This year, more than ever, we’ve begun to focus on the importance of taking care of ourselves; particularly our mental health. One of the important ways we can take care of ourselves and prevent burnout is to make time for self-care. It isn’t always easy to make the time or to truly take care of ourselves in the way we need. Cannabis can help.
What is self-care? When you think about self-care, one of the first images that’s likely to pop into your head is a woman taking a soak in a tub with a bath bomb and a glass of wine. While bubble baths can be a great way to slow down, there are so many ways to engage with self-care. This view also makes it seem like self-care is something that is optional, which it isn’t. Notice we also specified this person as a woman: people often believe self-care is an activity just women engage in but that shouldn’t be the case. Self-care is important for everyone, and no self-care activities are gendered – not even bubble baths.
Scientific studies have made it clear that self-care is not a luxury, it’s a non-negotiable part of life. It is essential if we are going to live long, healthy, and happy lives. Self-care not only helps manage stress, sleep, mood, and productivity in the short term but long term can help lower blood pressure, regulate emotions, and boost our patience.
How to Practise Self-Care with Cannabis
There are numerous ways of engaging with self-care practices and not every method will work for everyone or every day. So, take the time to try out different self-care methods and see how you can incorporate them into your regular wellness routine. Also note the use of the word practise here: self-care isn’t always going to go perfectly but it’s something we engage with intentionally and continue to practise.
Here are some practical ways to start to practise self-care and how cannabis can help:
- Prioritize sleep. Sleep is important for both our physical and mental wellness, and getting a good night’s sleep can help us to better manage the stressors of the day. Take the time to learn about sleep hygiene principles and consider taking a regular dose of CBD before bed. Learn more about CBD for sleep.
- Get physical. Make time for physical activity, even if it’s just a short walk on your lunch break. Physical activity naturally produces endorphins that help to reduce cortisol levels (the stress hormone). If you can, try to also get out in nature as well. Connecting with nature can be soothing and remind us of the importance of being present. If you’re having trouble disconnecting from work and being mindful, try CBD. Having a CBD gummy, tincture, or grabbing your CBD vape can not only help melt away the stress of the day but help to create an experience where you’re focused on your body and the experience, not your to-do list.
- Eat healthy. Our gut health has an impact on our brain health, including our serotonin levels. Thus, eating healthy can have a significant impact on our mental health. But, that doesn’t mean you have to eat healthy all the time, allow yourself to have your treats (your favourite cannabis edibles for example) and make time to cook yourself your favourite meal. One way we really love to dose is with CBD honey in our morning tea.
- Set boundaries. Practise saying ‘no’ to things that drain your energy and don’t excite you.
- Get organized. Having an organized space (home and office) can help you to feel calmer and allow you the mental space to relax. This can be taking the time to declutter and clean as well as organizing. Organizing can make life easier – this could include things such as setting up your calendar, meal prepping, or putting all your supplements, including your CBD, in an easily accessible location so you take them every morning. What’s the best way to clean? Consuming your favourite type of cannabis along with your favourite music to dance to is a strong motivator.
- Write down your goals. Taking the time to write down and reflect on our goals helps to remind us what we are working toward. It gives the work we are putting in a purpose or helps us to notice the changes we may need to make in our lives to move in the right direction.
- Take care of your body. Taking care of your body can look different to different people, but this is where you can have your warm bath and read a book. Or this could simply mean to slow down your routine a bit, pay attention to every step of your skincare routine, or take the time to fully moisturize your entire body after a shower. Of course, there are numerous ways that cannabis can help here. Consider using cannabis bath bombs or epsom salts for extra relaxation. Or add cannabis into your skin routine with creams or lotions. Learn more about cannabis topicals and check out all of our topical products in our online dispensary.
It can be challenging to make time for self-care, so we recommend scheduling it into your calendar. For example, set an alert to remind yourself to get up and away from your desk for a walk at lunch and to take your CBD dose before bed.
How Cannabis is Self-Care
Cannabis can be self-care on its own. Cannabis naturally helps to reduce stress and anxiety which is a significant part of why self-care is important.
A number of studies support the use of cannabis for stress. A 2020 study on rats that were given cannabis for a month were less reactive to stressful stimuli. A similar 2011 study found CBD was also effective in managing acute stress.
It’s less straightforward to study stress response in humans because we cannot induce a stress response. However, we can look at research for social anxiety. A 2011 study found CBD reduced social anxiety associated with public speaking. And a 2010 study found CBD reduced anxiety based on individuals’ subjective anxiety score. Brain scans during this study found that the reduction in anxiety was a result of changes in blood flow in the limbic and paralimbic brain areas. These are responsible for emotional regulation and the stress response.
Although cannabis can be self-care on its own, it’s important to use cannabis intentionally. This means using cannabis to feel good in your body, to manage stress, to sleep better and eat healthy, not to avoid tasks or disassociate.
Final Thoughts
Know that self-care doesn’t have to be perfect, nothing in our life ever is. The aim is to make time and to try a number of different self-care strategies to find what’s best for you. Adding cannabis into your self-care routine can not only help to naturally manage your stress and anxiety but can help you to engage more fully with self-care.
Remember that if you struggle with self-care sometimes, that’s okay. From time to time, an activity that typically helps to manage your stress doesn’t work the same. Consider trying a different activity or simply remind yourself that it’s okay and don’t give up.
