“How can I create a healthy work/life balance?” and “What is a healthy way to unwind and decompress after a long day?” If you find yourself asking these questions or find yourself wishing you could bust out a bottle of wine at 4 pm – then this post is for you. There’s no better time than now to recommit our health and wellbeing by taking extra good care of ourselves. Self-care can come in many forms, and from what I’ve noticed in my own life, dedicating even just a few minutes a day can make a significant impact. Showing up for yourself daily is what matters.
Unwinding with CBD vs. Alcohol
A good day tomorrow starts with planning NOW!
It’s essential to set yourself up for success the best you can. That way, you can hit the ground running tomorrow. Sure, you may have had a completely horrible day, but is a bottle of alcohol the best approach for unwinding? These past couple of years, I’ve heard from many women that they’re leaning on alcohol more than they’d like to. We certainly don’t judge. I know these have been some of the most challenging years in history, but in times like these, building healthy habits can pay off down the road.
Many women have told me that they enjoy their cocktails and wine for a few hours in the evening, but their sleep suffers from drinking so much alcohol. Maybe 1 or 2 glasses turns into 4 or 5. I’ve heard time and time again, “wine helps me unwind, but then I find that I have very fitful sleep and wake up in a bad place in the morning. And that starts the stress-cycle all over again.”
If this sounds familiar to you, now is the time to build a new healthy after-work habit. That way, when stress starts to ramp up again, you’ll have a plan in place for tackling it with ease and grace. Here’s a self-care routine that will set you up for success without leaving you tired & grumpy the following day.
After Work
Consider pairing your Daily Drops with a small amount of exercise. Try taking 1/2 Dropper (5mg/0.5mL) of Daily Drops about 15 minutes before your workout. Be sure to hold the Drops in your mouth for about a minute. That way, they can absorb properly through the sublingual glands in your mouth.
Then do some movement for 15 minutes. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy! If you’re cooped up in a tiny apartment or don’t want to leave your building, then do a quick workout right where you are. Here are some ideas:
- 15 minutes of push-ups
- 15 minutes of walking up and down the stairs
- 15 minutes of jogging in place or jumping jacks (yes, really! These count)
- 15 minutes of yoga or Pilates
- 15 minutes on your Peloton/stationary bike
- 15 minutes of a Zumba dance party
CBD To Maximize Your Workout
Studies also show that pairing CBD up with exercise can amplify the endorphins in our bodies. Endorphins are the feel-good chemicals that we release when we exercise. Endorphins are WHY people work out – to experience that spike in Dopamine and Anandamide (sometimes called “the Bliss Molecule”). Anandamide is the chemical compound responsible for that “runner’s high” feeling after a hearty workout, and CBD helps to keep Anandamide in the body. These feel-good chemicals allow us to respond better to stress, feel less discomfort, and experience deeper sleep.
For me, I like to shut my laptop, take 1/2 Dropper (5mg/0.5mL) of my Daily Drops, and then go for a quick walk around the block. Usually, I feel in a much better head-space by the time I get home. It helps me process my thoughts from the day and transition into my evening activities. So you might find a quick workout to be an excellent “reset” button!
After your quick workout, tend to whatever you need to get done. Make supper, help the kids with their homework, finish those last few emails, FaceTime your family, and see if you find yourself feeling a little calmer and grounded. Many women find that a small dose of CBD oil heading into the evening helps them feel more patient and present with their families. I find that my worries have turned down a notch, and I’m not worrying, scheming, and planning frantically for the next day.
CBD Bath For Mindfulness
Next, you might consider unwinding with a luxurious CBD-enriched bath. Our Mindful Mineral Soak has been reformulated and is back — each bag now contains 250mg of organic full-spectrum CBD distillate blended with Epsom Salt, Dead Sea Salt, and Magnesium Chloride flakes, with just a quarter bag per bath for a deeply restorative soak before bed.
