I Just Want To Feel Beta.

I have spent more than 20 years working in communications, which means I have developed a slightly unhealthy habit of reading everything in the news. Literally. Thank goodness I am highly media literate, or I would be curled up in a ball, gently rocking myself while sucking my thumb in a hole I dug myself (maybe with the help of my dogs) in my own backyard.

I am addicted to consumer research, trend reports, wellness studies, industry newsletters, emerging habits, and cultural shifts. My news sources include traditional media, Reddit-type rabbit holes, Telegram groups, random comment sections, and pretty much any place where people reveal what they're actually thinking and doing.

If people are suddenly doing something, I want to know what it is and why.

So when I came across a semi-recent Wall Street Journal article about the growing popularity of beta blockers among otherwise healthy adult women, I immediately clicked.

The article explored how more women are using beta blockers before presentations, job interviews, first dates, networking events, public speaking engagements, and other high-pressure situations. In other words, women aren't necessarily taking them because something is medically wrong. They're taking them because modern life can feel like... a lot.

Felt. Heard. Girl. Whew. The human experience is officially daunting, and on an unfortunate sliding scale based on personal circumstances and societal biases. I have to say that out of respect and acknowledgement for women who experience a heaviness I will never know.

The Wall Street Journal article focused largely on propranolol, one of the most commonly prescribed beta blockers. Originally developed to treat conditions like high blood pressure and certain heart-related issues, propranolol has increasingly become part of the cultural conversation because some people use it before stressful situations to help manage physical symptoms like a racing heart, shaky hands, or that unmistakable feeling that your nervous system is trying to launch itself into outer space.

Women are expected to be "on" constantly. We are supposed to perform at work, maintain and navigate relationships, stay informed, exercise regularly, answer texts promptly, plan/coordinate social events, build careers, raise children (prayers for you), manage households, and somehow still have our own identity. That's a lot of pressure for one nervous system. 

What fascinated me about the article wasn't the medication itself. Because propranolol isn't really the story. The story is that so many women feel overwhelmed enough to seek out additional tools in the first place.

Why are so many women looking for ways to take the edge off?

At BESTIES, we think about that question a lot.

While BESTIES and beta blockers are completely different products designed for completely different purposes, they're connected to a similar human desire: people want to feel more comfortable navigating stressful moments.

Many people turn to beta blockers because they want to get through the moment.

At BESTIES, we've always been more interested in helping people enjoy the moment.

That distinction may sound subtle, but I think it's actually pretty profound.

When someone takes BESTIES' Job Interview (mild) before a presentation, Work From Home (medium) before tackling a mountain of tasks, or PTO (hot) before heading out with friends, they aren't necessarily trying to disappear from the experience.

They're looking for a little more ease, a little more optimism, a little more enjoyment, and a little more vibe. That's why we call ourselves Functional + Vibe™. Function matters. But so does the experience - and the feeling - of being alive.

And that's where I think the comparison becomes interesting. Not because BESTIES and propranolol are the same thing. They absolutely are not! It's because they reflect two very different approaches to the exact same cultural reality.

Getting Through the Moment vs. Enjoying the Moment

To be clear, this isn't an argument against beta blockers. Prescription medications exist for important reasons, and decisions about them belong between individuals and their healthcare providers.

What interests me is the broader cultural trend: the fact that so many women are looking for permission to exhale.

I know I felt that way when I started taking the formula that would eventually become BESTIES in 2023, before we launched it as a brand.

Like many women, I felt like I was drowning or disappearing on any given day. That isn't meant to sound like a victim or, worse, ungrateful for the many wonderful things in my life. It's meant to sound honest. From the outside, everything looked fine. In many ways, it was. But the weight of everyday life still felt surprisingly heavy, and I needed an additional tool, alongside physical movement and talk therapy, to help me carry it.

And maybe I would have tried beta blockers first. The truth is, beta blockers weren't on my radar yet. If they were, I wonder if I would have started BESTIES with Billy…

Beta blockers. BESTIES. Meditation. Better boundaries. Group-text muting (hello!)...do whatever works for you and make no apologies for it. We are all carrying far more than one nervous system was ever designed to handle, and employing tools for relief is a perfectly reasonable response to modern life.

Xo,
Tess (Co-Founder, BESTIES)