CBD for mothers: Here are 4 realistic tips to reduce stress
Don’t let social media fool you, motherhood can be hard. Really, really hard. And it’s OK to admit that. Sure we love our kids and there are many beautiful moments, but the constant demands, responsibility, worry, sleep deprivation and serious lack of me time takes its toll on every mother at some point.
It’s all very well and good to say you need more self-care - to make more time for you and your needs. But where exactly is that time going to come from? Sometimes it can all feel a bit much, and the idea of looking after yourself might seem little more than a pipe dream. But, even amidst the exhaustion and whirlwind days, there are things you can do to make your life a little bit easier (taking CBD oil to reduce the stress of motherhood being one of them!).
To help you out, we’ve put together 4, realistic, on-the-go tips that can help you reduce the stress and overwhelm of motherhood.
REDUCE SENSORY OVERWHELM
“Mum, can I have a drink?”
“Mum! I need the toilet!”
“Mum I’m hungry”
“Mum play with me!”
We are our children’s everything, but being everything to someone, while beautiful, is also extraordinarily tiring and quite overwhelming when you can’t take a break. I think most mothers can relate to not even being able to go to the toilet in peace! When we become overwhelmed, not only does it impact us, but it impacts our babies too because our patience is shorter, our faces are strained, and our ability to play and enjoy motherhood is hindered.
Taking some breathing space would of course be ideal, but when that’s not possible, it can be tremendously helpful to reduce sensory overwhelm in any way that you can - and one way that many mothers find to be effective is by wearing daytime earplugs, specifically designed to tackle sensory overwhelm.
Unlike other earplugs which block out sound entirely, this sort simply minimises stressful sounds and distortion, which would usually trigger the fight or flight response in humans. This can make all the difference when you’re feeling at your limit and give you just that little bit more resilience.
Flare Audio ear plugs are the only UK brand to come with the reassurance of evidence based on measurements of a prototype in a lab from ISVR, the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at the University of Southampton. The research shows these earplugs can attenuate sound by about 7dB over a frequency range of 2-10kHz.
TRY THIS BREATHING TECHNIQUE
How we control and release our breath can have an enormous impact on our health and well-being, and the sad fact is that most of us aren’t breathing correctly - or paying much attention at all to this vital process. Bringing your attention to your breath both in times of stress and just as a general habit can be quite transformative, and it’s something that all mothers could benefit from!
Try this easy exercise at home, which is based on Psyche Breath, a trauma-informed, integrative form of Breathwork developed by Noble House:
- Sit comfortably, close your eyes and gently push your feet down into the floor to help you feel grounded.
- Take 3 deep breaths in and out through your mouth, doing so with as little movement in your shoulders as possible.
- Place a hand below your belly button and as your breath deeply, visualise a balloon in your lower abdomen that inflates and deflate as you inhale and exhale. Feel the breath moving your body with your hand.
- Cross your arms and place each hand on the opposite upper arm - give yourself a hug! Gently pull your arms in towards your body and hold this position as you continue to take deep breaths into your belly.
TAKE CBD OIL
Taking a regular dose of CBD oil, every day, helps to keep your Endocannabinoid system balanced, and your serotonin levels up - both actions which can go a long way in reducing stress, fatigue, low mood and even hormonal fluctuations, which don’t help when you’re a burnt out mum either!
Many people make the mistake of taking CBD ‘as and when’ they feel like they need it, but this is not the most effective way to use CBD. Ideally, you want to take CBD as a daily supplement to help restore and maintain equilibrium in your body and mind in general. Hopefully, as cannabinoid and endocannabinoid levels accumulate, you’ll find those times you ‘feel like you need it’ will become few and far between.
Want to know more about how CBD can help with the anxiety and stress motherhood often brings? Head to our blog, here.
REMEMBER TO STAY HYDRATED
Did you know that dehydration is one of the greatest sources of stress on the body? When you don’t drink enough, your body goes into panic mode, because it literally thinks it might be at risk of dying! This natural instinct isn’t ‘just’ emotional either - dehydration actually depletes the amino acids in your brain, triggers cortisol release and diminishes your endocannabinoid levels, which CBD helps to boost. And it doesn’t take much for you to be affected by dehydration: Research shows that as little as 1 per cent dehydration has a negative impact on mood, attention, brain function, motor coordination and memory.
If you’re drinking enough water, you should never really feel thirsty, as this is your body’s alarm signal to let you know you’re struggling and heading into urgent territory.
Chances are you’re always reminding your little one to take a drink, so remind yourself too! Get yourself a nice flask to monitor your fluid intake, and try to develop conscious drinking habits.
