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The BEST Gin And Tonic Cocktails To Make

Warren Bobrow
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The BEST Gin And Tonic Cocktails To Make

Nothing signals summer more than the classic gin and tonic. The bracing refreshment of the quinine-a bitter beacon against the sweet/tart of the always cane sugar (never high fructose corn syrup) tonic water. Why cane sugar? First of all, the high fructose stuff is cloying and sweet. Cane sugar has depth and patience, along with a haunting sweetness; one that is neither too sweet, nor too tart and definitely not out of balance. The Gin and Tonic is more than just a sum of its parts. It is a metaphor for relaxation. Here are 5 ways to make them all for yourself.

Bourbon
Photo by Eaters Collective via Unsplash

Way Down East

  • 2 oz. oven roasted lemonade (slice lemons in half, sprinkle with white balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp. ‘Sugar in the Raw’ then roast for two hours at 300 degrees, cool and juice, then add cane sugar to taste)
  • 3 oz. botanical gin, such as Barr Hill, created from raw honey and local Vermont grain
  • 1 oz. cane sugar tonic water (of your choice, but always made with cane sugar)
  • 5 drops celery bitters
  • Roasted lemon rounds

Prepare the oven roasted lemonade according to the above. To a Collins glass, fill: ¾ with ice. Add the gin. Top with the oven roasted lemonade. Top that with the tonic water. Dot with the celery bitters. Garnish with a slice of roasted lemon. Serve.

Related: The BEST Delicious Whiskey Cocktails

The next take on the Gin and Tonic is with a brilliant gin from Spain that is botanical — from the gathered herbs — quite refreshing and the addition of lemon zest in the glass brings this cocktail to another level entirely. As the former cocktail had lemon juice in it that was roasted first, this cocktail is based on both a lemon oil rubbed into the walls of the cocktail glass and a few threads of saffron- combined with cane sugar simple syrup, tonic bitters and good sized splash of Stiegl Grapefruit Radler, a splendid grapefruit infused beer from Germany. I don’t see it used in cocktails much and I wonder why not?

The Intellectualist

  • 2 oz. Mahon gin (from Spain)
  • 1 oz. Royal Rose saffron simple syrup
  • 4 oz. Stiegl Grapefruit Radler
  • 4-6 drops tonic bitters
  • Lemon zest (no pith!)

Rub the inside of a Collins glass with the lemon zest. Add ice and set to cool. Meanwhile, in a cocktail mixing glass: fill ¾ with ice and combine the Mahon gin with the Royal Rose simple syrup. Strain over the Collins glass and ice. Dot with tonic bitters. Top with the Stiegl Grapefruit Radler. Serve. So easy!

Related: 5 Brilliant Cannabis-Infused Daiquiri Recipes

Another simple take on the classic uses ingredients that your supermarket has, I’m pretty sure of it.

The Optimistic Panda

  • 3 oz. botanical gin, such as St. George rye gin
  • 2 oz. lemongrass infused simple syrup — cane sugar only!*
  • 3 oz. cane sugar tonic water
  • Splash of sherry (Fino style)

*smash lemongrass with the side of your chef’s knife, add to 1:1 simple syrup (cane sugar to boiling water, stir well) in the fridge overnight

Prep: To a pair of coupe glasses, pre-chill with ice and set aside to cool. To a cocktail mixing glass: fill ¾ with ice. Add the botanical gin and the lemongrass simple syrup. Stir. Strain into the coupes. Top with tonic water. Serve with a small strip of lemongrass over the top and a bar spoon of sherry.

If you love the refreshing characteristics of a Gin and Tonic in the heat of the summer to whet your appetite or sate your thirst, this Indian influenced sip is just for you!

Chai Masala Gin And Tonic

  • 1 oz. chai tea mix (reconstituted into 3 oz. of botanical gin, such as Caorunn gin from Scotland)
  • Pinch of cardamom and clove powder
  • 3 oz. cane sugar tonic of your choice

To a Collins glass filled ¾ with ice: Add the tea and gin mixture. Top with the cane sugar tonic water. Serve with brilliance and alacrity!

Ah, sage. My favorite kind of ingredient for the G&T is that leaf — a haunting reminder of the fall, easily translated to the experience of cocktail infamy with the addition of Fruitations cranberry syrup.

