Cannabis can do wonders for those with post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is a psychological condition in which previous trauma, from either single or multiple events, makes it difficult to mentally recover. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, at any given moment, between three and five percent of Americans suffer from the condition. This figure equates to roughly 8 million people.
Of course, the plant has its well-known medicinal benefits. Especially for veterans, domestic violence survivors, and others who suffer from PTSD, cannabis can help treat the symptoms of fear, rage, anxiety, anger, insomnia, flashbacks and depression.
However, the plant’s medical characteristics aren’t the only beneficial thing for those suffering with PTSD. Indeed, the art of growing cannabis at home offers many healing advantages. Here are four of them.
Growing Cannabis Boosts Independent Learning, Which Acts As A Positive Distraction
First off, growing cannabis requires independent learning. Self-education is a core component of home growing. For example, you can start growing your cannabis library, not only with books about growing itself, but the history of cannabis and how it has been policed. Suggested titles include Grow Your Own: Understanding, Cultivating, and Enjoying Marijuana, and A Narco History: How the United States and Mexico Jointly Created the “Mexican Drug War.”
Your brain thrives on motivation, so mental stimulation through learning is a good way to keep mindfully occupied while dealing with the effects of PTSD.
Growing Is A Mild Physical Activity That Helps Reduce Stress
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a good way to bolster your treatment of PTSD is to engage in mild exercise to help relieve the physical and mental pressure. Also, cannabis is a social experience. The #CannabisCommunity is a welcoming one and represents a great way to find fellowship. If you hook yourself up with some core coursework, such as online classes or (if possible) in-person classes, not only will you be engaged in learning, but you’ll also have a peer community to learn with.
Growing Establishes A Healthy Routine
Third, growing cannabis requires establishing a strict routine and sticking to it rigorously.
Psychologists often recommend clients with mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, establish routines in the morning and/or night in aid of self-care. When you’re mentally drained, things like taking vitamins and brushing your teeth can seem overbearing, so creating a system can help revive those healthy habits.
This is also the reason why mental health professionals recommend their clients get pets. When stressed people keep furry friends in the home, they have external motivation to care for themselves, because they’ll have another living being to care for as well.
But you don’t need a pet to care for another living being. That living being can just as easily be a cannabis plant. Not only does growing require thoughtfully selecting the right equipment for your grow op, but it also requires regularly cleaning dead leaves and dusty grow lights — activities that again represent healthy and mild physical activity.
There Is Nothing Like Growing Your Own Cannabis
In general, there’s nothing like growing your own anything, whether it’s herbs, vegetables, fruit — you name it. Growing cannabis can take weeks and even months of preparation, so when your plant finally sprouts and is ready to harvest, you can feel incredibly accomplished.
It must be noted that you do have to observe which strains you’re choosing to grow, because when consumed, some sativas are known to increase psychological symptoms such as anxiety, while indicas have the opposite effect.
Like any other type of gardening, cannabis can sometimes take a few times (OK, a lot of times) to get it right. Find joy in the process. It can be a meditative and rewarding journey, because once you get it right, that feeling will be worthwhile.