Recharging Through Cannabis and Hibernation

Busy Christmas Season

Wow! The last few weeks have been wonderful but also extremely busy. I threw a surprise 60th birthday party for my mom just a few days before Christmas, and it feels like life has just been one long stream of social considerations and to-dos. All of this has been compounded by the fact that my maternal grandmother, who lives in a dementia home, is not doing well. She has been touch-and-go and has not been fully responsive for days. Birthday and Christmas celebrations have been clouded by the fact that we will be losing her soon. 

With all of this going on, I had been using Christmas as a benchmark for when I'd start "getting my life together" and planning for 2020. I have been keeping a mental list of all the things I need to plan and outline, and there's a lot - I want to do big things with Bud & Blossom this year! I also have my eye on getting the Washington State Medical Marijuana Certification. Finally, I want to continue to network with others in the cannabis industry and be increasingly involved with common sense cannabis activism in Washington State and beyond. I have a lot of goals - so I need to spend some time prioritizing. 

Rest is a Necessity

With all that said, now that Christmas is over, you'd think that I'd be totally jazzed about diving in and accomplishing all of that stuff, right?!  Wrong. I don't really feel like doing anything productive at all. I'm honestly drained from all of the recent festivities, inflamed from Christmas food, and just generally tired. But I want to move through this funk quickly so I don't enter the new decade as a Debbie Downer. So I’m going to slow things down a little and devote the rest of my day to rest. I'll do as the saying goes, "rest now so you don't quit later". 

To expand on the post-holiday experience... it seems like the holidays are particularly exhausting for women, who are often arranging family social engagements, cooking, and all of the gift shopping and wrapping. I know men prepare for these events, as well, but as someone who has worked in retail many holiday seasons, I know the heaviness that most women bear around the holidays. In fact, while working in a fancy boutique in University Villiage, I once witnessed a well-to-do customer snip at my sweetest coworker, saying, "The fact that you cannot find another green felt tree in your inventory has ruined my fucking Christmas".

That lady just needed an edible and a few days off after Christmas. 

We work hard. But in order to keep going, we need to stop and rest once in a while. I often struggle with taking the time to stop and rest; my husband has witnessed me basically twist into a stress ball hundreds of times. However, I’m realizing that resting is actually the responsible thing to do when things get overwhelming. Resting and finding true rejuvenation through tactics like yoga, meditation, or consciousness-altering compounds are all strategies for finding the strength and fortitude to keep fighting.

Cannabis + Hibernation

While I feel guilty that I'm not completely nailing my "to-do" list right now, I'm also making an executive decision and following the path of cannabis + hibernation today. Along with writing this out and sharing a blog post, I'm not going to do much else besides eat more cannabis-infused edibles and, well, hibernate. I have several new Costco Sherpa blankets AND a new weighted blanket and I'm going to get straight-up cozy with it. There will be cat cuddles.

I know myself and this combination of cannabis and hibernation (heavy rest combined with frequent naps) is one of the only best ways for me to realize real, rejuvenating rest in between busy periods in life. 

Throughout my daily life, I have a hard time fully resting; even when I’m lounging on the couch or in a state of repose, it can feel like my brain is always racing a million miles a minute. However, consuming cannabis allows me to find calm and a break in my standard anxiety, which fosters real composure and, ultimately, true comfort.

Sometimes, I wish I was one of those women who found her true fulfillment and rejuvenation through challenging endurance hikes. But I'm not that woman… at least not at this moment in time. For now, I'll do what makes me better for tomorrow. 

If you're in the market for a new rejuvenation strategy, I recommend embarking on your own combination of cannabis and hibernation. Have a chill day, watch a movie or an easy TV show (ahem, The Great British Baking Show, ahem), and even turn your phone off if you're feeling adventurous/sassy. The world can wait. Feel free to invite beloved partners or pets to join you, as long as they are on board with your commitment to rest.

I want to hear from you - what is the most effective self-care or rejuvenation routine that you have developed? Do you feel guilty when you exercise it? How has cannabis helped you in your self-care moments?