Related: 5 Great Ways To Use Fresh Herbs In Your Craft Cocktails 

Pro-Tip: Toast the sage by lighting it on fire over a fire-proof surface and capturing the smoke inside an inverted Boston Shaker.

Smoked Sage And Cranberry Tonic And Gin

  • Sage leaf
  • Boston Shaker (well chilled to capture the smoke)
  • 2 oz. Fruitations cranberry soda and cocktail syrup
  • 3 oz. Bulldog gin
  • 3 orange zests (preserved in cane sugar for a month before using)
  • 6 oz. cane sugar tonic water

Toast sage leaf with fire, capture the smoke in your Boston Shaker. Quickly invert and fill ¾ with ice. Meanwhile, rub the inside of two double old fashioned glasses with the orange zests and deposit at the bottom of the glass. Add ice to the glass. Add the Bulldog gin to the Boston Shaker filled with sage smoke and ice. Add the Fruitations syrup. Cap and shake hard for 20 seconds. Strain into the double Old-Fashioned glasses. Top with cane sugar tonic water. Garnish with a toasted sage leaf.

Do Relaxing CBD Bath Bombs Work

Maria Loreto
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Do Relaxing CBD Bath Bombs Work

A relaxing bath with CBD bath bombs probably sounds nice right about now. Here’s what you should know about them.

CBD bath bombs are some of the most successful CBD products on the market, combining skin care and relaxation — two of the compound’s strongest benefits with the most proven results. But how effective are they, really?

It’s hard knowing which results are real and which ones are exaggerated. CBD bath bombs are believed to be very helpful by those who use them, with dozens of blog posts discussing their benefits and perks. Even if the CBD provides little to no effects, the negative side effects of CBD topicals are limited and there’s really no way of going wrong with a well made bath bomb.

It’s important to keep in mind that there’s a big limitation with all CBD products due to a lack of scientific research. This is due to a lack of resources for these studies that can be chalked up to FDA limitations and the compound’s complex legal situation.

RELATED: A Beginner’s Guide To Buying CBD Products

CBD bath bombs are simple products that work like many other CBD topicals. These bombs are dissolved in hot bath where users submerge themselves, staying there for at least 30 minutes in order to reap full benefits. CBD bath bombs claim to relax you and help you get rid of stress; they also treat body aches and nourish your skin.

how to come down from a marijuana high quickly bath
Photo by Roberto Nickson via Unsplash

Aside from interacting with the cannabinoid receptors in your skin, a decent CBD bath bomb should also contain a good amount of essential oils that will augment the bomb’s soothing and relaxing effects.

RELATED: 5 Ways To Incorporate Effective CBD Products Into Your Everyday Life

Despite the mystery that surrounds CBD, CBD bath bombs are some of the most accessible products available. Although there’s no way of proving how valid they are unless CBD goes through rigorous testing, CBD topicals have a track record of plenty of skin benefits. They’re also some of the least invasive ways for people to try out the compound.

Trying To Make Cannabis SAFER And Save You Money

Terry Hacienda
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Trying To Make Cannabis SAFER And Save You Money

The GOP and Biden aren’t concerned about small businesses…or your wallet

Having a 40 hour a week job and working hard should not be a reason you are flagged to not get a car loan. Building a legal business you are passionate about shouldn’t be the reason your bank shuns you. Over 40 states have some form of legal weed and over 48 million have used marijuana. Roughly 90% of Americans believe it should be legal in some form or another.  Yet, the GOP and Biden administration believe myths and prefer a thriving illicit (and dangerous) market over a legal, safe, beneficial legal market. There is one elected who is trying to make cannabis SAFER and save you money!

Currently, marijuana business owners, with over 90% being small businesses, operate in an environment where they deal with large amounts of money and second class citizen status.  And it directly affects the consumer. Robberies, zero tax breaks, expensive non traditional bank operating loans all get pushed to product cost, impacting the wallet of millions of consumers.

RELATED: Crimes Against Cannabis Soars In Seattle

This doesn’t count the 1,500 unlicensed New York City dispensaries which are crushing stores who have gone to the mammoth lengths and huge cost the state has required to operate legally.  And they are upcharing consumers also!

