Your Cannabis During a Pandemic.
A sentence I never thought I would say.
Upon emerging from my emotional shut down recently (collective stress is hard, transitions are hard, fast adjustments and reactions are hard). However, I am beginning to think straight again. I am taking things day by day, just like everyone else. I hope you are doing the best you can amidst the uncertainty.
My mind has gone into the full-service mode. Of course, it has! I am a fixer and my love language is “Acts of Service”. What else can I expect of myself!?
I keep thinking, HOW can I best serve my community? What can I do, how can I help? Due to social distancing, physical presence is not an option.
Writing to you is!
So here we are. YAY!
While people were buying toilet paper I was taking stock of my weed.
It’s true. I cannot run out of this medicine, just like the other meds and supplements I take. I need these more than ever right now. I am highly irritable and I keep snapping at hubs. Keeping my mind/body/soul stable and reducing stress, continues to be my highest priority. Happy Mommy means happy household, I want to care for my family in the best way possible. This requires me to keep my pain under control so that I can use my reserves and my tools to help get my family move into a more relaxed state. I need to be available if someone in my extended family needs assistance.
I am sure you are all feeling something similar. We are all in this together.
As I enjoyed my morning toke (an uplifting, mind clearing strain), I began calculations. I am trying to figure out how to maximize the cannabis I have in the house. I am anticipating delays with everything everywhere. This is the possible reality over the next month or so. I thought some of you may appreciate some of the things I have been thinking up.
So here are my top tips for your medicine over the next month! But first, my CAUTIONS…
CAUTION: Children are home, be extra careful with your cannabis at this time. Be sure it is locked up, labelled well and out of reach of the kiddos. My recommendations, thoughts and ideas are NOT medical advice, it is what I am doing at home for myself. I am here to educate and share the patient experience. This does not mean everyone should follow my lead. You must talk to your Dr. or Pharmacist if you are making changes in any of your medicines. As always, start low and go slow. This is always the advice of those of us educating in this industry. If you are adding THC to your mix of meds, be mindful of the effects and write down your experiences. Edibles and oils affect people differently than vaporized herb.
Take stock of every bit of cannabis in the house. Write it down, weigh it out and calculate how many doses you have from this pile. Don’t forget the freezer, fridge, and your “secret stash” - come on we all have them lol. ZERO judgement, please!
Take stock of dry bud only. Knowing that smoking is the least efficient (although effective for many) way to use cannabis as medicine, switching from smoking joints to vaporizing or in the least one-hitters will allow you to microdose your meds, using less in the long run. Vaporising will provide even more of that entourage effect. In a dry flower vape, you are grabbing whole plant goodness as it is gently heated.
If you have bits of dry bud here and there, try putting it all together and infusing it into an oil to bake with.
Some of us will not be driving much, so exploring a bit of THC in microdose amounts may actually help you de-stress. But if you are brand new, be careful, start low and go slow. For those of you on the front lines, be sure to really get some stress relief from your medical cannabis by choosing strains high in Linalool. Linalool reduces anxiety and aids with depression. It is a sedative terpene and can really help with sleep.
Make infusions to add to food or drinks. Infuse your dry bud into honey, maple syrup, alcohol, olive oil or coconut oil. You can use these in baking, cooking, or in your tea or coffee. You can even use homemade oils in a bath.
Have an infused bath. Our skin is our largest organ. Supporting your Endocannabinoid System with a warm infused bath before bed can support sleep.
Make topicals. Topicals are very effective at helping painful conditions. They work well overnight to help you be pain-free during sleep. Guess what? How much sleep we get DIRECTLY impacts health and immunity.
Supporting our Endocannabinoid System improves our immune system. The ECS is found to play a part in EVERY dis-ease.
Start baking! Today I am making several dozen infused cookies to share with family. (it is legal to gift small amounts of Cannabis) (I am keeping things low sugar too.)
Remember that oils have the longest-lasting effects in our system.
Place your order when you can afford it and try not to overbuy. Infusing cannabis at home is an extremely cost-effective way of using this medicine. If you are infusing your homegrown bud, even better!
My last caution and reminder is to be extra careful with the kiddos home for several weeks. Edibles look tasty to them, be sure to lock up anything with THC in it.
You now have a few ideas on how to get through a Pandemic from a Medical Cannabis Patient, Educator and Consultant. Please feel free to reach out and email me with questions or concerns. stephiemassey@gmail.com
Moving forward, Yoga Classes and Medical Cannabis Consults will continue virtually. I will update you with more details soon. Of course, essential services are the priority, but if you need to de-stress, both Restorative Yoga and Cannabis can help. Also, keeping a routine can be helpful for some in times of stress. So I am here for you, should you need some support with your plant medicine.
Wishing you wellness, from my family to yours.
Steph