Life throws all sorts of challenges our way. Sometimes, we manage to cope with them. Othertimes, the usual advice — like taking deep breaths or counting to ten — just doesn’t cut it. If that’s the case, you may want to turn to less obvious methods of calming yourself down.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
It’s not that this method is exactly unobvious. Rather few people actually use it. In the meantime, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) does work. When you tense and slowly relax each muscle group, you release physical tension and feel calmer thanks to that.
The thing is that when you’re stressed, your muscles naturally tense up. And when you relax them one by one, you send a message to your brain that it’s okay to calm down. You thus teach your body to recognize the difference between tension and relaxation.
Here are a few quick tips:
- Find a quiet place you like.
- Tense the muscles in your toes for about five seconds
- Release, then move up to your calves, thighs, abdomen, chest, arms, and finally your face.
- Spend about 20 minutes on this process.
Natural Treatments for Tension and Anxiety
Here, we first and foremost mean 1:1 cbd thc products such as THC and CBD candies, cereal bites, or gummies. These may help you calm yourself down when other methods aren’t enough. Of course, you can simply stick with CBD edibles, and that, too, may help with relaxation. However, blends are optimal and one reason for this is the so-called entourage effect.
The theory called the entourage effect suggests that different cannabis components can interact with one another in our bodies and this interaction can be actually pleasing. For example, when THC and CBD work together, the latter softens the effects of the former. You thus get all the benefits at once but they aren’t overwhelming.
Aromatherapy with Unexpected Scents
Aromatherapy is an obvious calming down practice. But you can always experiment with unobvious scents:
- bergamot (also has mood-lifting effects)
- frankincense
- ylang-ylang.
The reason why this method can work is that scents have a direct connection to the brain’s limbic system. The latter, in turn, controls emotions and memory. Thus, for a quick fix, you can even inhale the scent directly from the bottle.
Box Breathing
This one is a simple yet powerful technique that’s used by Navy SEALs and first responders to stay calm under pressure. To use it, you should
- inhale
- hold your breath
- exhale
- hold again.
And you should do it all for the same count (usually four seconds).
Box breathing is effective because it regulates your autonomic nervous system. This system controls your body’s stress response. The beauty of it is that you can practice it anytime you need to calm down.
Cold Water
This one might sound a bit shocking. Yet, it’s an effective method. First of all, cold water immersion can take different forms:
- a cold shower
- a plunge in a cold pool
- even splashing cold water on your face.
Any of these can activate the body’s dive reflex (the activation power would differ though). This reflex slows your heart rate and redirects blood flow to vital organs. Thanks to this, you can experience an almost immediate sense of calm.
If you use this method, try to focus on your breathing as the cold water hits your skin. It might feel uncomfortable at first. However, you’ll likely feel refreshed and calm afterward.
Conclusion
So will all of these methods work for you? Not necessarily. But one or two of them will likely be effective. The key point is to make an effort and try to indeed calm down. Stress isn’t the state that should be ignored. Neither is it a state that’ll go away on its own. It needs management and you now have the tools for that.