Weed sales have skyrocketed since the start of the COVID-19 crisis — likely because people have been eager to make good use of their suddenly ample free time by diving head-first into doja. However, getting high can get old, especially if you don’t have new and exciting activities to keep your interest.
While getting fully and utterly stoned can be rewarding in its own way, if you are starting to get bored by your regular toke, here are a few ideas to keep you baked and busy:
Sample New Strains
When was the last time you wandered into your favorite Berkeley dispensary and bought something other than your usual? Though you shouldn’t spend too much time outside your home, where you might contract or spread coronavirus, you might devote some of your bud budgets to a new strain, something you haven’t ever tried before. You can ask your budtender for the best value in the shop, or sample some of their favorite strain.
Do Something Creative
Marijuana lowers your inhibitions. While this doesn’t inherently make you more creative, and it doesn’t necessarily help you come up with original ideas, it does help you overcome mental obstacles in your art and just plain create. Usually, stoners are a bit more successful at visual arts, so the next time you light up, prepare yourself with some watercolors, a lump of clay or some other artistic medium to get your creative muscles working.
Try Concentrates
Cannabis concentrates can have inconceivably high THC content, which makes for an overwhelming high. Unless you suffer from a medical condition, concentrates aren’t something you should use on a regular basis — but if you need to break out of your regular Reggie cycle, you might pick up some beginner-level concentrates on your next shopping excursion. You should talk to the budtender to find the right concentrates for you, but a good place to start is high-THC oils, kief, hash, and tinctures.
Take a Walk
Social distancing mandates do not necessarily equate to social isolation. Unless you are currently suffering from COVID-19, you should be able to walk around your neighborhood, staying at least six feet from your neighbors, without fear of communicating the disease.
One way to make your daily walk more exciting is to nibble an edible an hour or so beforehand. Then, your high will intensify as you explore your neighborhood, giving you a new perspective on old sights.
Bake Some Edibles
Speaking of edibles, you can buy all sorts of them at your local dispensary — or you can devote some quarantine time to becoming a stoner chef. The basic foundation for almost all marijuana munchies is cannabutter, which requires infusing some buds in melted butter. With cannabutter in your fridge, you can make all manner of cannabis culinary creations, from baked goods like brownies to pot pasta, foie gras, and more.
Meditate
Many frequent weed users enjoy the drug because it seems to calm their anxiety, but some studies indicate that marijuana can have a negative long-term impact on anxious responses. Instead of taking your regular dose every day, you might instead micro-dose and devote some time to various forms of meditation, which might give you more power over your anxious thoughts now and into the future.
Take a Bath
If sitting still isn’t your style, you might try meditating in the tub. Baths aren’t terribly efficient at getting you clean, but they are good at helping your muscles and mind relax. You might even load up your bathroom with CBD and THC toiletries, like special bath bombs, bath salts, bath oils, and the like. You might be surprised by just how much better a bath will make you feel.
Gain a Skill
Though research on the effect is slim, THC seems to help users hyper-focus on simple tasks. For example, marathoners agree that enjoying a small hit helps keep their mind on long-distance training runs, and you might remember a time you got high and cleaned your entire living space.
This focus should help you in an effort to gain some sort of skill — as long as that skill doesn’t require much critical thinking or memory. Skills like cooking, making music, doing yoga, and more can be much more enjoyable with a little weed in your system.
Clean Your Space
Speaking of cleaning, when was the last time your space enjoyed a truly deep clean? The next time you are high out of your mind, you should throw yourself into deep cleaning your home. Again, you shouldn’t overwhelm yourself with tasks that require deep thought, like decluttering, but getting all the grit out of your house is within your control.
Connect With Friends
Many stoners prefer to use marijuana in the company of friends, and you can still do that in quarantine — if you take precautions. The best way to connect with loved ones in this time is digitally, but if you can keep your distance, you might be able to safely meet up and smoke your own bowls in person, especially if you can get together in someone’s backyard or other space not likely to keep the COVID virus alive.
Quarantine has been hard on everyone, and seeing as though the pandemic is likely to get worse before it gets better, you should arm yourself with all sorts of distractions. Marijuana is great, but you will feel better in mind and body if you do more than get high and watch TV. Hopefully, the above activities inspire you to try something new.