Some form of anxiety disorder will at a certain point affect about one out of every four Canadians. Anxiety is the most experienced form of mental malaise in the entire country, and these odds also happen to skew a lot less in your favour if you identify with the female gender. Almost every form of anxiety disorder, from panic to agoraphobia, affects women in greater proportions. This means that, women are the ones that have to worry a lot more about being incapacitated by their worry.
However, the one exception to the female-leaning worry bias is the most common anxiety of them all, the fear of social situations. Social anxiety is one form of maladaptive overthinking that seems to torment us all with generally equal incidences; and with us humans being quite forcibly dependent on other humans for survival, having social anxiety can be debilitating for almost every aspect of an individual’s life. The person can sweat over something so seemingly inconsequential, such as, signing a check in front of someone, or they may avoid basic life sustaining activities such as buying or ordering food, or they may even evade interactions with other people with such heavy magnitudes that they are unable to form any significant relationships.
The so-called “best” medications for anxiety are in a pharmaceutical class called benzodiazepines, which offer immediate relief, but not without many side effects and adverse reactions. Benzos have sedative qualities, meaning that they decrease focus, attention, and coordination, and can even cause depersonalization in some cases. Long term, these medications are known to cause cognitive impairment, worsening of psychiatric symptoms, and dependence and withdrawal. Medicating anxiety with pharmaceuticals is full of more risk than benefit, and it can seem like a poor choice in the face of safer and possibly more effective alternatives. And, although medicating anxiety with cannabis has the potential to be precarious, and is not without its pitfalls, the herb is known to have properties that mitigate anxiety by stimulating the body’s natural anxiety-reducer, a.k.a., the endocannabinoid system. Cannabis also offers promise as a long-term treatment without many health risks, physical dependence, or deterioration of mental state.
One aspect of cannabis that can be deterring for inexperienced users, is that certain strains may remedy anxiety while others may exacerbate it, and which strains or dosages produce which of those effects is very dependent upon the user. However, certain strains have better reputations as anxiolytics, and with just a little guidance and experience it can become simpler to find the perfect cure for your very own unique brand of anxiety.
Strawberry cough is an award-winning sativa dominant strain famous for her raspy berry flavour, her ability to nullify stress, and her dominance over the effects of social anxiety.
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My after-work routine very religiously starts with the selection of some hearty munchies, and then everything is enhanced by the smoking of some indica-leaning weed. Although, for the time being, I had to resort to using the uplifting, yet relaxing Strawberry Cough, as the aid to my stress-relieving wind down ritual. The first thing I want to mention is that this stuff smells like strawberries that you just pulled out of the ground yourself, like dirt and sweet freckled berry. I would describe the taste when vaped as, if Lush had a strawberry soap and I had just taken a bite out of it. In other words, so deliciously, naturally herbal and fruity. Also, strawberries are actually a fruit and not a berry, in case like me, you were wondering all of a sudden. Secondly, a big hit off a joint/bowl will have you coughing like a novice; small hits from the vape, though, have been nice and smooth. The first thing I experienced after smoking my post-work joint was being able to sense all of my individual tired muscles, and then feeling the tension melt away in each one. Halfway through the joint I had to pause and take a nice big stretch, it felt amazing, like an instant full body massage. Afterwards, I just felt really uplifted and carefree, usually I feel really paranoid and worried about passersby getting upset at me smoking in public, but this time I didn’t care at all what was going on around me. It was a really nice de-stress, I just felt extremely happy, I was really moved by music, and I think this would be a really great strain for watching comedy, since you feel really smiley and light-hearted. I also think it is a good choice for beginner smokers, or people who normally don’t smoke sativas, since the effects are not as anxiety/paranoia provoking as a lot of other sativa strains. It’s not too strong of a high, but it does keep you focused and in your own head-space, so it could also be good for a new perspective on creative projects. But, although I would feel super relaxed, I did not have a very good sleep, which I definitely expected with such an uplifting cerebral strain. It also did not stimulate my appetite very much, although most people enjoy that feature, I require strains that give me at least a little bit of munchies.
Strawberry Cough is also recommended specifically for sufferers of social anxiety. Besides loving strawberries, this was the reason that I really wanted to try out this strain, because I believed myself to have a touch of social anxiety, despite being a super social person who works a job that heavily requires making small talk with strangers. This strain made me realize that I’m less of a socially anxious person, and more just reserved and quiet at times. My social anxiety is mostly limited to a severe hatred of talking to people on the phone, and being super shy in large groups. Though, I can definitely see how this strain could help people with more severe social anxiety than mine, because it made me feel extremely self-confident and unconcerned about my surroundings. For example, one morning, I was in the middle of a text and jumped onto the wrong bus. Normally, I would have felt pretty embarrassed for having to get off the bus and run back to the previous stop, but I really didn’t care that day about who stared at me. What this strain did not do was make me any more talkative, which is kind of what I was expecting it to do. It was more like it raised my self-esteem but made me feel aloof and indifferent to other people, not so much super friendly or social. I think personally, I like this strain better for an alone-time smoke, or to share a good conversation and a bunch of laughs with one close friend.
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Overall, Strawberry Cough is a fun smoke that can help the average person feel upbeat and energized enough to forget about the existence of any present stress or burdens. Although the true beauty of this strawberry girl is her ability to support individuals enduring the wretchedness of social anxiety disorders. Her sweet, but powerful smoke can be a therapy to people out there suffering from ever ubiquitous mood disorders; and if you can tolerate some coughing and dry mouth, this sweet freckled lady has the potential to be some of nature’s best medicine for a restless mind.
2017-06-15