How Breathwork Can Help You Overcome Cannabis Anxiety

For many medical marijuana patients, cannabis provides relief for different health conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety, and sleep issues. Some patients enhance their experience with breathwork.

Breathwork refers to a series of controlled breathing exercises that can help activate the body’s relaxation response, calm the nervous system, and reduce stress and anxiety.

But can it help reduce cannabis-induced anxiety? Let’s explore how these two practices can work together to create a more balanced and peaceful cannabis experience.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Consult your doctor before starting or modifying your cannabis or wellness routine.

Explore how breathwork can enhance your cannabis experience. TeleLeaf offers guided breathwork sessions designed for medical marijuana patients to help manage anxiety and promote relaxation. Save your spot.

Benefits of Cannabis for Anxiety

Cannabis can help deal with anxiety with ease. It also helps keep mood, stress levels, and emotional balance in check by affecting the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS).

Here’s how cannabis can specifically help with anxiety:

Calming the Mind with CBD

Studies have shown that CBD affects serotonin receptors in the brain, which are important for controlling mood and anxiety.

CBD makes you feel peaceful and relaxed by raising serotonin levels and changing how the brain reacts to stress. It doesn’t make you high or change your mood.

Supporting the Body’s Stress Response

Cannabis can help the body deal with stress better by regulating the endocannabinoid system.

This regulation helps people respond to stress in a calmer, more measured way, which lowers the physical signs of anxiety, such as a racing heart and shallow breathing. Cannabis can make you feel calmer, which can help your body relax after a stressful incident or a time when you were anxious.

Enhancing Sleep Quality

For anxiety patients, disrupted sleep patterns are often a significant issue. Cannabis, especially strains rich in CBD, can improve sleep quality by promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety that might otherwise keep you awake. Both THC and CBD have sedative effects that can help those who suffer from insomnia or anxiety-induced sleeplessness.

Helping with Social Anxiety

Cannabis can help some patients with social anxiety feel more comfortable in social circumstances. Some strains, especially those that have a beneficial balance of CBD and THC, can help you feel less anxious, less shy, and more connected to other people, which makes socializing less stressful.

Mood Stabilization

Cannabis can help keep mood changes in check that typically come with anxiety. CBD helps settle emotions, which makes negative feelings like fear, irritation, and restlessness less intense. THC can also make you feel better, which can help with anxiety-related unhappiness or suffering.

Providing Emotional Clarity

Cannabis can help calm the mind and clear up mental fog for people whose racing thoughts are caused by anxiety.

This aids patients in focusing on the present moment and disengaging from their overwhelming thoughts, restoring their sense of calm and health. Cannabis gives you both emotional clarity and a sensation of mental rest in this way.

How Breathwork Can Help Reduce Anxiety

Breathwork involves controlled and intentional breathing exercises that focus on deep, slow breaths. The goal is to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s relaxation response.

When activated, the parasympathetic nervous system counteracts the stress-induced fight-or-flight response, slowing the heart rate and reducing feelings of anxiety.

How Breathwork Works in the Body

Breathing exercises can influence your body and mind in several ways:

• Regulates the autonomic nervous system: Breathwork can shift the balance from sympathetic (fight-or-flight) to parasympathetic (rest-and-digest), helping you calm down.
• Improves oxygen flow: Deep breathing brings more oxygen to the body and brain, promoting physical relaxation and clarity of mind.
• Reduces cortisol levels: Controlled breathing lowers cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, which can help decrease feelings of anxiety.

Patients can actively help reduce the anxiety-inducing effects that THC may trigger by engaging in breathwork during or after consuming cannabis.

Breathwork Techniques for Managing Anxiety

Several breathwork techniques are effective in calming the body and mind, each offering unique benefits for anxiety management.

1. Box Breathing

Box breathing, or square breathing, is a simple technique for calming the nervous system. It involves breathing in four equal parts: inhale for four counts, hold for four counts, exhale for four counts, and hold for four counts again.

Why it works for anxiety:

• Box breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to slow the heart rate and reduce feelings of panic.
• The focus on breath helps redirect attention from anxious thoughts.

How to do it:

• Inhale for 4 seconds through your nose
• Hold the breath for 4 seconds
• Exhale for 4 seconds through your mouth
• Hold again for 4 seconds

Repeat for a few minutes to create a sense of calm and focus.

2. Diaphragmatic Breathing (Abdominal Breathing)

Diaphragmatic breathing involves breathing deeply into your belly, rather than your chest. This type of deep breathing encourages full oxygen exchange, helping to reduce anxiety and relax the body.

Why it works for anxiety:

• Activates the diaphragm, which encourages deep relaxation
• Helps regulate your heart rate and reduces physical symptoms of anxiety, such as shortness of breath

How to do it:

• Sit or lie down in a comfortable position
• Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen
• Breathe in deeply through your nose, allowing your abdomen to rise as you fill your lungs with air
• Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your abdomen fall
• Repeat for several minutes, focusing on the rise and fall of your belly

3. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)

Alternate nostril breathing is an ancient practice that involves alternating between breathing through each nostril. It’s known to balance the body’s energy and calm the nervous system.

Why it works for anxiety:

• It’s a deeply grounding practice that helps regulate the nervous system
• It can help release tension in the body and mind, leading to a more relaxed state

How to do it:

• Sit comfortably and use your right thumb to close off your right nostril
• Inhale deeply through your left nostril
• Close your left nostril with your right ring finger, and release your right nostril
• Exhale through your right nostril
• Inhale through your right nostril, then close it off with your right thumb
• Exhale through your left nostril

Repeat this process for several minutes to help balance your breath and calm your mind.

4. 4-7-8 Breathing

The 4-7-8 technique is a simple, effective breathing exercise that helps reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. It involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and then exhaling slowly for 8 seconds.

Why it works for cannabis anxiety:

• This technique encourages a slower, deeper breath that signals to the brain that it’s time to relax
• It has been shown to lower cortisol levels and promote feelings of tranquility

How to do it:

• Inhale quietly through your nose for 4 seconds
• Hold your breath for 7 seconds
• Exhale completely and audibly through your mouth for 8 seconds
• Repeat for four cycles

Can Breathwork Help During a Cannabis Session?

Breathwork can be especially useful during a cannabis session if you begin to feel anxiety or discomfort. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed after consuming cannabis, stop and focus on your breathing.

Here are a few tips for integrating breathwork into your cannabis experience:

• Start slowly: If you’re new to combining cannabis with breathwork, begin with a small amount of cannabis and use deep breathing techniques to stay grounded.
• Focus on calming breaths: If anxiety arises during a session, pause and practice any of the breathwork techniques described earlier. Focus on slow, deliberate breathing to bring yourself back to a calm state.
• Use breathwork before and after: Using breathwork before consuming cannabis can set a peaceful foundation, while using it after may help bring you back to a relaxed state if you begin to feel anxious.

Ready to Explore How Breathwork Can Enhance Your Cannabis Experience?

Explore TeleLeaf’s breathwork experience to enhance your cannabis routine. Schedule your consultation today.