There are many uses for marijuana today. New studies highlight medical treatments for which marijuana can be used, including pain management, mental health conditions, cancer symptoms, and more. Prescriptions for medical marijuana have to be approved by professionals in all states where it is legal, but medical and recreational marijuana is perfectly legal in Canada and CBD products with less than 0.3% THC are perfectly legal in the United States, which means there are plenty of ways you can use marijuana for bringing down your anxiety no matter where you live.

 

Marijuana gives temporary relief of anxiety-related symptoms and, tangentially, those of depression. Research shows marijuana cannabinoids interact with your endocannabinoid system. In the body, the endocannabinoid system is responsible for regulating multiple synapses that control things like emotional responses, mood, sleep, and appetite. Cannabinoids in marijuana interact specifically with the CBD1 and CBD2 receptors within this system to control, increase, or decrease different actions within the body. For example, certain strains can be used to decrease hormones pertaining to inflammation whereas others can increase the production of those hormones depending on what the body needs. Similarly, anxiety can be treated with all forms of marijuana.

 

Those who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder might need treatment for acute symptoms that appear every now and again, usually exacerbated by a stressful event, but they can also use it to treat chronic symptoms which seem to hang around all the time. Many people who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder also display symptoms of depression from time to time which can be treated with marijuana. So how can you take control over your anxiety?

 

Traditional Smoking or Vaping

Go the traditional route and smoke some pot. If you’re worried about the negative ramifications of smoking, you can always use a vaping device. Vaping pens make it really easy to smoke marijuana herb, or CBD oil if you’re in a place where that’s the only thing you have access to. What’s particularly nice about vaping is that you can pick CBD oil that doesn’t have THC. THC is what gives you the high, due to its psychoactive effects. So if you don’t want that, or your body doesn’t respond well to it, and you are only looking for a type of treatment you can use to decrease your anxiety, you can vape different cannabis oils. On the other hand, you can always smoke strains with a high level of THC, like Death Bubba, which has 27% THC, and enjoy immediate muscle relaxation and a very deep sleep.

 

Oils

We talked a bit about oils, but there’s a lot more to that story. There are CBD oils and tinctures that you can use to reduce your anxiety and your depression symptoms. The tinctures are usually purchased in a small bottle that has that quintessential science lab pipette you take out and use to drop oil under your tongue. These products, because of the way they’re introduced into your body, are fast-acting, the same as when you swallow any other pill. Within about 30 minutes, you should feel the effects. Most of the CBD oil products that you use will have some other carrier oil which serves the purpose of carrying the CBD into your system, usually hemp seed oil or coconut oil. You can find different flavors to suit your preferences by looking at those with artificial flavoring. Always check out the label so that you know what you’re ingesting, whether it has anything you’re allergic to, and how much THC, if any, it contains.

 

Eat Your Way to Less Anxiety

When you hear the word edible, you probably think of brownies, but the world of edible cannabis products has greatly expanded and now includes coffees, baked goods, smoothies, dummies, ice creams, and so much more. If you find yourself in places like Colorado, you can dine at restaurants which exclusively serve foods that are edibles. Of course, for everyone else who can’t afford a quick plane ticket whenever they have anxiety, you can purchase edibles from different stores. These take about 2 hours to go into effect and if you are eating baked goods, you need to pay careful attention to the measurements so that you use the right amount to reduce your symptoms. And since we’ve already talked about oils, remember that you can make your own food at home and add the CBD oil whenever you feel an anxiety attack. If you’re stressed and symptoms are manifesting, add some oil to your morning smoothie, put a few drops into your morning coffee, add it to your afternoon juice, or mix it in with your own baked goods. But again, take some precautions and be careful about your measurements. Edibles are just another form of medication when you’re using them to treat your anxiety and they should be respected as such.

 

Topical Applications

There are a lot of studies devoted to the topical application of CBD in the form of gels, creams, and cannabis lotions. A lot of these research studies have highlighted the use of sprays and other topical cannabis concoctions to treat inflammation and manage things like arthritic pain, and even treat sore muscles by targeting the problem area specifically. Oils are great because they work quickly. If, for example, you have inflammation in your leg, the fastest way to treat it is to apply something directly so that it’s absorbed through the skin, which, incidentally, is the largest organ in the human body. If you take a pill orally, it’s going to take a lot longer to get digested, move through the bloodstream, and eventually make its way to your leg. That’s why topical applications are better at targeting the endocannabinoid receptors under your skin.

 

CBD and Yoga

When you’re stressed, exercise can do wonders, and when you’re having serious depression and anxiety, yoga is particularly beneficial. Yoga and meditation are regular ways to treat the symptoms of anxiety and depression encouraged by almost all medical practitioners. Yoga improves your circulation, boosts your confidence, and gets your muscles moving, while meditation promotes self-awareness and better overall mental health. Both used in tandem can go a long way toward reducing your anxiety symptoms. And what works even more is to try using CBD in whatever form you prefer during your yoga class or your personal meditation. This doesn’t have to be a big deal. You can infuse CBD into your morning meditation to help improve your relaxation and your focus. You can smoke, vape, eat your edibles, or drop some oil under your tongue before you go into your yoga class to relieve your nerves and force all of your stray, distracting, and anxious thoughts to the side of the room while you focus on your inner peace.

No matter how you use it, marijuana is very effective at treating anxiety. So don’t let your symptoms of anxiety and depression get the better of you.