Pandemic Anxiety

CBD and Anxiety During Pandemic

As days, weeks, and months pass by with the pandemic still upon us, we are forced to stay within the four walls of our

homes to avoid spreading the COVID 19 virus, hoping that one day, we could again interact with our friends and families

outside, freely like we used to.

As we are indeed just human, we naturally engage ourselves in things that make us feel happy and calm, but during

these stressful times, not all people cope with stress and then get over it right away. Some people become stressed to

the point where the stress sort of starts feeling like “it’s just there”. These people oftentimes don’t know what they are

stressing about, and it becomes even more excessive because we are forced to stay in our homes where we have a

bigger opportunity to be alone with our thoughts to the point of overthinking and we become more anxious. This is

when we look for different aids to help us with our anxiety and restlesness, one of which is CBD.

According to a cross-sectional study of CBD users in 2018, “anxiety” ranks as one of the top three reasons for consuming

the cannabis-derived product, along with “depression” and “pain.” CBD may come in as beneficial to relief considering

nearly 20 percent of the adult population in the United States reports suffering from some form of anxiety. While

research remains scarce, CBD is thought to ease anxiety by helping the body process serotonin, a hormone and

neurotransmitter that plays a role in regulating emotions. The process by which this occurs is thought to be similar to

that of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), a class of anxiety and depression medications. SSRIs target a serotonin

receptor called 5-HT1A and increase the availability of serotonin in the brain to help boost your mood. While CBD comes

very highly recommended due to its benefits and being more natural, don’t forget to always consult your doctors before

trying out CBD for yourself.