If you’re a person who tends to wake up on the anxiety-ridden side of the bed, or you have a case of the Mondays every Monday (and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday), then listen up! There are ways to conquer your day before stress has a chance to creep in. The best part? It’s all natural.
Keep in mind, everyone’s body and chemistry will be different, so it’s important to experiment with these tips and tricks until you find a system that works best for you.
Give this method a shot when you wake up tomorrow — and try to keep it going all week! You’ll be surprised at how much better you feel, how your mood improves, and how productive you are during the day when you block stress before it’s out the gates.
Step 0: Get On a Solid Sleep Routine
Before you can even start the morning routine, you need a solid foundation of sleep. If you’re having trouble in that department, check out our CBD for sleep tips.
Step 1: Sweat Early
This tip is two fold: you’ll mitigate stress and anxiety through low-impact, mood-modulating exercise and you’ll benefit your circadian rhythm by getting up early and revving your body’s engine. Most trainers agree that a morning workout is better for your body and brain overall, and you’ll feel incredibly accomplished, too.
Try something like a long walk, yoga, Pilates, strength training, or barre to keep it low-impact. High-impact exercise may increase your cortisol (stress hormone), which is the opposite of what we’re trying to do here!
My favorite? Long walks outside with my dog. You get all sorts of benefits from the exercise, the fresh air, the earth and nature aspect (hello, grounding!), and the cortisol-reducing therapy pup.
Step 2: Take CBD
Whether you use a CBD tincture, swallow a CBD capsule, chew a CBD gummy, or vaporize some CBD Vape Oil a dose of CBD in the morning can contribute to your overall mental wellbeing and set the tone for a calm, balanced, happy day. Plus, you’ll reduce inflammation after your sweat sesh so you can go about your day with less soreness.
Step 3: Cleanse, Refresh, and Relax
A hot shower is probably a no-brainer after a workout, but did you know that heat can actually be used as anxiety therapy? This concept stems from Ayurveda; the gist of it is that if you’re anxious, your body tends to be cold — so heat it up with a steamy shower, and maybe a hot cup of tea!
Step 4: Reduce Your Caffeine Intake
Sorry to be the (literal) buzzkill here, but coffee and caffeine can actually exacerbate anxiety. You might be surprised to see how you feel after eliminating it for just one week! If you need coffee, try to keep it to one cup, take it hot (again, anti-anxiety properties), and maybe blend some CBD into it.
Step 5: Take Five — For Yourself!
This is often the first thing to go when you’re busy, but seriously try to keep this a priority! Just five minutes of meditation or journaling (or both, if you have time!) can reduce stress levels for the rest of the day.
It’s been shown in studies and surveys that keeping a gratitude journal not only mitigates anxiety, but contributes to better overall wellness. Make a list of things you’re grateful for before you leave the house for work or school, and try to remember those things throughout the day.
You already know that meditation can have a powerful effect on an array of mood disorders and ailments, including anxiety. You don’t need much to get started, and there are dozens of apps and free videos on YouTube that can guide you as you get started.
Step 6: Eat a Nourishing Breakfast
Low blood sugar can contribute to stress levels. Also, hello, no one wants to be hangry! Choose something made from whole foods to ensure you’re reaping all the mental health benefits from what’s on your plate. Yes, that means avoid processed foods. But you already knew that.
Tryptophan-rich oatmeal, omega-3-packed chia seeds and salmon (lox!), magnesium-dense dark chocolate, probiotic-loaded yogurt, and flavonoid-heavy blueberries are all ingredients that lend themselves to reducing anxiety (and also happen to be delicious).