Bonus points: You might also consider downloading a meditation or mindfulness app like Calm or Headspace! The premium subscription to the Calm app comes with guided meditations, mindful music playlists, and stories for relaxing and falling to sleep. I love to put on some tranquil music while taking my CBD bath.
CBD For Unwinding
Next, you might consider turning your phone on silent and putting all your electronics aside about 1 hour before bed. That way, you’re not exposed to the blue light from my devices, making it hard to fall asleep. 1 hour before bed is also an excellent time to take another dose of Daily Drops, like 1/2 Dropper (5mg/0.5mL). This helps set the stage for sleep. If you prefer a deeper sleep-focused approach, our Nightly Sleep Gummies Extra Strength are an easy addition — 25mg full-spectrum CBD, 5mg CBN, 25mg chamomile, and 25mg L-theanine per serving, stacked specifically to support a calm, restful night. Then, you can unwind by reading a book or listening to a sleep story from the Calm app.
The idea of cultivating a healthy night-time routine is to set you up for a good night’s rest and a good day in the morning. Regular users of CBD often report getting a better quality of rest, staying asleep through the night, and waking up with less discomfort in the morning.
Are you struggling with unwinding at night? Consider setting up some time with a Certified Wellness Coach to find the best routine for you. You can email us at wellness@myeq.com. Every purchase grants you unlimited product support and a phone call with a Certified Wellness Coach.
We’re here for YOU. We want to make CBD easy, and we know that your time is precious. So let us know how we can help set you up for success and healthy coping habits. To see our suite of organic, premium Full-Spectrum CBD products, visit www.myeq.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does alcohol disrupt sleep even when it helps you fall asleep?
Alcohol acts as a sedative initially — it can ease the transition to sleep by depressing the central nervous system. However, as the body metabolizes it, a rebound effect occurs: sleep becomes lighter, waking increases, and REM sleep (the restorative stage most associated with mood regulation and cognitive function) is disrupted. This is why many women report feeling tired but unrested the morning after even one or two glasses of wine, and why alcohol as a wind-down habit often creates a self-reinforcing stress cycle.
How does CBD support the transition from a stressful day to evening mode?
CBD may support the body’s wind-down process by interacting with the endocannabinoid system, which plays a role in regulating mood, stress reactivity, and sleep preparation. Taking Daily Drops sublingually in the early evening allows for absorption in 15–30 minutes, making it useful as part of an intentional after-work transition. Many members find that pairing an evening dose with light movement, a consistent environment, and offline time creates a more effective evening reset than any single strategy alone.
Can pairing CBD with exercise amplify the benefits of both?
Research suggests that exercise naturally elevates anandamide — an endocannabinoid often called the “bliss molecule” and a contributor to the mood-lifting effects of physical activity. CBD may prolong anandamide’s availability in the body by inhibiting the enzyme that breaks it down, potentially extending and deepening the mood-supportive effects of even a brief workout. This is why combining a dose of Daily Drops with 15 minutes of movement may feel more effective than either on its own.
Is CBD a substitute for alcohol?
CBD isn’t designed to replicate the intoxicating effects of alcohol — it works through an entirely different mechanism. What CBD may offer is a way to support the nervous system’s natural wind-down process without the sleep disruption, next-day fatigue, or mood rebound that alcohol commonly causes. For women who find themselves reaching for wine to decompress, a consistent CBD routine offers an alternative that works with the body’s own regulatory systems rather than suppressing and rebounding them.
How long does it take to notice a difference after switching from alcohol to CBD for evening wind-down?
Some shifts — like falling asleep more easily or experiencing less middle-of-the-night waking — may become apparent within the first one to two weeks of reducing alcohol and adding consistent daily CBD use. Longer-term benefits, such as more stable mood and overall sleep quality, are generally associated with several weeks of consistent use. Individual responses vary depending on prior alcohol habits, baseline sleep quality, and how your endocannabinoid system responds to regular CBD support.
