Unless you’re a kid, the holiday season can be stressful. Not only do you have to juggle family complications, but it can also be financially stressful with gift buying, preparation, and more. Thankfully, with cannabis, managing holiday stress can be a whole lot easier.
Trust us: this doesn’t mean smoking a joint by your tree while you open gifts. (Though that does sound fun.) Instead, it’s about utilizing the medicinal properties of cannabis during this chaotic time to ensure you stay relaxed and comfortable.
So, how can you manage holiday stress properly with the help of cannabis? Let’s talk about it.
What Causes Holiday Stress?
The cause of holiday stress is going to vary from person to person. And, for some, the holidays may not be stressful at all! However, for many people, this time can be a bit overwhelming.
Holiday stress can come from knowing you must prepare to see your family, which may be hard depending on your relationship(s). There may be family members you don’t want to see or conversations you don’t want to have, and that can put some heavy weight on your shoulders.
Additionally, this time of the year is expensive, especially when you want to get your loved ones all of the things they deserve. Spending money on gift giving can leave many people feeling overwhelmed. Thus, the holiday season may mean budgeting tight for other things or cutting back on the gift-buying.
Finally, the holiday season can bring up a lot of childhood trauma and past life events, making it a difficult time for many people. Thus, holiday stress levels can be pretty high, leaving a lot of people on edge and ready for the new year to roll around.
Thankfully, no matter how hard this time may be, there are things you can do to ensure that your health and well being are taken care of. And that’s thanks to cannabis.
How Cannabis Can Help You Cope
Whether you’re a daily cannabis consumer or someone who only enjoys it on special occasions, during the holiday season, this potent green plant may be what you need to feel like you’re getting back on track.
Here are just a few ways that you may find the cannabis plant help you navigate these stressful times.
Lowering Chronic Stress Levels
Stress reduction is one of the most popular reasons people turn to the cannabis plant in the first plant. Especially in the middle of the holiday season.
Medical cannabis boasts strong stress-relieving properties that you’ll notice in the mind and throughout the body.
Depending on the strain you choose, cannabis may work well to calm the mind’s busy thoughts, allowing you to focus on just one (or two) tasks at hand. You’ll likely find yourself feeling a lot less wound up, and this can help lower overall tension.
Speaking of tension, cannabis is great for helping the mind relax, which subsequently transfers to the body, as well. The more you’re able to relax mentally, the easier your body will able to decompress, too, with a couple hits of weed.
Oh, and don’t forget that weed may be key to helping you get a good night’s rest, too.
Learn more about turning to medical marijuana for stress reduction in our post.
Boosting Moods
It’s no secret that cannabis can make you giggly. And, what’s a better time of year to lift your spirits than during the holiday season?
If you’ve found yourself feeling down or super anxious about this time of year, cannabis may be able to help mitigate that.
Many people turn to marijuana for depression symptoms daily because of its ability to increase dopamine production and endocannabinoid production, while also regulating serotonin production. This can do wonders for those struggling to regulate their mental health or chronic stress levels.
Together, these effects work well to boost moods and induce some euphoria — even during the harder times of the year.
Managing Pain Levels
Holiday stress can come about because of pain levels. After all, setting up the house or even just traveling can take a toll on the body. Thankfully, medical cannabis is fantastic for helping to manage chronic pain symptoms.
Whether you have sore or tight muscles, are dealing with constant headaches, or just need a bit of relief throughout the body, cannabis can be great for mitigating those pains.
This is because of marijuana’s ability to reduce inflammation and modulate pain through the body’s TRVP1 receptors.
Interestingly enough, the plant also works to alter pain perception in the brain, by modifying activity in regions related to sensory processing. Essentially, instead of “stopping” pain at its source, THC changes your emotional response to pain, making it more tolerable.
Because of this, many people find that consuming cannabis helps their muscles feel less tight and the body overall feel more comfortable and regulated.
Worried About Weed? Try CBD Instead
If you’re worried about being high around your family, or you have little ones in the house and don’t want to have cannabis near you, you’re not out of luck. CBD can be a fantastic option.
CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. It is 100% federally legal and it will not get you high on your own. Instead, it boasts myriad medical benefits that can help you navigate holiday stress levels (and general chronic stress) with ease.
You can find CBD products in so many different forms, especially if you’re not interested in smoking. Other than CBD vapes and flower, you can try out CBD topicals for localized relief regarding sore muscles.
Or, you could turn to CBD tinctures that you consume sublingually or orally for full-body effects without smoking. Remember that whether they are CBD isolates, full-spectrum, or broad-spectrum products, cannabidiol will not get you high.
Managing Holiday Stress With Cannabis: Tips and Tricks
Before we let you go get super relaxed (and a bit stoned) this holiday season, let’s give you a few more tips and tricks to help you manage stress with your favorite green plant.
Start Low and Go Slow: If you’re new to cannabis, begin with a low dose to avoid unwanted side effects like anxiety or paranoia. You can opt for low-THC, high-CBD strains or microdose edibles to stay in control while still reaping stress-relief benefits.
Choose the Right Strain for the Occasion: For a daytime calm, look for energizing sativa strains that keep you focused but relaxed. For more stress relief and relaxation, go for calming indica strains to help you unwind after holiday festivities. Need a balance? Hybrid strains offer a little bit of both to promote positive effects that help both your mental and physical health feel better.
Incorporate Edibles or Tinctures for Long-Lasting Calm: Edibles take longer to kick in (30-90 minutes) but provide hours of steady relaxation — perfect for long family dinners. On the other hand, tinctures work faster (15-30 minutes) and offer precision dosing, so you can manage your stress without overdoing it.
Try a Pre-Holiday Puff (But Don’t Overdo It): Take a small hit of cannabis before family gatherings to ease social anxiety and feel more at ease. Keep in mind that chronic cannabis use may make your stress response worse, so it’s important to keep consumption low.
Don’t Forget About Aromatherapy! Use cannabis terpenes (like linalool and myrcene) found in certain strains to promote calm and stress reduction. Look for lavender-scented CBD products (like lotions or candles) that incorporate relaxing terpenes.
Create a Cannabis-Infused Self-Care Ritual: Pair a soothing cannabis bath bomb with a warm bath for total relaxation. You can also try a cannabis face mask or massage oil after a long day of shopping or family activities. Trust us: your mental health will thank you.
Give Your Loved Ones the Gift of Decompression This Year
Whether you need to lower your stress levels or you want to find the most relaxing gift possible this year, cannabis is the way to go.
This special plant can help you easily navigate stress, pain, and mood complications during this hard season, allowing you to feel more grounded — and more like yourself.
If you’re interested in getting marijuana easier than ever, and at a more affordable price than recreational weed, medical marijuana cards are the perfect answer.
Being an MMJ patient means having access to top-shelf weed at low prices, and you get priority service everywhere you go.
If you have someone in your family who could benefit from some natural relaxation — or you want to finally prioritize your own mental health — now’s the time to get your hands on a medical marijuana card from Elevate Holistics.
Our appointments are quick, virtual, and affordable. Plus, you can gift them to your friends and family and make their whole year that much better.
Click the button below to start managing your holiday stress levels now.
