Cannabis Encourages You to Take Care of Yourself
Today, I wanted to share my thoughts about one of my favorite aspects of cannabis use. Believe it or not, consuming cannabis can actually encourage you to take better care of yourself.
Not exactly what we learned about cannabis in school, is it?
I don’t have any scientific study to cite that correlates cannabis consumption with taking care of oneself… yet. However, what I can cite are my own anecdotal cannabis experiences that have correlated with improved self-care. Additionally, there are many others who are speaking out about how cannabis has helped them to focus on their own health and happiness. This phenomenon is captured well by the quote that’s currently on the homepage of this blog:
“Cannabis is like a mirror in that she will show you your true self and hold your hand as you fix yourself.”
This quote absolutely resonates with me because I have lived it. Cannabis has allowed helped me to be strong in the face of career changes, grief, and the typical self-critique that we all walk around with. Continue reading for more insight about how incorporating cannabis into my life changed everything - for the better.
Cannabis, Unlike Alcohol, Doesn’t Enable Self-Destruction
In college, I came to understand that when it came time to address my personal problems, weed provided a much better alternative than alcohol.
Nearly 10 years ago now, I was feeling downright lousy in my 2nd year into college. I was in a toxic romantic relationship, struggling with my weight, and consumed with frustration over a sports injury that prevented me from participating in sports and the rigorous physical activity that had been such a substantial part of my life in high school.
Drinking can provide momentary relief from daily stressors. But it does nothing for you in the long-run.
My go-to “solution” for dealing with my feelings, unfortunately, was to drink. I had started drinking with friends socially in high school, but it wasn’t until college that I started to leverage alcohol’s intrinsic qualities to placate my overstressed brain and messy emotions.
Of course, drinking didn’t actually provide me with any solutions. Rather, my drinking contributed to increased depression and a nonsensical cycle of binge drinking, lost days, and shame. Sure, drinking provided a momentary escape from my situation, but it left me right where I started the next day. That’s alcohol for you… it just enables you to “escape”, but when you wake up after your buzz has worn off, you’re right back where you started (or even worse, you might have a splitting headache and less money in your bank account!).
What’s almost comical is that during this period in my life, I knew that cannabis didn’t contribute to the same self-destructive tendencies as alcohol, but that doesn’t mean I always made the decision to choose self-care over self-destruction.
Whenever I would ingest cannabis with my roommates, I was suddenly overcome with thoughts about how to improve my situation - such as working out, eating healthier, and focusing on my studies. Several times, I even found myself in the gym after smoking; under the influence of cannabis, my brain and body were able to connect and I would be compelled to engage in healthy lifestyle activities.
However, I still consciously frequently chose drinks over cannabis because I didn’t want to face my problems head-on. I wasn’t yet ready to put in the work. You have to want to change before your transformation can take place.
Since then, I have grown a lot, and I have come to realize the utility that cannabis can bring to my life. Rather than shy away from my personal hiccups, I am strong enough now to analyze what I should be doing to improve my day to day situation. And cannabis helps me to get to this positive head space faster; on days when I smoke, I write more, my house is cleaner, and I am more likely to reach out to a friend or family member to foster personal connection.
Cannabis has also helped me to overcome significant grief when my best friend passed away a few years ago. For more information about how cannabis enabled faster healing, check out my blog post about this here.
Like many women my age, I am going through significant “adulting” milestones, including planning for a family and going through my first home buying process with my husband. I can no longer afford to dull my senses to ignore my problems; no, I need to embrace those influences (and substances) that will allow me to step in the right direction.
I’m giving myself permission to toke up for my health and happiness. You can, too!
Cannabis’ ability to encourage enhanced self-care is not unique to my experience. In fact, one of my friends who works within the cannabis industry recently let me know that before her wedding, she was considering going tanning. But, when she smoked leading up to her tanning appointment, she made the decision that tanning wouldn’t be worth the danger. Isn’t this amazing? Cannabis allows you to love yourself to the point of putting yourself above everything else, especially when navigating external societal pressures.
Cannabis Can Increase Self-Love
Consuming cannabis allows us to see the world in a new light. As a result, it can enable us to shed some of the internal negative self-talk and self-perception that we have built up over the years.
Ashley Manta, a contributor to Leafly, writes about the correlation between cannabis and self-confidence in this article. She highlights several women who have found healing through a simple exercise of smoking and then closely viewing themselves in the bathroom mirror with the intention of becoming aware of what they love about themselves. The process sounds so simple, but has clearly been impactful to so many. When is the last time you were able to, without judgment, reflect on the traits that you love about yourself?
Ellementa, a female-run organization that highlights the connection between cannabis and well-being, also covers this phenomenon on their blog. Check it out for even more success stories on how women have reclaimed control of their life with a little bit of help from this magnificent plant.
If you are in a situation where you need to audit the path forward, I would encourage you to bring cannabis along with you in your path to self-discovery.
For those of you who already consume cannabis, let me know - has cannabis ever helped you overcome a difficult problem? How did it help? I’d love to hear your story!
For someone else’s take on how cannabis convinces you to take care of yourself, listen to the beginning of Sean Patton’s comedy sketch. This hits home!