Of all illnesses in the world, stress is perhaps one of the most, if not the most common. People from every culture and country in the world experience stress, and it usually appears whenever we’re under pressure. An exhausting routine, overly long work schedule, or even too much classwork can trigger it. When it comes down to each person, though, stress may come in many ways. That is why cannabis users are feeling more and more inclined to benefit from the plant as a means to relieve the symptoms.
However, simply consuming cannabis doesn’t guarantee you’ll overcome stress. It’s very important to learn how beneficial cannabis can be when dealing with stress, and in what doses it should be used, as this will have an impact on whether you manage to alleviate it rather than heighten it.
How Many Types of Stress Are There?
First, we should know that stress is not just one sort of illness. There are many types, and each of them gets triggered because of different and particular reasons.
Distress:
Distress occurs when a person goes through a very negative experience in their life. Being diagnosed with a major disease, for example, could trigger distress. In the same fashion, being fired from a job, or going through a breakup could very well be the catalyst for distress.
Eustress:
Next, there is Eustress. This is a very rare form of stress since it’s actually connected to positive experiences in your life. When you enter a new relationship or get accepted into a privileged school, for instance, you could feel Eustress. Its positive quality makes it the most interesting form of stress out there.
Chronic Stress:
Finally, there is chronic stress, which is the most abundant and best-known form of stress. Daily responsibilities with exhausting routines, such as job schedules, classwork, family issues, and debt are all related to chronic stress. What makes this form of stress especially dangerous is that we tend to ignore it. We’re usually so immersed in our route that we don’t notice the damage caused by chronic stress in both our mental and physical health.
How to Know If You’re Suffering from One of Them?
Although stress is universally experienced, few people get to realize they have it until it’s too late. This happens partly because we tend to mistake it for our insecurities or inner fears. Initially, it may be difficult to tell that very strong headache we experience, or that unexplained hair loss might be directly associated with stress. Stress is an imbalance in our mental health. Therefore, people may find it easier to simply ignore the fact that they might have it.
However, ignoring stress not only won’t make it go away, but it will also lead to major health problems further down the road. There are several reports out there about patients with heart problems, digestive complications, strong depression, insomnia, or even suicidal tendencies, all of them because of the unbearable pain brought about by stress.
How Does it Differ From Anxiety?
Stress has a major impact on health, as everyone knows. Most people, though, tend to mistake stress for other forms of mental unbalance, such as anxiety. On a daily basis, you will hear people using both terms as if they were the same thing. They are often employed in the same context, especially in the media, since they share many emotional and physical symptoms. However, stress and anxiety are different conditions. Understanding their distinctions could be very important when trying to determine how cannabis could be a successful coping mechanism for stress.
There are many verified reports that help us ascertain this issue. According to experts in the medical profession, anxiety is a particular form of illness very different from stress. It’s classified as an irrational illness that constantly produces dread and discomfort, regardless of the situation. Unlike stress, anxiety doesn’t need a traumatic experience to be triggered.
On the other hand, stress can only happen in a scenario that works as a catalyst for the condition. Having to give a presentation at school, for example, will set chronic stress off. Medical evaluations on people who use cannabis as a mechanism to deal with stress warn that marijuana users tend to use very high doses, which could be dangerous.
Can Cannabis Cure it Through Relaxation?
Some experts agree that, while relying on a certain medicine could help keep stress at bay, the only proven way to overcome stress is attempting to deal with the situation. If necessary, some doctors believe, we should modify the task at hand altogether before finding drugs to cope with stress. Practicing that nail-biting presentation until it dazzles everyone, for example, could be a successful coping mechanism.
Considering that chronic stress could trigger anxiety as well, it doesn’t come as a surprise that some people use cannabis to relieve it. If that’s your case and the tension produced by stress is too much to bear, most doctors will advise you to go for a small dose. That is not only the most responsible thing to do, but it’s also probably the safest. Aiming for a small dose may not relieve you of stress entirely, but it could make a difference in preventing health risks.
Experimenting with dosage so that you get just the right amount of cannabis to alleviate stress is important. Cannabis is a biphasic drug, which means it varies in density and impact depending on how much is consumed. You should start by ingesting low amounts of cannabis over a certain period. Wait between doses, so that the impact may be predicted. In some cases, using cannabis will actually make people feel more anxious than usual. If it happens, try with an even smaller dose after that.
Let’s not forget that each cannabis presentation has a different impact depending on the person. When it comes down to casual users, some presentations are safer than others. For people who only want to cope with the effects of chronic stress, an edible with minimal dose would probably be the best choice.
