Malika Haqq Quit Xanax For This Natural Alternative To Manage Her Anxiety
When I was little, my anxiety manifested in the form of stomach aches. Birthdays, Christmases, funerals, and first days of school were often accompanied by packs of Alka Seltzer and indescribable pain. As an adult, these stomach aches evolved into behavioral challenges and for the first time I was prescribed anti-anxiety medicine.
Klonopin, a pill that I later learned is a common drug in the prescription addiction world, was everything I didn't need in my life. First came the panic attacks, then came the blackouts, and finally, I decided that I was done with pills.
That is, until I took my very first ride to Xanny land and fell in love.
In college, I became dependent on unprescribed meds, namely Adderall and Xanax; one lifted me up while the other brought me back down and soon my addiction became the only way to feel normal. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, my experience is not unique and anxiety disorders affect nearly 40 million people across America. One of those people is 35-year-old actress Malika Haqq who recently said that after years of battling anxiety, she was able to trade in her Xanax for CBD oil.
In a recent interview with People, Malika got real about suffering in silence and the mentality shift that ultimately led her to ditch prescription pills:
"A lot of anxiety is very much about the way you process things in your head. So for me, I actually am processing that I'm doing better and feeling better because I'm doing something that's better for myself. It's crazy, but the truth is it really does help. It honestly has done a world of difference for me where anxiety is concerned."
The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star said that while seeing a therapist for her anxiety issues, she discovered the Boston-based full-spectrum CBD line, beam, which has changed her life in more ways than she could have imagined. Malika says that since starting this new wellness practice, she's become the candy lady in her circle of friends, except her "candy" just happens to be CBD oil. CBD, which is legal across all 50 states, is now included in a number of natural beauty, skin, and health products, and for Malika, has been a game-changer when it comes to her perspective on anxiety for the better:
"It's almost like hitting a reset button that makes your body go back to a balanced state. It has been the reset button for me that balances everything out. It's not a heightened moment, it's not a dull moment, it's just right. And it's instant. I would relate it to if you're thirsty and you drink water, however long it takes to feel hydrated is how long it takes for the CBD to kick in, in my personal experience."
Don't get it confused, chemical imbalances are real, sis; Malika is NOT telling you to trade in your psychiatrist for a bag of weed and some CBD oil. The actress says that while Xanax is no longer how she chooses to manage her anxiety, there was a point in time where medication was totally necessary.
"It isn't that those things didn't help me, but I actually needed to be on medication. But the older I've gotten, I've gotten wiser and more protective of myself and the things I put in my body."
As a reality star that is constantly in the public eye, Malika says that initially it was difficult to open up about her struggles with mental illness publicly. Nobody can lie to you like you can, but as you get older, denial gets old, too. Malika said that ultimately her decision to talk about her anxiety came out of a need to be honest with herself:
"I think that the more you mature and become self-aware, you spend less time caring about what people think about what you're doing and spend more time actually taking care of yourself and your well-being. What I've learned is the best way to handle or deal with your discomforts in life is to be honest about them."
She said that although it isn't necessary to spill all your tea, sometimes the strongest thing you can do is find the courage to ask for help:
"It doesn't mean you have to scream them from the rooftops, but it's almost impossible to get help with something that people don't know about. So often we struggle with things out of fear that someone will judge us. There are so many people that are afraid to say, 'I'm struggling.' I'm going, 'I struggled, and I still do with stress on a daily basis.' I'm happy to be someone that's out there going, 'You don't have to speak up, I'll speak up for us.'"
Anyone with anxiety knows that living with mental illness is a marathon, not a sprint. Although every day is a new battle to become free of fear, she's headed into her newfound lifestyle with a warrior's mentality:
"Some days are better than others.Those days that I'm not doing that great, trust me — I'm CBD oiling it down, in the morning in my tea, then I'm going on about my day, just doing the very best that I can."
Read Malika's full interview here!
Featured image by Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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ItGirl In Motion: DonYé Taylor Asked Herself This Question When Creating Her Brainchild
"Being an 'ItGirl' is all about being yourself and taking all of the elements that make you who you are and displaying them at your highest capability," creative brainiac DonYé Taylor says in the introduction of the limited video series, "ItGirl In Motion."
In partnership with Hyundai, xoNecole has unveiled the limited series in conjunction with our inaugural ItGirl 100 list. The list boasts 100 Black women who not only innovate and take up space when it comes to putting on for their cities, but also as the driving force behind brands that create impact for the culture. ItGirl DonYé Taylor is one of the 100 featured ladies who put her purpose into action.
ITGIRL IN MOTION with DONYE TAYLORwww.youtube.com
As a marketing consultant, content creator, and CEO, a driving force behind DonYé's ambitions has been to show others how she sees the world by "creating art and doing things that shift perspective." In founding her brainchild, Nüclei, which is coincidentally also home to the ever-so-chic chrome brain piggybank, DonYé briefly touched on the inspiration behind the brand. "I was like, 'What would it look like if I were to be of service to myself?' And that's what made me create Nuclei," she said.
Watch the video above to take a peek into the life of the LA-based ItGirl, the importance of Black women receiving our "flowers" while we're here, and the three things she believes are absolutely essential to any ItGirl.
See our ItGirl 100 list in full here. Click through the gallery below for some BTS moments of DonYé and our partnership with Hyundai.
CREDITS
Director: Mikkoh @mikkoh
Production Company: @30inthemorning
AD/Gimbal Op: @jeffreyrattanong
DP: @jucelandrin_
Editor: @30inthemorning
1st AC: Bonnie Delgado @bonniebellevue
2nd AC: Liz Robles @lizfatimarobles
FPV Drone Op: Kai Kevin Goh @kaivertigoh
Gaffer: Nelson Nguyen @nelson_ftw
Key Grip: Ames Hoang @mangothemaker
SLT: Jamon Tolbert @jamon.tolbert
Sound Mixer: Deyo Forteza @introducingdeyo
PA: Breyona Holt @exquisite_eye
PA: Aminah Muhammad @aminahmuhamm
BTS: Marika Belamarich @marikarosegold
Featured image by Marika Belamarich for xoNecole