Here’s some tips with handling anxiety while smoking

-Smoke indica: I can still get paranoid with an indica but here’s some good strains that I’ve tried: Block Head, Bio Diesel, (Hybrids:) Lemon Head, Grape Ape, Cotton Candy, Banana Kush, also Sharks Breath is a great sativa that’s never caused anxiety for me

-Relax: Taking deep, long breaths is one of the few ways I know how to calm my body. Breath in through your nose and make sure your stomach expands with air (otherwise you’re not taking deep enough breaths). Breath out slow through your mouth. If you do either too fast it could make it worse. I suggest counting to 5 while breathing in and then count to 5 while breathing out.

Links: Music, Meditation, Exercise

-Eat before you smoke: “The drop in blood sugar induced by marijuana does make your heart beat faster than normal. If you get a meal in before smoking, you can even out your blood sugar levels.” (x)

-Mind stimulation: I mostly smoke sativa because I love how creative I get with the mind high, so naturally I’m doing a lot of mind stimulating tasks. When I get transfixed into a hobby/project, my mind really doesn’t pay attention to anxiety. Video games, writing, reading, and other hobbies always do the trick for me.

-Stress free environment: There’s probably going to be some paranoia if your worry centers around getting caught smoking. If it’s because of parents, being out in public, or cops then I suggest getting a method down: find a private place outside, a good place in your house (closets keep a lot of the smoke in), switch to edibles, or whatever else. Don’t be stupid and obvious and you’ll be good.

-Imagery: One technique I use for anxiety is that I literally picture the problem/anxiety in my head, it usually takes the form of a black blob. Then I picture a small version of myself inside my brain pushing the blob of anxiety away. Lock it up in a box or push it out of your ear, just get it out of there! Another way is to sit, close your eyes, take some deep breaths, and surround yourself in a calming orb of white light. Let it pull all your worries away and let it block any negativity from entering.

-Weed isn’t for everyone: I know plenty of people who can’t smoke weed because it gives them panic attacks or makes them sick. I also know that people like to glorify weed but the truth is it isn’t for everyone. If literally none of the above is helping you, if you can’t find a strain that doesn’t cause anxiety, and if your anxiety problems are that severe then you probably need to stop smoking!

These are the tips I have for now, I hope it helps. If I come up with anything else I’ll update it or if you have other questions I’ll try my best to answer them. Otherwise just know your limits and don’t panic! Regardless of what happens, the anxiety will go away!