Washington State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti
Washington State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti

The Washington state Treasurer, Michael Pellicciotti, is leading a group of bipartisan legal state officials to help the Senate understand the practical need for SAFER banking. While pleased the new bill has seen more progress than any other, he knows there is more work to done. 

One issue around the lack of a SAFER Banking act it makes it harder on the regular workers of businesses to get car, house and other traditional loans.  Without SAFER Banking, this is seen as a negative and counts against a regular worker who is holding onto a steady job.  Even with a well paying job, banks are more likely to look at through a “no” lens.

Pellicciotti has an important ally in Washington Senator Patty Murray.  Murray is the number three in the Senate, a co-sponsor of SAFER Banking, and a champion. Her support is an excellent counterbalance to Mitch McConnell is has been fighting legal marijuana.

Pellicciotti shared “The lack of routine banking services for cannabis businesses and their employees have industry-wide consequences. For employees, in addition to the continued safety risks of working in a cash rich environment, participation in the cannabis workforce can become a barrier to accessing necessary financial services such as car loans, mortgages, and even checking accounts.”

“For businesses, operating costs are uniquely inflated due to higher insurance and liability rates, security costs, and added fees for those businesses that are able to bank with state chartered financial institutions. Added together, these factors create tremendous pressure at every level of the industry that impacts daily operations and drives up prices.”

RELATED: Nobody Understands How High Edibles Will Make Them

Pellicciotti has an important ally in Washington Senator Patty Murray.  Murray is the number three in the Senate, a co-sponsor of SAFER Banking, and a champion. Her support is an excellent counterbalance to Mitch McConnell is has been fighting legal marijuana.

“It’s ridiculous that legal cannabis businesses in Washington state are forced to operate entirely in cash—and it puts the safety of their employees and our neighborhoods at risk,” said Senator Murray. “That’s why I’ve been working for years on SAFE Banking legislation and I’m thrilled to see bipartisan momentum behind this bill, which has now advanced further than ever in the U.S. Senate. The SAFER Banking Act is an important first step in doing the right thing for small business owners and the communities they operate in—and I’m going to keep pushing to get it across the finish line. We can’t stop there, though—we need to work towards broader cannabis policy reforms that address the long history of racial injustice and criminalization that have harmed so many communities across the country.”

Wishing this team good luck in trying to make cannabis SAFER and save you money!

Does Charlize Theron Smoke Weed

Maria Loreto
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Does Charlize Theron Smoke Weed

“I really appreciated marijuana way more than alcohol or anything else,” the actress once said. Has her view changed? Let’s discuss.

Charlize Theron, one of Hollywood’s most talented actresses, has a real knack for picking roles allowing her to showcase her abilities. She became a force on the big screen, and watching her career develop has been incredible for moviegoers. Known for both her transformative roles (“Monster,” “Bombshell”) and numerous action movies (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Atomic Blonde”), she’s one of the coolest people out there, always getting involved with new and interesting projects.  She recently was photographed being stunning at the Dior fashion show in Paris.

Kenneth Branagh, the actor and Thor director is quoted:

“Charlize is a whirlwind of sexual energy. I hate to burden people with expectations but Charlize seems to me an effortless star presence. She’s fearless, beguiling, a big card player and quite a hoot.”

Theron has been pretty open about her past marijuana use. But where is she with weed?

She’s made public comments ranging from the fact that she didn’t try weed until she was older and that her mom used to come over to her house to drop off edibles.

RELATED: Does Joss Whedon Smoke Weed?

“She showed up at my house, literally drove in her little tennis outfit and brought me a little container and just left it on my kitchen table,” Theron told Jimmy Fallon. “She was like, ‘So I got some blueberry-covered chocolate ones, but if you want it faster-acting, you should go for the mints. Those you suck, and it works faster.’ ”

Charlize Theron Liked To 'Wake And Bake' For Most Of Her Life
Photo by Flickr user Gage Skidmore

That same year, while speaking with E! News, she discussed her weed habits more in depth, explaining that while she used to wake and bake regularly, she’s now taking it slower. “But I really appreciated marijuana way more than alcohol or anything else. My chemistry was really good with it when I was younger and then it just changed one day. Like, in my early thirties I just became boring on it and I would just stand in front of my fridge, so that’s no good.”

