It’s common knowledge that cannabis packs a punch when it comes to fighting pain or having an anti-inflammatory effect, but marijuana is also full of cannabinoids, terpenes and antioxidants that promote feeling good. Many proponents of cannabis also advocate that using cannabis for wellness can be an important component of a healthy lifestyle.
The Endocannabinoid System & Cannabis for Wellness
The endocannabinoid system is one of the largest and most extensive systems found in the body. Endocannabinoid receptors assist the body in maintaining homeostasis by aiding in the bodies’ response to internal and external stimuli. Stimulating the endocannabinoid system by consuming cannabis can create balance, encourage creativity and—depending on the product—promote calm or alertness.
Creativity, Patience & Spirituality
Steve DeAngelo is one of the biggest advocates of cannabis for wellness. DeAngelo is the founder of Harborside Health Center in California and has long been a cannabis advocate; he makes it his mission to educate people on marijuana while running one of the largest medical marijuana dispensaries in the world. DeAngelo sums up his feelings about the advantages of incorporating marijuana in a balanced life in this quote:
“Benefits [of cannabis] can include the ability to spark creativity, extend patience and promote self-examination; to awaken a sense of wonder and playfulness, an openness to spiritual experience; the ability to enhance the flavor of a meal, the sound of music, or the sensitivity of a lover’s touch; to open the mind; to bring poetry to language and spontaneity to a performer; to catalyze laughter, facilitate friendship and bridge human differences.”
Steve DeAngelo
It seems that, much like eating healthy and exercising, cannabis can help round out your personal wellness routines.
In short, cannabis can improve wellness by creating a positive and relaxed environment where you can embrace and enjoy life to the fullest. Wellness is all about improved mindset and well being, rather than direct medical benefits (though there are those as well!). Cannabis can help you live in the moment and free yourself from the burdens of daily life. Sometimes it is hard to compartmentalize your feelings, especially during trying times, but cannabis can help aid you in freeing yourself from excess baggage, allowing you to relax and enjoy everything going on around you.
Enhancing Everyday Activities
Cannabis can also help enhance activities that may be important to you. Similar to what DeAngelo says in the aforementioned quote, marijuana can help you listen to music in a way that allows you to fully experience the moment. You can feel the melodies as you listen intently to all of the words, rather than just enjoying music on a surface level.
Marijuana can help you enjoy food and the process of cooking on a deeper level by allowing you to slow down and taste every element of your meal. Sometimes cooking becomes a matter of getting food on the table, but with the addition of marijuana, making a meal can turn back into a stress-relieving, creative outlet.
Sometimes it is also hard to fully enter a centered state while participating in activities like yoga and meditation. One of the ways that cannabis can help improve your wellness is by clearing your mind and allowing you to experience the moment. Cannabis can help you deepen into stretches and postures while truly focusing on your breathing, instead of fixating on what you need to pick up at the grocery store after class. This ability for internal focus is one of the truly amazing ways that cannabis can be used to promote wellness in your life.
Wellness Versus Intoxication
Using cannabis for wellness is far different than using cannabis for intoxication—it’s not just about getting stoned. When consuming cannabis for wellness, it is crucial to consume it consciously, based on what part of your world you are attempting to elevate. It is important to understand the type and format of cannabis you are using, and how that can help steer you towards or away from your desired goals. Using cannabis for wellness is not simply about achieving a certain feeling; it’s about using cannabis as a tool to enhance the world around you and bring you stimulation, balance, focus and happiness.
