4 Mental Health Tips For Weed Enthusiasts

May is the mental health awarenessmonth and a powerful time to reflect on mental health and emotional well-being. For those who love weed, there are several ways we can honor ourselves and check our sanity this month, and every month in the future.

With so much going on in the world around us, it's important that we take extra time to process our feelings, try new ways to feel better, or identify the root cause of patterns we can't seem to escape. This may involve evaluating our relationship with cannabis or even having in-depth conversations with loved ones.

But here's a little spoiler. Sometimes the only answer you will find is that you are a human with complex hormones, chemicals and emotions. Everyone handles life in different ways, and it's your job to find the ways that... healthy and be manageable for your unique life.

Here are four ways people with a cannabis lifestyle can pay extra attention to their mental health:

Swap time you spend on social media for self-examination

Social media can speed up our brains and emotions when refreshing a timeline. Not to mention that social media isn't always the most cannabis-friendly place. Rate how much time you spend on social media and how it makes you feel. And don't be afraid to take a break once in a while.

There are many hypotheses about what all our time on the internet is doing to our brains, and we must remember that we are not yet living in the Matrix.

Reducing your time on social media is a great way to free up time to pay attention to your own thoughts and feelings — an activity that's a lot easier if you don't have a constant stream of opinions and headlines.

Set limits on your phone that remind you to take a break after scrolling for ten minutes or go cold turkey and uninstall the apps completely. And no cheating by logging in on your desktop or via your browser!

Use the extra time to think, light a joint, and meditate, or read a few pages from a new book.

Look for more sunlight

This is one that we really hope everyone can do.

Find a ray of sunshine and stay in it for at least twenty minutes. You can keep a journal on a park bench, stare aimlessly out the window, circle around a block and smoke one, or just lie on the carpet and take a nap. What matters is that you get into the light of that gigantic, gaseous, burning star and have a nice influence on your mental health!

As many of us know, sunlight helps our bodies make vitamin D and a lack of vitamin D can lead to feelings of depression† It may seem simple, but our exposure to the sun can have a profound impact on our mood and, over time, our mental health.

Studies show that people with more melanin have a harder time making enough vitamin D, which means we may need to talk to our doctors about other ways (besides the sun) to get vitamin D into our system, such as a daily supplement. .

No matter how much melanin you have, don't forget the sunscreen.

Live in your truth

Life is crazy every day. It comes with highs and lows, plus everything in between. Take the time to acknowledge what you've been through and how it shaped you into the person you are today. Good mental health is super important.

Make decisions based on what's best for you, and don't let anyone shame you for being different. Fighting who you really are will put your mental health to the test – you deserve to live in your truth.

If you need a mental health day from work and can do it, take it. If you need to set harder boundaries to achieve your goals, do so. If You Have To Tell Your Family You Like To Smoke Weed To stress master, then it is today.

Give yourself permission to prioritize your well-being and don't feel guilty about having a sense of self-preservation (even if it feels a little strange to you).

Explore therapy and don't be afraid of drugs

The cannabis community is full of many different types of people. There are people who are bursting with passion, determination, energy and the resources they need to be okay. And it's also full of people who have experienced trauma and deserve the attention of a mental health professional to talk about it.

So remember, sometimes weed isn't enough to take us to the other side of life's biggest challenges. The plant cannot go back in time and rewire our brains or erase our trauma.

Weed is an incredible tool and a true companion when pharmaceutical drugs are inaccessible – and sometimes even alongside drugs. But sometimes prescription drugs are needed, and there's no shame in that. There can be several things going on at the same time. Take care of your mental health.

You may find a new kind of serenity in smoking strains for your unique problems, talking to a mental health professional, and taking a little medication. It's a privilege to have the money and time to invest in yourself in this way, and don't be ashamed to seek help.

Consuming cannabis can be an important part of our self-care, but as humans we sometimes need more than one thing to really improve our mental health. These tips are just a starting point. The rest of your mental health journey awaits you once you're ready to begin.

Sources including EverydayHealth (EN), Hope Mental Health (EN), Leafly (EN)