This article is written in partnership with +PlusCBD. They’re dedicated to helping people manage stress and achieve a state of calm with vegan, eco-friendly CBD products—we’re honored to work with them. ~ ed.

It’s the most stressful time of the year. *Said in the tune of that ghastly Christmas carol.*

Right? Just me? I mean, seriously: Covid travels, family drama, that aunt who always asks why I’m single—yes, still alone as ever, Aunt Carol—gifts…what the eff does anyone even want or deserve? Not to be a Grinch, but the SAD feelings are hitting harder than any other year, and I honestly understand why the grumpy green guy was the way he was.

You’d think after the darkest winter ever (literally) last year, that I would be more mentally prepared to plummet into another series of holiday horrors, but I’ve got to be honest: I’m not even sure how I’m going to survive.

As a plant-mom and nature-lover, I started turning to more holistic sources to combat my holiday blues, and I actually found it—the survival kit. Enter the Reserve Collection of CBD Gummies by +PlusCBD. I never expected a rectangular peach gummy could be the salve for anyone’s holiday storm, but here we are.

Get your own holiday survival kit with the Reserve Collection here >>

+PlusCBD is all about giving our mental and physical well-being the same amount of love and attention. Their goal is to cast a wide, informative net to CBD swear-by-ers and skeptics alike, from their brick and mortar stores to their nationwide reach.

As some of the folks who helped get the Farm Bill passed and CBD out to the masses, the quality of the taste, texture, and consistency of their products is indisputable. And, with the stage set for SAD to set in, they crafted their very own Holiday Survival Kit to quell our midwinter meltdowns.

Our dear Editor, Molly, who was gearing up to combat her own SAD Scaries, was ready to give these full-spectrum gummies a go, and see if they were able to deliver on their promise of offering “strong feelings of calm, comfort, and relief when intense support is needed.”

When she heard that line, she said it was exactly what she was looking for. Sign her up.

I’ll let her give you the full download on whether or not these gummies helped keep her chill-o-meter steady amidst the madness:

Say the word “stress” around me and my stress levels suddenly, of their own accord, seem to jump. No, skyrocket. 

That can’t just be a particular quirk of mine. I’m certain that I’m not the only person who handles stress on a daily basis, often without realizing it. 

Part of me wants to stand up and pat myself on the back for handling it so “well” that I don’t even notice. That’s got to be worth some kind of recognition. (Do they give out adult participation awards in stress management? They really should.)

And then there’s the other part of me that knows that’s ridiculous and that I’m doing myself harm by not noticing and recognizing the state of stress my body may be in on a daily basis. The life we live, the world we’re living in, these things aren’t calm. They aren’t soothing. Handling them, even with grace, can settle some stress down around our shoulders on the regular and with a weight that can become too much to carry. 

The first step for me was realizing that the little part of me who didn’t want to be heard, was actually correct. And that weight was a little too heavy. 

The next step was figuring out what to do about it. 

SAD solutions can come in happy little packages. Gift yourself some peace of mind here >>

Popping a gummy into my mouth, slowly chewing it, and resting back on the couch for an evening of R&R after work felt like melting away into a calming storm of … quiet. No, really. The work thoughts began to drift away, the worries about unanswered emails and texts pushed away with the realization that the world wouldn’t end if I replied to folks the next day, and my mind began to still. 

Still. What even is that word anymore? 

My body started to come to a state of rest. 

I had the feeling of being at the beach and watching the waves hit the sand, and retreat. Back and forth. My mind and my thoughts were along for the calming ride. It was then that it occurred to me that I may have been more stressed than I realized, even then.  

My next test run came after a small gathering. I’d been to an art gallery opening and while it was a masked event without any physical contact, my pandemic brain was still feeling the nerves of being in such close proximity to so many people in a small space. I was stressed. And I grabbed another gummy. (Watermelon this time which is, by far, my favorite.) 

Once again, those feelings and those nerves melted away. I felt the weight of the stress begin to lift as I went about making dinner and enjoying a quiet night after so many interactions earlier at the party. 

Life began to slow down, and my thoughts and breathing with it. 

Later that night when I went to bed I slept with a strong, deep sense of relaxation that I hadn’t expected. It wasn’t unpleasant at all and I woke feeling refreshed the next morning, ready to take on the to-do list waiting for me on the weekend. 

I thought these CBD gummies would be like any other I’ve tried. And I’ve tried more than a few, I don’t mind saying. I’ve tried them for anxiety, for pain, for stress, for sleep. I’ve run the gamut. There’s something special here that makes this Reserve Collection feel like it’s a holistic product that works with your body to elicit a healthy response. 

Be kinder to your body and mind with a little touch of CBD >>

In times of stress or anxiety, I’ll be turning to these again and again. And with the holidays coming up, I already know they’ll be of benefit. I may even gift a few to some loved ones I know that would find them helpful as well, if my experience is anything to go on. 

Finding a CBD company that has the research to back up their product was key. But for me, it’s also equally important that the products be healthy and to be environmentally friendly.

These gummies are labeled vegan, naturally sweetened, non-GMO, and gluten and soy-free. These are gummies for almost anyone. With winning flavors like peach and sour watermelon, opening the box I felt like a kid at a candy store unsure of which flavor to test first. 

And the environmental impact? Their website says, “We extract our CBD oil from outdoor-grown agricultural hemp. A renewable resource contributing to a more sustainable planet, hemp sequesters CO2, replenishes the soil, requires little water, and is used for food, fiber, fuel, and more!” which, frankly, wholly encouraged me. 

If anything, these are further points in favor of a holistic product. One that is good for our bodies, good for the planet, and good for how we choose to live our everyday lives.

Whether you’re like Molly and have given every CBD gummy from here to Kalamazoo a shot, or haven’t even dipped your toe into the CBD pool yet, education, efficacy, and people who get why we feel a little loopy around the holidays are the keys to unlocking some zen that we thought we couldn’t find.

Get a lot less Grinch-y and a lot more jolly with this holiday Survival Kit >>

Don’t get down on yourself if you can’t find your center at the moment—there’s a lot of reasons to feel like you’ve lost your balance, especially with to-do lists longer than Santa’s Naughty List.

Even the Grinch was able to get behind the holidays in the end—we wouldn’t say that was because of these gummies, but with Molly’s stamp of approval, we would say they are certainly worth a try.