How to Use Cannabis to Prevent Performance Anxiety

Work performance anxiety is real, whether it stems from an upcoming presentation or everyday pressure from tasks and expectations. Do you experience work performance anxiety? Are you looking for a way to help alleviate your daily stress? Fortunately for you, cannabis may be able to help. Here's what you need to know. 

What Is Work Performance Anxiety?

More common than you may think, performance anxiety is the fear that you are unable to perform a specific task. It manifests in many ways and comes in many forms, including athletic performance anxiety, social anxiety, test-taking anxiety, sexual performance anxiety, public speaking anxiety, interview anxiety, and more. If you've ever been preparing to do something and then feel incapable of accomplishing that task, you've likely experienced a form of performance anxiety. Performance anxiety symptoms include excessive sweating, heart palpitations, increased errors in performance, shaking, nausea, and a severe lack of confidence or motivation.

CBD As Performance Anxiety Treatment

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Fortunately, there are many ways to help combat performance anxiety. Some of these tricks include meditation and therapy. Of course, since you're reading this article, you're probably wondering something closer to, "do CBD gummies help with anxiety?" Fortunately for you, cannabis is known to alleviate anxiety, including performance anxiety. Recent studies suggest that CBD offers a unique treatment for anxiety (specifically social anxiety). CBD reacts to the body's endocannabinoid system, which regulates things such as fear and mood - so it makes sense that it can help alleviate the symptoms of performance anxiety.

There are three different types of CBD you can purchase to help with anxiety relief. Each type offers a different amount of additional compounds found within cannabis. The most beneficial is full-spectrum CBD, which contains every part of the cannabis plant and contains less than 0.3% THC. Full-spectrum CBD allows for the entourage effect, the beneficial culmination of all cannabis' natural compounds working in unison. The next best option is broad-spectrum CBD, which contains a large variety of additional cannabis compounds and offers some aspects of the entourage effect. The other available option is an isolate, which is strictly CBD. One of the few true benefits of an isolate over full or broad-spectrum CBD is that you won't run the risk of testing positive for THC in a drug screening (although chances are very low with the other options). 

Different Ways to Use Cannabis for Performance Anxiety at Work

There are also many different ways to use cannabis for anxiety treatment. Smoking is the most traditional method of consuming cannabis, and it's also the easiest way to access a wide variety of strains ideal for anxiety relief. If you feel yourself tripping into performance anxiety or know a situation is coming up that might trigger an episode, smoking a quick joint or pre-roll could be a great option. You can also microdose, using small amounts of cannabis at a time to induce a specific desired state. Microdosing allows you better control over the effects of your cannabis (especially THC) and will help you learn what thresholds help reduce your anxiety.

Using edibles for anxiety and depression is an excellent option for those who want to stay discrete or prefer not to smoke. Edibles offer a much healthier way to consume cannabis, and they usually hit a little harder with more intense effects (which can be very welcomed depending on the situation). It is much harder to microdose with edibles, however. If you want something that isn't smoking that allows you to microdose, using a tincture is an excellent solution. 

The Top Strains for Performance Anxiety

Cannabis is good at reducing anxiety - there are a lot of strains out there that could likely help - but we've highlighted three of our favorites below, including THC and CBD-heavy options. Even if you're not a fan of smoking, these strains make some of the best edibles for anxiety relief.

Charlotte's Web

This Sativa strain is incredibly popular because of its high CBD and almost non-existent THC content. With 12% CBD and less than 1% THC, Charlotte's Web offers focused and relaxing effects, and is often used to treat pain and ease depression and anxiety without worrying about any psychoactive effects. This is a great strain to use throughout the day or if you're in a more professional setting.

ACDC

At roughly 13% CBD and 1% THC, this hybrid strain is ideal for people who want little to no psychoactive (high) effects but want some THC in the mix. If you take enough of it, you might feel a little high. ACDC offers several side effects that go a long way in helping alleviate performance anxiety, including increased focus and a relaxed, happy disposition.

Sour Diesel

For those of you who want a more THC-forward solution to performance anxiety, we highly recommend Sour Diesel. This Sativa strain sports around 19% THC and is known to have very energizing effects. When you take Sour Diesel, you'll likely feel acute mental stimulation, positivity, and mindfulness, all of which should help you focus and shift away from performance anxiety. 

Do you use cannabis (CBD or THC) to help alleviate anxiety at work? Let us know your performance anxiety tips, what strains you use, and how you use them. Comment below!