatile ways to try CBD.
Looking to take CBD on the go while you’re travelling, or get a faster absorption of your CBD? Check out our CBD vape range including CBD vape juice and CBD disposable pens.
Make CBD part of your daily wellness routine and treat your body with CBD lotions and creams. Use them after a revitalising shower or bath, or just before bed to make the most of your CBD.
Take CBD the classic way with our sublingual drops. Our flavoured CBD oral drops are the perfect pick-me-up after a long day, or to get you started for the day ahead. Choose from 3 flavours to suit your tastes.