Theron explains that she doesn’t know what changed in her system when it comes to her marijuana use, only that she needed a break. She has discussed potentially using it for sleep.   Around 70% of young adults casually using cannabis report that they do so to help them sleep.

RELATED: Do The Dixie Chicks Smoke Weed?

“I’m open to retrying it again because now there’s all these different strains and you can be specific with it,” she said. “And I’m actually really interested because I have really bad insomnia, and I’d much rather get off sleeping pills and figure out a strain that helps me sleep better. So when I have a moment, I’m actually doing that with my mom. My mom has really bad sleep too.”

It seems she might not be currently waking and baking, but potentially, Theron and her mom might be receiving a little help for a good night’s sleep.

Recreating A Flaming Homer From The Simpsons

Amy Hansen
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Recreating A Flaming Homer From The Simpsons

Duff Beer and doughnuts are two fake foodstuffs that are pretty hard to eff up. But the cocktails featured on “The Simpsons” are a total mess, a pleasure not to have existing in real life.

That didn’t stop Cocktail Chemistry from attempting to recreate literal versions of a few choice drinks from the show, including Skittlebrau (beer and Skittles) and the Flaming Homer, which Homer invented during an episode where he was booze desperate and combined the end bits of every liquor bottle in his cupboard, including a bottle of kids cough syrup. Fortunately, Cocktail Chemistry had the good sense to make a more palatable version of this drink, minus the Dimetapp and “21 run” booze.

RELATED: Study Shows Women Who Use Marijuana Have Better….

A  more challenging recreation involved a single plum, perfume, and a man’s hat. Watch for yourself. Two of the drinks are worth a home bar attempt.

 

RELATED: Great Fall Whiskeys

The drinks first showed up when it aired on the Fox network on November 21, 1991. In the episode, Homer tells Moe Szyslak about the Flaming Homer, an alcoholic cocktail of cough medicine and fire that he invented. Moe steals Homer’s recipe, renames it the Flaming Moe and sells it at his tavern.

 

4 Ways Weed Works in The Bedroom

Mary Sauer
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4 Ways Weed Works in The Bedroom

As if more frequent sex and an increased desire for sex isn’t good enough, it appears that weed makes the whole experience better. Who doesn’t want that?

There’s been a lot of debate about whether or not it’s a good idea to use marijuana before having sex. For some time, the assumption has been made that being high probably isn’t going to improve what happens in the bedroom, but research says otherwise.

Instead, it seems that the majority of users experience some benefit from using weed before sex. Here’s a look at four specific ways marijuana makes for better intimacy.

Increased Sexual Desire

If we’re being totally upfront, and that’s how we do things around here, the effect of marijuana on libido varies from person to person. Of course, this shouldn’t be all that surprising since we already know that not everyone experiences a high in the same way.

That being said, there is some evidence that marijuana can increase sexual desire in a large percentage of adults. For instance, in 2011, Michael Castleman, MA, surveyed his readers at Psychology Today to find out how marijuana affected their libido. Only 12% reported decreased desire while using marijuana while 67% said they experienced increased libido. The remaining respondents said that dose and strain seemed to influence their experience.

These results are in line with additional research published in 2017 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, which found 62% of study female participants associated marijuana use with increased sex drive.

More Frequent Sex

4 Ways Cannabis And Sex Complement Each Other
Photo by eclipse_images/Getty Images

RELATED: What Is Your Marijuana Use Doing To Your Penis?

A look at the general population reveals that nearly half of adults are engaging in intercourse roughly once a week, or a few times a month. More frequent sex doesn’t necessarily improve happiness, but individuals who hope to have more frequent sex might give regular marijuana use a try.

Here’s why. In 2017, analysis of self-reported marijuana use and sexual frequency was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Both men and women who use weed daily self-reported having 20% more sex than those who abstain.

Better Sex

As if more frequent sex and an increased desire for sex isn’t good enough, it appears that weed makes the whole experience better. Who doesn’t want that?

In the research mentioned above, the female participants also reported experiencing more pleasure during sex if they used marijuana before becoming intimate. More specifically, 68 percent shared that sex was better while high and 62 reported a more pleasurable orgasm when they used marijuana before sex. A smaller percentage said that weed use seemed to increase vaginal lubrications as well.

