PMA: Positive Mental Attitude
We who have been enjoying the benefits of Cannabis for decades can verify that yes, the plant helps immensely with achieving a PMA.
I just penned a piece at my other blog, A Diary Left Open, about how I found happiness and how my readers can find it, too.
Hint: The access to happiness patiently resides inside yourself, ready to surface at any time you call it forth. The thing about manifestation is that it can go either way. So you have to be careful that you “always look on the bright side of life.”
The best illustration of this occurs in Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” in the crucifixion scene:
Why is There So Much Unhappiness in the World Today?
There are a lot of distractions out there, including two really big ones: Politics and Religion.
People do not feel like they are in control of their own lives. So they lash out at others, and/or they lash out at themselves.
They search far and wide for the solution to their distress. They run around chasing dreams that they cannot seem to land.
Here’s one golden piece of advice: The moment I stopped running and searching in desperation, my dreams began coming to me.
I’ve seen MANY motivational speakers in action: Tony Robbins, James Ray, Deepak Chopra. They’ve all built their careers and charge people money for something we already intrinsically know: Happiness lies within. So listen to your inner voice. The more credence you give it, the stronger it gets. Don’t doubt yourself!
The Four Agreements
Have you ever read the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ortiz?
To summarize:
Be Impeccable With Your Word,
Don't Take Anything Personally,
Don't Make Assumptions,
Always Do Your Best
These guidelines are easy to remember, more concise than Ten Commandments, and more comprehensive than the Golden Rule.
In this Age of Social Media, there are so many portals to rabbit holes that can trigger you, particularly during this American election year. Deep fake AI-generated content, potential fraud, conspiracy theories, predictions of a bleak future; it’s emotionally taxing. It’s so overwhelming to young people, many of them are taking their own lives because they feel so depressed. I remember my niece confiding to me after watching the first Avatar movie that she felt unhappy to walk out of the movie theater and back into reality. She now takes antidepressants. (Yes, I told her cannabis would be a better alternative. She rolled her eyes.)
It’s okay to walk away from Social Media when it isn’t serving you. Then return to it when you are ready. Be more particular about where you click and spend your precious time.
Cannabis as a Mental Health Tool
In navigating the white-capping waters of the “Interwebs,” we now have to protect ourselves from constant onslaughts occurring within the private realms of our own computers and cell phones.
The things I do to keep myself safe:
I practice Yoga, Meditation and deep breathing.
I ride my mountain bike on beautiful trails (mostly singletrack) that carry me to sacred spaces in Nature. When climbing mountains, I breathe deeply. Riding through forests, I revel in the oxygen. On the high-desert trails, it’s a pleasure to partake in sage terpenes - essential oils at their source. Since I ride with friends I love, these forays into Nature together also strengthen the friendship bonds. Hiking also works.
Cannabis gummies help enhance my journey in life; I take one prior to physical activities to manage the pain of degenerative arthritis. Cannabis doesn’t cure the arthritis, but it eliminates the pain and centers me so I can achieve and enjoy a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude).
In social party settings, I enjoy smoking buds in a glass pipette. One or two hits, and I’m good. No paper, no fuss, no muss. And it facilitates great philosophical conversation with like-minded humans.
Sativas enhance my artistic endeavors. Indicas help me sleep through the night.
Caveats on Cannabis
Take control of your own health. Esteemed Cannabis Nurses all advise starting “low and slow.” If you have never tried cannabis before, talk about it with a friend who has.
If you live in a state where Cannabis has finally been legalized and you’d like to try it but don’t know where to begin, step into your local dispensary and talk to the budtender. I even made a video about this, the first time I walked into a dispensary.
You may also be able to find a Cannabis Nurse in your neck of the woods who can create a customized plan for you.
Reefer Madness Continues
Beware of news stories that continue to stigmatize viewers. I saw a story recently on a local ABC news station about a teenager whose parents claimed he had turned into a “zombie” by allegedly smoking “today’s industrial-strength marijuana.” Hmmm, okay, what other drugs did he take? Many teens experiment with a plethora of available drugs. When I was young, glue-sniffing was the drug du jour. What other chemicals were present in zombie-boy’s system? Where was any mention of questionable parenting? Where did he obtain this so-called “industrial-strength marijuana?” On the street? So many unanswered questions, such archaic-reefer-madness delivered with a straight face by the reporter. But I know why.
That network as well as all the others play a constant stream of pharma-ads. BigP spends a billion dollars a month on television advertising. Think of all the people who have passed away from opioids - “sanctioned drugs” - alone. Elvis, Prince, Michael Jackson, Tom Petty, and the list goes on. Cannabis has been proven in studies by our own government to be an exit from opioids, but do we hear much about that?
A friend who recently visited from Australia could not stop shaking her head at the number of farmie ads she noticed. “It’s ridiculous,” she said.
Yes, it’s ridiculous. And it’s up to all of us to change it.