Anxiety is a normal coping mechanism; however, in excess, it can be detrimental. More than just a situational response, anxiety disorders are characterized by a persistent and oftentimes irrational dread of everyday situations which can interfere with daily activities.

​Forty million U.S. adults are affected by an anxiety-related disorder; however, the prevalence of these disorders should not diminish their impact.
Excessive anxiety is a central symptom of several neuropsychiatric disorders including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Anxiety is a complex disorder that can develop through various factors including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.

CBD oil is gaining a lot of popularity across the country, with people from different fields turning to it for its health benefits. It’s especially fast becoming the go-to supplement of many athletes and fitness enthusiasts. This is because of its ability to reduce soreness and inflammation caused by rigorous training and intense physical workouts. Let’s take a deeper look at CBD for athletes.

CBD for Recovery
During exercise, especially an intense one, muscle fibers rub against each other. This creates microscopic injuries or tears to the fibers, which in turn triggers an inflammatory response. Inflammation is the body’s natural reaction to muscle damage. They are eventually repaired, which allows the muscles to become stronger, but the pain will always be unavoidable. What you simply call a post-exercise soreness is actually an entire process that’s happening inside your body.
Now, to help them manage the pain occurring after a game or a mad session at the gym, athletes and bodybuilders (or even occasional gym goers) often pop ibuprofen to keep them going. But with the stigma attached to hemp-derived CBD beginning to lift, people are switching to CBD products, like CBD for recovery, which is a safer alternative to conventional pain medication. Apart from that, CBD oil doesn’t carry the same side effects that over-the-counter medicines have, a lot of studies have proven its anti-inflammatory benefits.

How CBD for Athletes Works
How does it work, you ask? CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), an important system in the human body that regulates the function of the brain, endocrine, and immune tissues. As such, CBD for athletes helps soothe aches and inflammation. It also helps you sleep better, which is actually when a great deal of muscle repair and recovery happen. It is when the body is asleep that it produces melatonin and human growth hormones. These are important factors in healing and recovery, and if you’re not able to get proper sleep (probably because of the pain, too), then muscles are not given enough time to recuperate.
In short, CBD for recovery helps in many different areas. It activates our ECS and this activation not only soothes sore muscles and joints, it promotes a sense of calm. When we are calmer, the quality of our sleep improves, and sleep is a crucial ingredient in a faster post-workout recovery. Regular activation of the ECS also helps minimize the experience of pain in the long term. Daily servings allow athletes to train harder and stay at the top of their game, making CBD for recovery a better alternative to traditional supplements.

Finding Your CBD Serving Size
Apart from recovery, the use of CBD oil also helps in the improvement of an athlete’s performance and can aid fitness enthusiasts in achieving their goals. While it does help you relax and sleep better at night, it also gives you an energy boost when you need to keep yourself awake, alert, and focused on your workout.

It all depends on the serving size you take. Usually, its calming effects are associated with higher serving sizes, while its stimulating effects are achieved when it’s administered in lower servings. Different people have different reactions to CBD, so it’s recommended to experiment and find out how much CBD you should take.

Other CBD Benefits for Athletes
Another thing CBD oil does, which is a big factor contributing to one’s physical performance, is that it helps you manage stress and anxiety. Game-day stress is very common, and high levels of distress and tension could greatly affect an athlete’s focus. CBD oil helps calm you down and improve your mood so you can concentrate on completing the task at hand the best way you know how.
Did you know that this product also helps with gut issues and nausea? You may overlook the fact that an upset stomach could ruin a game, but it does happen, especially to endurance athletes. CBD oil interacts with our endocannabinoid system which helps ease gut issues, and it also connects with our serotonin receptors to help reduce nausea.
Overall, CBD oil enhances one’s fitness routine and athlete’s performance and cuts their downtime by allowing faster recovery. All of these without the side effects and health risks that prescription medications often have. Again, different bodies have different reactions to the product, so the best way to make sure you maximize its benefits is to get the go-ahead signal from your doctor and find the perfect serving and routine which works best for you.
Our goal at Made By Hemp is to educate people about the benefits of hemp-derived CBD for athletes. If you still have questions, we’d love to talk! Drop us a comment below or contact us today!

This article originally appeared on MadeByHemp.com

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Feelings of financial stress often stem from common issues such as carrying too much debt, not earning enough money, the expense of raising kids, marriage to a spouse that has different ideas about how to manage finances, and the list can go on.

There is a virtually endless list of reasons you may be feeling some financial stress. It can take its toll on your closest relationships, and when you are stressed it can start affecting other aspects of your life.

​If you can reduce your financial worry, it will free your mind so that you can focus on other important areas of your life and relax, knowing you have a plan to handle your financial situation. Following are a few things you can do now to relieve your financial stress and make it easier to function each day.

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At some point in the various journeys we embark on in our lives, we get to a part where we feel like giving up. Sometimes we give up before we even start and other times we give up just before we are about to make that huge break-through that we have been putting so much effort in to achieve.

I have created this list of 22 reasons why you should never give up and I hope that you will find it before you give up, so that I can inspire you to keep going!

1. As Long As You Are Alive Anything Is Possible
The only valid excuse you have to give up is if you are dead. As long as you are alive (and healthy and free) you have the choice to keep trying until you finally succeed.

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” ~Dalai Lama
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I thought I understood compassion. Having spent ten years of my life training to be a psychiatrist, I knew how to define it, describe it, and think about it. I thought I got it.
A few years ago, my brother was diagnosed with a serious mental illness. Being the mental health professional of the family, I took a long break to be with him as he navigated the initial stages of treatment.

This experience taught me that compassion is more than being nice to someone for a few minutes or hours.
True compassion is hard work, but it’s worthwhile. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”
In trying to help him, I too was changed for the better.
Among the many things I tried as part of the process, some worked. Here are the top six that have stood the test of time.