Reducing Anxiety

Legalizing Medical Marijuana Causes People To Have More Sex
Photo by Witthaya Prasongsin/Getty Images

The pressure to perform can have a negative effect on how both men and women experience sex. Erectile dysfunction can be caused by or worsened by feeling anxious.

RELATED: Marijuana As A Sexual Aid? Here’s What The Experts Say

The right dose of marijuana could help lessen anxiety. According to research published by the University of Washington, a low dose of marijuana is the most effective for calming anxiety. In contrast, a high dose might increase symptoms of anxiety. This means, if your hope is to keep cool in the bedroom, your best bet to take it easy and start slow with pre-love making marijuana consumption.

For those who experience anxiety while high, trying different strains may help. Additionally, cannabidiol, which is a non-psychoactive cannabis product, has been found to reduce anxiety at all doses.

Here’s What You Need to Know First

Thinking about using marijuana before sex? There are a few things you need to know beforehand. In general, it isn’t a good idea to just go for it. Take some time to experiment with different doses and strains before having sex while high. In general, it seems that starting with a low dose is probably the best.

Lastly, and this goes without saying, never ever dose your partner without permission or pressure them into using marijuana before sex. Like all sexual experiences, consent is a non-negotiable when you’re using weed in the bedroom.

Medical Doctor Take On The Benefits Of Cannabis

Kate-Madonna Hindes
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Medical Doctor Take On The Benefits Of Cannabis

June Chin, MD has dedicated her career to finding integrative and holistic ways of treating patients after she discovered how beneficial cannabis was in treating her own chronic pain.

With over a decade of experience, Dr. June Chin has focused on interactive osteopathic medicine for individuals with epilepsy, cancer, and autism. Practicing medicine in California, Dr. Chin has utilized the state’s legalized medical cannabis access by empowering her patients with knowledge about CBD and marijuana’s benefits. 

Dr. Chin recently shared an exclusive interview with The Fresh Toast on where cannabis is going and what health practitioners should know. When asked why she was such an advocate for cannabis, Dr. Chin shared that her personal pain journey led her to advocate not just for patients, but for doctors to get information firsthand. Here is her story.

“As a teenager, I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a progressive type of arthritis that affects the spine, pelvis, hips, and back and causes extreme stiffness and nerve pain. 

“I spent my younger years trying conventional treatments — epidurals, narcotics, muscle relaxants, acupuncture, physical therapy — but the pain was unrelenting. By the time I got to medical school in San Francisco, I was having difficulty standing for long periods in the operating room. One of the attending physicians saw this and asked me about it. I told him I had AS but that I couldn’t take the meds I needed for relief while doing rounds or while attending a four-hour hip-replacement surgery because they made me drowsy and foggy. 

Is Sex Safe For Essential Workers?
Photo by Karolina/Kaboompics via rawpixel.com

“Here I was in a hospital surrounded by great medical minds, but I was disheartened to find nothing could help my condition. The attending physician and my mentor Dr. Levine pulled me aside and handed me a bottle containing a tincture. ‘This is marijuana,’ he told me, ‘but it won’t make you high.’

RELATED: A Pain Management Doctor Shares How Marijuana Is Impacting His Patients

“He didn’t call it CBD oil. He just said it was a different type of cannabis plant. I was mortified but desperate. As a medical student, training to be a doctor, my first thought was, “You are offering me pot? You want to make me a drug addict?” I grew up in the Bronx, where there was a huge social stigma around marijuana. Kids that smoked weed were either the dropouts or involved in gangs. I also grew up in a very traditional Chinese household. My parents believed in reefer madness — weed led to psychosis and schizophrenia!

Doctor's Advice On How To Ease Anxiety Around Coronavirus
Photo by rawpixel.com

“The little brown dropper bottle Dr. Levine handed me smelled like a combination of alcohol, wet dog, and grass, and I didn’t know what to think. To my amazement, the tincture worked very well. The pain and inflammation of my arthritis decreased dramatically, my AS stopped progressing, and my health improved.

“Even though California legalized medical cannabis in 1996, I didn’t dare tell anyone I was using it. I was a young physician and didn’t want to jeopardize my career. But once I got my health back, I decided to learn more about cannabis and how it helps manage pain and improve people’s overall health and wellness. 

