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How a Cannabis Journal Can Benefit Your Therapeutic Exploration

December 8, 2020 11:30 am ET Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes

How a Cannabis Journal Can Benefit Your Therapeutic Exploration

When it comes to choosing your cannabis, the process may be more complicated than you’ve realized. There are a lot of things to consider in order to ensure you get the experience you want. You may want to select a CBD dominant strain, for example, or maybe you prefer one that offers a higher content of THC. In addition to the wide variety of cannabinoids available in the plant, consider how they interact with terpenes as you think about what strain is right for you. You should also think about WHY you’re using cannabis. If you’re trying to mitigate anxiety, that’s going to be a completely different need than if you’re trying to get yourself focused and energized. If you want to zone out, relax, and fall asleep in front of the TV—a worthy pursuit!—you’ll want a different strain than you might if you’re planning on going for a hike through a national park. And, of course, cannabis needs are going to vary from person to person. No one will be able to tell you exactly which strain of cannabis will best suit your needs, because everyone is wired a little bit differently, and everyone will individually respond a little differently to different strains. The best thing you can do is to establish a working knowledge of cannabis by starting a cannabis journal

How to Record Your Cannabis Experiences

If you’re not accustomed to journaling, you might want to start with a pre-made journal that will guide you through the journaling process. You can find several options by simply doing an internet search for ‘cannabis journal’—choose the one you like best, and off you go! If you don’t want to purchase a pre-made journal, you can easily create a cannabis journal with any blank notebook that you can commit to the project.

Try and devote a full page to describing every strain you try and how each makes you feel. Remember that it’s okay if your first few entries aren’t that detailed. You’ll learn as you go how to make the journal work for you. There’s plenty to record! We recommend taking note of the following:

Where you got your cannabis—the same strain from a different source might come out slightly different.
What form it’s in. Are you smoking, vaping, or enjoying an edible?
Take note of the appearance and smell.
How do you want to feel? Also, how do you feel right now, before partaking?
As you enjoy your cannabis, make notes on the experience. If writing while high isn’t right for you, you can jot down keywords or even draw pictures or use stickers. Whatever’s going to make the journal useful and legible to you going forward.
Make sure to note things you did like and things you didn’t like about the experience. Try to consider both categories—your journal won’t help you if you only focus on the “good” or “bad” experiences. You need nuance.

Using Your Cannabis Journal

Take your cannabis journal with you when you shop for your next batch. Your budtender might be able to make recommendations based on what you’ve liked in the past, especially if you’re able to provide detailed information about why you liked what you did. You can also use your cannabis journal to help make recommendations to others in your life. If a less experienced friend is looking for the perfect strain of cannabis, you can show them the strains you’ve tried. Help them make a selection based on what you’ve enjoyed and why. Having more knowledge about how cannabis affects you is always for the best. Start your cannabis journal today!

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Posted by Kat Helgeson

Kat Helgeson comes from a ten year career in social media marketing and content creation. She takes pride in her ability to communicate the culture and values of an organization via the written word. Kat is also the author of numerous books for young adults. Her titles have received the Junior Library Guild Award, the Bank Street College of Education Best Books of the Year Distinction, and been featured on the Illinois Reads selection list. Her work has been translated into Dutch and German.