World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10^th each year. This year, it has come at a time when our daily lives have changed substantially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We can all attest that the past six months have brought numerous challenges shaking up our lives to the core. Healthcare workers going to work fearing they’ll bring home COVID-19, students adapting to taking classes from home, people with mental health conditions experiencing even greater social isolation than before, and a decline in the economic state resulting in layoffs has undoubtedly increased stress throughout the world.

Needless to say, our mental health has been put to the test this year. The result of this is a collective higher awareness of the importance of taking care of yourself mentally, as well as physically and emotionally. World Mental Health Day is a day for global mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigmas. Millions of people are affected by mental illness each year. Across the United States, many people just like you work, perform, create, love, and inspire every day while battling a mental illness. In fact, 46.4% of US adults will experience a mental illness in their lifetime.

Best Practices for Prioritizing Mental Health

How to take care of your mental health is not exactly taught in school. Here’s our top 3 tips for prioritizing your mental health.

Connect with Yourself: Do something you enjoy that allows you to get in touch with your true feelings. This could come in the form of yoga, meditation, a massage, reading, a hot bath, walking in nature, or journaling. The goal is 20 minutes a day.

Surround Yourself with Good People: Spend time with positive, loving people that you care about and trust. This can be friends, family, a support.

Implement Healthy Habits: Prioritize eating well, sleeping well, and exercising. Sometimes if we are physically not treating our body well, we see repercussions in our emotional and mental wellbeing.

Is CBD effective for mental health challenges?

For years, the World Health Organization’s expert committee on drug dependence has listed numerous conditions that CBD may benefit. Research has been conducted on both animals and humans pointing to relieving feelings of isolation and reducing the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

An article written in Psychology Today states:

[Studies] showed CBD could reduce social anxiety in a way comparable to ipsapirone and diazepam (valium). A 2012 double-blind, randomized clinical trial looked at the benefits of CBD for psychosis. In this study, 40 volunteer patients were given CBD or an antipsychotic. Both treatments helped patient symptoms equally, while the group taking CBD enjoyed many fewer side effects and no problems with movement, weight gain, or hormonal dysregulation—all common side effects of antipsychotic medications.

Read the full article HERE.

Should You Try CBD?

While CBD holds a promise, research suggests that support for the mental health uses of CBD is still insufficient (YET). This does not mean that CBD isn’t necessarily effective; it has simply not been researched enough to produce high-quality evidence to give it a “HECK YES.” This will change in the future as more research is carried out, but in the meantime experts remain optimistic that CBD may prove useful for a range of mental health conditions.

Note: Before adding any additional supplementations to your routine, we always recommend consulting with your primary care doctor. 

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