RELATED: How One Pediatrician Uses Marijuana And CBD In Palliative Care

“Having suffered in pain for so long, I know what it feels like to say to your doctor, ‘I’ve tried everything, and nothing has helped.’

“I have been helping patients integrate medical cannabis into their health and wellness for over a decade. Cannabis changed the trajectory of my life. I would not have been able to finish medical school and become a doctor had it not been for cannabis treatment. I had an educational advantage in doing my medical school training in California. California legalized medical cannabis in 1996. I was in the middle of a switch box and was able to engineer my circumstances to learn holistic, integrative cannabis medicine.”

Dr. Chin has seen firsthand just how much medical cannabis can benefit patients. A Bronx native, who moved back to New York several years ago, Dr. Chin is now registered with the New York State Medical Cannabis Program.  She is currently treating both children and adults in New York and is with AskCMD.com, a personalized cannabis service. 

The Risks Of Combining Cannabis And Birth Control

Maria Loreto
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The Risks Of Combining Cannabis And Birth Control

While more research is necessary, mixing weed and birth control could lead to negative side effects.

Smoking always comes with health hazards, from life threatening issues such as cardiovascular health and increased cancer odds, to more superfluous damages, like the health of your skin and teeth. When talking about pregnancies, smoking is one of the most risky and dangerous things you can do. What a lot of people don’t know is that smoking can also negatively impact your birth control.

The combination of smoking cigarettes and birth control has been linked to an increased risk of developing blood clots and other kinds of cardiovascular disorders. There are also a wide variety of birth control methods, with some of posing significant levels of risk all by themselves. For example, a couple of years ago, the makers of Nuva Ring were sued by different women who argued that this particular method of birth control increased their odds of getting blood clots and embolisms by a significant margin. All of these risks are increased for women over the age of 35 who have some sort of preexisting condition.

But what about smoking marijuana? What effect does that have on birth control? The short answer: Experts aren’t quite sure.

RELATED: What You Need To Know About Marijuana And Birth Control

While THC has been associated with elevated blood pressure, which could theoretically become an issue when combined with birth control, there haven’t been too many studies that support this theory. A 2016 study published in the  Journal of Hypertension found “a modest association between recent cannabis use and systolic blood pressure,” but stressed the importance of waiting for other studies to investigate further.

Another fact that people should contend with is that some experts believe THC could mess with your birth control and make it less effective, especially if the birth control is estrogen based. It appears that THC can actually increase estrogen levels, potentially putting you at higher risk of blood clots and stroke.

Birth Control
Photo by Simone van der Koelen via Unsplash

When it comes to CBD, studies show that the compound can interact with different substances we ingest, includes birth control pills.

According to CBD retailer Onyx + Rose, enzyme inhibitors such as CBD can potentially increase breakthrough bleeding and decrease estrogen-based contraceptive effectiveness, leading to an increased risk of unwanted pregnancy.

RELATED: How Birth Control Can Affect Your Sex Drive

A large percentage of people are using some kind of birth control, whether it’s pills, condoms or vaginal rings. Most can adapt these methods to their daily lives, still managing to smoke cigarettes or marijuana. What people can do to stay as safe as possible is to evaluate all of their options, to use birth control that is recommended to them by a professional, and to carefully consider which method of ingesting marijuana works best for them and their situation.

More research is clearly necessary in order to keep people safe and to help us all understand how cannabis interacts with our bodies. Until then, it’s best to have an honest conversation with your doctor.

Artful Ways To Practice Self-Care

Maria Loreto
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0
Artful Ways To Practice Self-Care

In these times of isolation, taking care of yourself should be a priority. Here are some ways you can start doing that right now.

Self-care is a loaded word, allowing for many interpretations. It can be something as simple as putting on a face mask or as complex as walking out of a toxic relationship.S ome of the most helpful ways of taking care of your mind and body when you’re feeling down are easy, like taking a shower or putting in the effort to make yourself a healthy meal. Creativity is also a great way to take care of yourself. Here are artful ways to practice self-care.

Known as an outlet for your feelings, the more you tap into your creative side, the easier it is to access it in the long term. These exercises can also help you cope with your emotions and the stressors in your life.

