College can, without a doubt, bring a surplus amount of stress with all the papers and tests you must worry about. This has been the case for me. 

With midterms around the corner, sooner or later, the horror of studying for finals will creep up behind us as well. It can be a lot.

Two weeks into the fall semester, my sister recommended that I go to a store in the Freehold Raceway Mall called CBDaily. She told me I could purchase something called CBD to help with my severe anxiety issues. I decided to go there to see what it was all about. 

I entered the store and was greeted by an employee. First, I asked him what CBD was exactly, and he stated that CBD, known as cannabidiol, is a plant extract from cannabis that can aid in alleviating anxiety and help with sleep issues.

 I explained to him my anxiety issues, and he insisted that I try a sample of CBD extract that would last two weeks. I would have to drop it under my tongue three times in the morning and three times at night for the first three days of taking it. After the third day, I was able to change the amount of drops as needed. 

After about a week of taking it, there was definitely an improvement of my mental state of mind. I was able to concentrate better because I was not thinking of embarrassing incidents of the past or what terrible things could happen in the future, which is something that I usually go through. 

Satisfied with my results, I decided to look more into CBD and share my insight. It is often confused with having the same effects as marijuana. The cannabis plant untouched generally contains a high amount of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is  responsible for giving people the “high” effect. 

CBD is extracted from the cannabis plant and is diluted with various oils to get rid of the side effects THC can give. The science behind CBD is quite fascinating. When consumed, it interacts with cannabinoid receptors in your body. This will, in turn, cause the nervous system to uplift the response to anxiety, pain, stress, etc. 

Anxiety and depression are unfortunately two of the largest contributors to mental health issues worldwide. Often people will use various other pharmaceutical drugs to try and cope with their mental health. However, a plethora of these drugs can cause harmful side effects such as agitation, insomnia and headaches. Some of these pharmaceutical drugs can be severely addicting and lead people to substance abuse. 

What I’ve learned is that with CBD, the side effects are generally minuscule when taken by itself. People usually report slight fatigue or a change in appetite. One thing one should be aware of when taking CBD are the other medications that are also being used. Drug interaction can cause some liver toxicity. 

Research is being done currently about how CBD may be used. Some studies show that it can help with acne, Alzheimer’s and even type 1 diabetes. 

CBDaily has a website along with stores in Manalapan and at the Freehold Mall, but CBD is also available at many other stores. CBD comes in a variety of forms including oil and edible gummies. 

The next time you are worried about a huge test or project worth a large portion of your grade, consider CBD to relieve your stress.