Cannabis and Mindfulness
by Rashida Bartley
When we hear cannabis and mindfulness, one may automatically think of “stoner” culture. People zoning out, eating munchies, having long random conversations about unrelated topics, playing video games and not contributing to society. Whoa, the judgments are long. Those tropes can be put to rest by saying – regardless if you’re a consumer of cannabis all of those tropes can transverse any culture and furthermore aren’t always a bad thing in moderation and for some can actually be a lucrative profession, like gaming culture. Which many laughed at back in the day but we shall digress.
Back to cannabis and mindfulness and how it can play a part in today’s climate of uncertainty and remain in one’s life as a permanent methodology. This topic combination can be brimming with information so for this piece we’re touching on immediate ways. After all mindfulness is an ongoing process.
When thinking of mindfulness the word meditation quickly arises. The idea of meditation may not be accessible to people for reasons of time constraints, against cultural norms or even lack of knowledge on how to execute. Luckily mindfulness is more than one or two popular ways of meditation. Sitting or lying down in a meditative state isn’t the only way to be mindful.
Mindfulness can be the overall care and consideration on thoughts and actions that increase the greater good for an overall outcome. In that theme there are several ways to up your mindfulness in reference to cannabis starting today.
Ways to be mindful around cannabis:
Education will always be one of the main ways to be mindful around cannabis. Luckily not only have product offerings flooded the market education has flooded the market. There are many publications from medical to lifestyle to culture, producing enormous amount good information. The search for information isn’t as daunting as it was when little to no information existed. No longer is one forced to ask “the cat down the street, around to corner, in the back of the house, next to the sign with the E scratched out.” You can research the who, what, where, how and why about cannabis from the comfort of your home. Looking for information is a deliberate act of empowerment and mindfulness.
Choose the best products you can. This is a tricky one for many reasons. As knowledge increase your awareness so goes awareness in buying choices. It becomes tricky if you don’t have access to legal and reputable dispensaries that source great products. If you do have access don’t be afraid to visits different places and ask questions. If you are buying legal ancillary products that help you get the best out of your plant ask questions of those providers too, whether it’s brick and mortar or online. Factor in pricing - buy the best products at the price points of your budget.
Talk to medical professionals who are becoming more accepting of cannabis as a therapeutic for a number of treatment alternatives. There are numerous studies that find talking to your doctor about any sort of health issue is harder than talking to a friend at game night. It’s as if we want to be so pitch perfect with our doctors we don’t talk to the main person who needs to know the most about us. Many doctors go into to field because they want to help and heal. Here's the other catch - they're also problem solvers at heart. Imploring these skill sets when seeing your doctor can keep your cannabis wellness top of mind. Doctors are constantly continuing their education including seminars surrounding breakthroughs and new discoveries when it comes to cannabis and ongoing therapeutics. Being in partnership with professionals who have access to burgeoning information takes your self-care up a notch. If your doctor doesn’t have a position or knowledge about the subject don’t be afraid to ask for reference or follow-up information for the next visit. Again tap into those problem-solving skills.
Commit to yourself. Easier said than done, just because adult-use prohibition is falling doesn’t mean stigma about “the devil’s lettuce” has dissipated. Many who have arrived at the place of adding this plant into their lifestyle management have a very specific reason – be it addressing pain, mood-balancing factors, disease fighting factors or what have you; the plant has offered a benefit. Lean into the fact that one owes the naysayers nothing. Leaning into what your body needs to operate at a quality of life that you seek is mindfulness operating at full tilt. Stand firm on your why, it not only helps you it helps the cannabis community at large.
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