Art therapy

Although art therapy is usually associated with kids as a way of getting them to vent about their feelings, it’s also a helpful activity for adults. And there’s no need to be an artist in order to practice it. You only need to block out a fixed amount of time and start drawing or coloring. There are many helpful exercises, such as drawing a safe place, completing a color wheel, and more.

Journaling

journaling can improve your love life
Photo by Plush Design Studio via Unsplash

RELATED: 5 Ways To Get More Affordable Therapy

Keeping a journal is a simple habit that you can pick up at any point in your life. It’s a low stakes activity that provides a place to vent and dump thoughts that you don’t have to revisit if you don’t want to. If the pandemic has prompted a surge of feelings and emotions that are surprising and disrupting, a journal can be a good starting point to make lists, log the things that are getting you down and also a place to add stuff that you’re looking forward to…like travel and being able to hug your loved ones!

Crafts

Knitting, embroidery, quilting, etc. All of these activities require you to sit down and complete them by hand. This low stimulus process allows you to calm down and collect your thoughts and feelings. Start off slow, with a project that’s manageable in order to limit your frustration. You’ll eventually get into a groove which will feel incredibly cathartic!

Practice some healthy cooking

THC Out Of Your System
Photo by Roman Pohorecki via Pexels.

RELATED: 5 Self-Care Tips You Wish You Had Adopted Sooner

Cooking, when done in the right mindset, can be a liberating and even creative experience. It can help you bond with your loved ones and make you feel better about yourself. If you don’t have much experience, look up a simple recipe, put on some music, and try your hardest to make something that’s delicious and worth your time.

Reading

Reading can even relax your body by lowering your heart rate and easing the tension in your muscles. A 2009 study at the University of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress by up to 68%.  Unlike videos or movies, reading grabs your whole mind and takes it on a journey where you mental absorb and visualize what you are consuming.  This allows your mind to focus on something in a healthy way.

It provides us with a healthy escape.

Reading takes us out of our world (and minds) and into another world inside the pages of a book.

Response art

Whether you’re drawing or writing down something that inspires you, you likely have something that produces a strong reaction. Use these passionate feelings to make some art, even if you keep it to yourself. Doing this is a way of translating your emotions and feelings into something physical, and it’s very rewarding.

Does Dakota Johnson Smoke Weed

Maria Loreto
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0
Does Dakota Johnson Smoke Weed

Dakota Johnson is in the news again about her relationship with Chris Martin, but what we want to know is does she consume.

Dakota Johnson is known for her role in the “50 Shades of Grey” movies, and for being the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. After her contract was up, Johnson made the decision to use her spotlight to work with great directors, resulting in some really great films (no offense to “50 Shades”).  In addition, she is the partner of Coldplay’s Chris Martin. She was seen with her mother Melanie Griffith at the Coldplay concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA earlier this week.

Extremely private, she appeared all over social media again in 2020 due to some comments she made in 2017 that made some people question her sexuality. Of course, Twitter ate it up, making fancams, memes, and all sorts of viral posts about the unearthed info.

RELATED: Study Shows Women Who Use Marijuana Have Better….

Okay, but what we really want to know is: Does she smoke marijuana?

Johnson is pretty outspoken. Despite her privacy regarding her personal relationships, she’s open with the media, and has been the subject of some pretty epic clap backs against famous hosts. During a 2019 interview, Jimmy Fallon kept interrupting Johnson until she told him to stop. As for Ellen, Johnson called her out for missing her birthday party.

While doing press for one of the “50 Shades” movies, Johnson said that CBD was her secret when it comes to getting sleep while traveling. “I try to knock myself out on planes; otherwise my whole world falls apart,” she told Elle Magazine. 

Everything You Need To Know About Cannabis And Hemorrhoids
Photo by Cappi Thompson/Getty Images

RELATED: Does Joss Whedon Smoke Weed?

But that doesn’t really tells us much about her stance on weed, especially since every celebrity uses CBD. More interestingly, last year, she was photographed holding a MedMen shopping bag.  Her partner Chris Martin shared this with Rolling Stone “Personally, weed really does nothing for me”.  So it seems the Medmen may be for personal use.

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