Adding cannabis to your self-care routine can do wonders for the body and mind. The most popular known use of marijuana is to be high, and although that is one way to use cannabis, it’s certainly not the only way.
I added cannabis to my wellness routine in 2016 to help me manage chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and irritable bowel syndrome. But self-care is different. Self-care is about treating yourself and doing things that you enjoy. That could be anything from walking, doing puzzles, massages, or facials. At-home or at a salon.
Self-care for me involves yoga, foam rolling, stretching, having routines for the repetitive things in life, walking, and spending every Sunday pampering myself in some way. Right now, I love massaging my scalp in the shower with a tee tree cleanse, and a charcoal face wash and putting on foot cream.
Not all of my self-care routines include cannabis, but cannabis is what allows me to do all those things.
Cannabis can be used as a cream, an oil, tincture, patch, or bath bomb. You can drink it, eat it and you can always smoke it. It’s versatile, and depending on what you choose, you don’t always have the high.
Here are six ways to use cannabis in your self-care or wellness routine with or without the high.
Oh, and to make it more interesting - each photo has a bud hidden in it - can you find them?
Consuming cannabis with yoga
Picture by Michelle
It is said that marijuana and yoga go hand-in-hand dating back thousands of years ago. However, the evidence is questionable about how, when and why yoga and cannabis were used together. My take is to do what is right for you. I think it’s worth a shot if you are an experienced yogi. Your mind and body, I would think, are aligned peacefully and positively to allow cannabis in your practice. However, for someone like me, I’ve been doing yoga for a year, overweight. I can only do around 15 to 16 minutes of yoga. I’m incredibly unbalanced, my mind is not totally at peace, but I’m getting there. And truth be told, the one time I tried cannabis with yoga - I couldn’t get through the first 2 minutes - I couldn’t hold a pose. LOL, I’m as stable as water. But I’m like that sober too. So…
Consuming cannabis with walking
Picture by Michelle
Walking with cannabis can be fantastic if you find the right strain that doesn’t cause paranoia or anxiety. I love to walk with Blue Lime Pie, Durban Poison, or Ghost of Leeroy, but I also don’t consume a lot - I’m a micro-doser. Getting ready for my walk takes about 30 minutes because I change, get my music and headphones ready, then I take a small bong hit, wait 5 minutes to see how I feel. Most of the time I’m ready to go. But if I feel I need another, I take an even smaller amount and head out. Using cannabis allows my mind to be elevated so I can focus on the walk and my thoughts. Not the discomforts that walking can have.
Consuming cannabis with foam rolling, stretching
Picture by Michelle
Foam rolling and stretching can be painful. Although now I can foam roll and stretch without cannabis, there was a time I couldn’t. I lasted all of a minute, doing either activity on my own. Maybe I’m weak, but that shit was painful in the beginning. I was so out of shape, and my muscles were tight. I was so spun up and stressed, and my muscles reflected that. I started getting high and foam rolling and stretching. There is something to be said about the elevated feeling cannabis can bring that allows you to do something like foam rolling - which in my mind is a form of self-torture. But man, when you can get past the pain and see how much it changes your body and how it can physically help you release stress and baggage that you are holding too (that’s where the cannabis comes in), it’s a whole new level of physical and mental well being.
Facials and cannabis
Picture by Michelle
I tried my very first CBD facial mask, 3 weeks ago and took no pics...I was feeling stressed. And it was the most amazing facial mask I have ever tried. My only complaint about the facial mask was the amount of gel that left on my face. The directions said to pat in the remaining amount - I had to wipe parts of my face off because there was no patting in that gel. But besides that - my face was as soft as a baby. I didn’t know it was possible for my skin to feel that way. Living in Colorado, my skin is dry, and during the COVID-19 pandemic - my hands are ashy, and they crack and bleed because of the handwashing. I need to make a CBD lotion or something - I wonder if it would help!
Massage with cannabis
Massage with cannabis is only legal in states where marijuana is legal. If you ever get the experience to have a massage with cannabis oil, I would highly recommend it. The massage therapist hands feel amazing while they work through tight muscles and the tension in your back and neck. You come to 60 to 90 minutes later feeling relaxed, happy, and at peace. Every time I leave a cannabis massage, I’m ready to tackle the world, and I sleep like a baby that night. I can’t wait till our stay-at-home orders are lifted! Again follow your local and state laws! This picture is a trick - where is the bud here?
Chillin’ out with cannabis
Picture by Michelle
Cannabis can be exceptional for a weekend at home, a night in, or a snow day. Or if it’s 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic. Enjoy some homemade edibles with CBD and THC, or just THC or just CBD, a bowl, or a joint. Hybrids and sativas can be great, depending on what you have planned for the day. Maybe a day filled with DIY projects, crafting, yard work, or even reading. A good sativa or hybrid would do. Or if you are like me, you sneak in more “work” for your business, but it never feels like work. :-) But of course, there are the days when all you need is your TV, your favorite indica strain, and your couch or bed.
Conclusion
What makes cannabis so unique is that regardless of how you use - it’s the intention of why you are using that is more important. Cannabis, when used correctly (and I always promote a less is more approach), can elevate your life. Whether you are exercising, working on a home project, or your ass is in front of a TV. It’s the intention of how you incorporate cannabis in your life. Finding the right consumption method can tricky and even confusing, but whatever your method, always, always, always, start with less. You can always add more, but you can’t undo what you’ve taken.
Did you find all the buds?!?! There is 5 in total. Let me know in the comments!
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