By Alex Mitchell - Certified Cannabis Coach & Educator

Today, I am feeling better than I have in the past fifteen years. My life changed when I embraced Cannabis and used it to improve my mental and physical health.

Like many people, the pandemic beginning in 2020 drastically changed my life. In one week, I lost my job, welcomed a new puppy home, and began home-schooling my son. I had planned for the puppy, but not for the sudden loss of my career, or for the need to become teacher and playmate as we all sheltered in place.

Coping with Pandemic Stress and Anxiety through Cannabis Consumption

This signaled the start of big changes in my life. Luckily, I live in a state where cannabis is legal. I had already begun to explore cannabis as a recreational outlet — wow, so much better for me than alcohol. With the pandemic in full swing, I began consuming Cannabis more often. At first, I began smoking Cannabis occasionally, then added in edibles. And then I started to notice how much better I was feeling despite the major stressors in my life at the time. I continued to explore and read, and realized that with Cannabis, I might actually be able to wean myself from anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications that I had been taking for years.

I always had a tendency toward depression, but the birth of my son in 2011 led to a bout of postpartum depression (PPD) that continued for the next ten years. I finally began taking anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication in late 2015. At that point, I was in tears daily, I had trouble getting out of bed every morning and I felt that my life was falling apart. And with these medications, my mood did improve, but I still wasn’t myself.

Using Cannabis as an Alternative to Anti-Depressants and Anti-Anxiety Medications

Fast forward to 2020 again and as I continued my journey with cannabis, I realized that to get back to my true self, I needed to stop taking prescription medications. Working with my doctor and therapist, we made a plan to slowly decrease my dosage until I was able to completely stop taking medication in the spring of 2021. During this time, I was consuming Cannabis through smoking and edibles, usually smoking a few times a week and an edible every evening. These were both focused on THC.

Exploring Multi-Cannabinoid for Holistic Health Benefits

In 2021, I decided to focus on a new career as a Cannabis coach and began a coach training program. Through this, I met like-minded people and learned so much about Cannabis. With the assistance of my own Cannabis coach, I shifted my consumption to be focused on multi-cannabinoid tinctures that I learned to make myself. I was now consuming not only THC but CBD, CBG as well as the acid forms of the three major cannabinoids, THCA, CBDA, and CBGA. My daytime use of THC decreased, and I shifted it to using THC as a sleep aid while the tincture I consumed during the day was made up of the other five cannabinoids. This is the basic protocol that I still use today, supplementing with additional cannabinoids as needed.

Overcoming Stigma Talking With My Doctor

Last year I checked in with my doctor and took the depression and anxiety screening tests, as is standard when one has been taking medications such as these. When my doctor reviewed my results from previous years against my current results, she was amazed.

At this point, secure in my knowledge that cannabis truly made the difference for me, I talked with her about it. I had felt the stigma about Cannabis and had not informed her as I was coming off of my medication that I was replacing it with Cannabis. But at this visit, secure in my own body and mind, and with the knowledge I had gained via my training, I had that conversation with her. And it went great. She was supportive, interested and open to the conversation.

Achieving a Healthy Mind and Body through Cannabis

So, now I find myself feeling better than I have in over 15 years! Even better than I felt before the bout of PPD. It’s been an amazing, life-changing time for me. I’m now an integrative life coach with an active practice, my son is thriving, and my puppy is all grown up. I credit my relationship with Cannabis to the healthy brain that I now enjoy.

For more information about Cannabis for anxiety and depression, I highly recommend Dr. Bonni Goldstein’s book “Cannabis is Medicine.”

About Alex:

Alex Mitchell is a cannabis life coach and educator, as well as a cannabis medical patient. She works with people who are seeking deep change in their lives, whether that is through the use of plant medicine or other change work techniques.

Effective Cannabis Newsletter is a platform to educate on the vital role of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) in one's health. The information is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information contained in or available through this newsletter is for general information purposes only. It is not medical advice; it is health awareness.