Stress & Mental Health: Relaxation Exercises and HEMP for Stress

What Is Stress?

Stress can be a mental or physical reaction to adverse or demanding circumstances like feeling overwhelmed or under extreme pressure. The causes of stress can range from a public speaking event to an unhealthy romantic relationship, and different events can cause varying levels of stress in each individual.

Everyone feels stress at one point or another in their lives, and human beings are usually equipped to handle small amounts of stress. However, when stress becomes chronic or crushing, the symptoms can affect your quality of life.

What Are the Symptoms of Stress?

Many people feel physical symptoms like stress headaches, chest pain or racing heart, stomach trouble, muscle tension, or other aches and pains. Others feel only mental symptoms like racing thoughts, inability to focus, fatigue, irritability, sadness, memory problems, or difficulty sleeping. Overall, stress symptoms can look different depending on the person.

The Effects of Long-Term Stress on Mental Health

Chronic stress is no joke. While we all deal with stress from time to time, whether during a traffic jam or a stressful social event, long-term stress can seriously affect mental and physical health. Dealing with regular stress can raise your chance of developing chronic pain, muscle tension, sleep problems, and cardiovascular disease, among other issues.

The effects of stress on mental health are equally as severe. Scientists are still learning how stress can have such a significant effect on brain health, but they have found it may affect cell and neuron production as well as brain connectivity. The result: long-term stress can worsen or even increase the risk of developing mental health conditions such as anxiety, mood disorders like depression, and substance use disorders.

It’s also important to note that the prevalence of stress and mental health conditions is growing day by day. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), we’re seeing a 13% increase in mental health conditions and substance use disorders in the last ten years. The Covid-19 pandemic has also caused a rise in stress, anxiety, and depression by a staggering 25%.

It’s frightening to consider the effects and prevalence of stress, but take solace in the knowledge that you can start using strategies today to effectively reduce your stress. Let’s take a look at some simple, daily stress management techniques.

How to Reduce Stress with Relaxation Techniques

Because stress comes in many forms, it’s essential to fight it with various strategies. Chronic stress can often be eased with stress management methods used daily, while acute (short-term) stress can be addressed with immediate stress reduction techniques.

If you find yourself dealing with long-term stress, work on daily strategies such as exercising regularly, keeping a healthy sleep cycle, and leaning on friends or family. You may also find success through working with a professional counselor and maintaining a safe environment for yourself, including leaving unhealthy relationships or jobs.

On the other hand, there are a variety of ways to manage stress on a more immediate or urgent basis. When you find yourself dealing with a stressful situation like a public speaking event or a work crisis, try a grounding or breathing exercise to soothe stress in the moment. Here are a few options:

• Alternate-Nostril Breathing
• Deep Breathing
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation
• Mental or Physical Grounding

HEMP Products for Stress

Along with healthy habits and immediate relaxation techniques, we also recommend adding HEMP to your routine in stressful situations or as a daily stress-fighter. If you feel most of your stress at night and find yourself tossing and turning - our Gold-Series NANO HEMP Oil Sleep Tinctures are perfect to use before bed. You can also add a HEMP calm spray like our HEMP Sleep Spray for aromatic relaxation at night.

If you notice your stress during the day, HEMP calming gummies and HEMP oil for stress might work better for you. Enjoy a Platinum-Series NANO HEMP Gummy before a work presentation, or take a Platinum-Series Water-Soluble HEMP Tincture with coffee to start the day off right.

At Science-Rite HEMP™, we offer a full range of organic, THC-free HEMP products formulated with Nanotechnology for advanced absorption and bioavailability. Choose from a variety of HEMP stress products that can fit your lifestyle and preferences, and learn more about the potential benefits of HEMP on our blog.

Sources

• The Center for Addiction and Mental Health: Stress
• University of California Berkeley: New Evidence That Chronic Stress Predisposes Brain to Mental Illness
• World Health Organization: Mental Health
• International Journal of Yoga: Influence of Alternate Nostril Breathing on Heart Rate Variability in Non-Practitioners of Yogic Breathing
• US Department of Veteran Affairs: Relaxation Exercise: Deep Breathing
• McKinley Health Center: Relaxation Exercises
• DC.gov: Top Secret Project Grounding Techniques