16 - Seeded. How to Take a T- Break: Resetting Your Cannabis Tolerance with Bee and Ray.

In this episode of The Canna Curious Podcast, we’re talking about t- breaks also known as tolerance breaks. Whether you use cannabis for anxiety, pain, migraines, or perimenopause symptoms, sometimes it’s worth pausing to ask: Is my medicine still working the way I need it to?

Together with Bee and Ray, we dive into the why, when, and how of taking a break from cannabis. We explore what to expect physically and emotionally, how to avoid white-knuckling your way through it, and why planning, journaling, and self-compassion are your best allies.

We also unpack:

• Signs you might need a t break
• How to set an intention (and why it matters)
• How to handle withdrawal symptoms with care
• What to do if you can’t stop using cannabis completely
• The underestimated power of rest, routine, and reflection

Whether you’re taking a one-day pause or a three-week reset, this conversation is a reminder that your relationship with the plant can be intentional, empowering, and deeply supportive.

Resources Mentioned:

 🫖 Download the Tea Break Guide & Tracker → https://cannacurious.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cannabis-rest-reset-tolerance-break-6.pdf

If this episode resonates, let us know. Your feedback helps shape future episodes - and we love hearing your stories.

Bee Mohamed has worked in health policy for over 10 years, both in the public and private sectors. Bee was the inaugural CEO of ScriptWise, a health promotion charity addressing prescription medication addiction and overdose in Australia. 

Bee is passionate about patient advocacy and working towards better drug policy reforms in Australia. She is currently an Ambassador for Harm Reduction Australia and Founder of Mata, an online platform sharing stories from the plant medicine industry.

You can find her storytelling at @mata_gathering

Ray Steele is a storyteller and connector, finding her path in this work through involvement in social responsibility, agroecology, regenerative and bioregional projects for over 10 years. She is a passionate living systems advocate.

After 15 years of severe migraines, a return to natural therapies offered her relief and heightened awareness of the interconnectedness between healing and living systems.

You can find her @ray.steele

Transcript

Well, today, ladies, we're going to be talking about a tea break. I thought, first of all, what is a tea break? Who'd like to explain what a tea break, tolerance break, rest and reset, however you'd like to name it?

personal experience um a tolerance break for me has been when I'm assessing how effective my medical cannabis consumption is for my migraines and treating pain treating the after effects and symptoms after a migraine so sometimes that's helpful for me to check in on after I've been in a bit of a routine to see if it's still helping me in the way I need it to excellent

Same for me. I actually use the plant every day. And so at some points when I have high pain for sometimes two or three weeks, I realise the medication's not working as well as it could. I may be using more than usual. So it can be time for a tea break for me. Tea break for me is definitely when I'm using more than usual and because I use it for anxiety. So it's when I notice I stop doing it.

all the other tools is when I put myself on a tea break because I tend to just depend on my oils and I'm like I don't need anything else and so yeah it's just reassessing I'll use with the plants at times. So many people do do a tea break and there are some people that can't do a tea break because they're

medicine is needed every day whilst they can't stop using it each day you can actually extend the hours between the use of the plant you can also swap a cultivar over which can help if your medicine's not working so i always find that the best thing to do before a tea break is to set an intention and writing it down why do you need to take a tea break

How long would you like it to be for so that you don't have to think about it when you're in the middle of it? That's a great tip. I recently, not just for tea breaks, but when setting an intention, I write myself an email and schedule it. So I receive it at different points of time along that process. That's a good idea.

She sends herself emails to make sure. There's a bit of laughter going on in the background here for all of this organisation. So during Ray's prep time, she sends herself emails. For me, I usually tell everyone, actually. I'm like, I'm on a tea break because once I tell people, I have to do it. So that's part of my mental preparation. And I would pick three weeks. It is evidence-based that three weeks and over is a great time.

between sort of three and four weeks if you can manage it. So scheduling that out and knowing when that start date and finish date is going to happen. For me, when I take a tea break, I do not break from CBD. That is not a thing for me. I will use the lowest THC, but at that point, 0.3%, it really doesn't do much for me anyway.

So another thing that we – I don't know. I don't know. I'm sorry. You're really carrying us on your shoulders right now. Come on, you two. I'm like, no. These two are on a tea break just in case nobody had noticed. Sorry. I tried to do something there in that field as well. These two are on a tea break. I don't want to record any more with them when they are. No, I'm joking. So I think the other thing – so I did a tea break recently, so I've already done mine so I can be –

you know, look at you two and laugh now because I know what it's like. However, the issue that we have is not, you need to write things down. I think that's a big issue for a lot of people. Write it down, write each day down, write how you're feeling so that when you do a tea break again, you'll be like, oh, that's right. I felt like that on day two or three. Yeah. I have a question. So apart from my own personal practices,

Should we be also integrating our GP or our medical provider into tea breaks? Is that something that should be a consideration? I think it should be. Like I sort of feel when I was working at the dispensary, we got a lot of patients who would say, oh, you know, I need more of these plants or there's certain cultivars and working for me.

And instead of actually having that conversation with their prescriber, more often than not, they try to just swap for another product, you know. So I feel like there's a lot of opportunity for discussion there. Is there potentially a harm reduction conversation or is there potentially, you know, the strain that you're on is not working for you or is there something else that needs to be talked about? I think more often than not, people assume, oh, it's cannabis, it's fine, you know, I can keep using it, but...

sometimes it's really important like it goes back to the relationship of the plant is is what is it without that but like Carla said like for some patients you can't do that you know but this is why it's always better to have that conversation well not just your prescriber even your pharmacist in in these sort of um situations amazing I ask because I um in my experience it's very visceral because it's around treating pain so

There is no kind of grey area or intro and outro. It's a really needs-based interaction for me. So I was just curious about, you know, if your interaction with the plant is more around something like anxiety or other. And for me, like I use it for a variety of reasons, anxiety, pain, perimenopause, menopause. And I sometimes do have to ask myself that question and say, am I?

Am I becoming introspective? Am I getting downloads of things that I should be doing and I'm not doing because I may be using the plant too much? I ask myself that question constantly because I come from a background of using too much alcohol. So I'm very, very aware of it and it's important for me that it works the right way. I think it goes back, like setting the intention, yes.

That's definitely what I do when I go on tea break. But me personally, what helps is the journaling every day because it's sort of assessing how am I sitting without the CBD or the plant when I'm feeling anxious? Like what, you know, am I actually using it when I've done all the other practices like meditating and moving and eating well and all that stuff? So the journaling every day is really important as well. And like what Kyla said,

then you have that dossier to go back to when you want to do it again and actually understand. It's like, okay, well, this is what I felt the last time. So I think it's important. It's definitely not talked about a lot in this space at the moment. So hence why I'm not surprised, you know, we're seeing some of the concerns that we're seeing in this space. It's a part of being...

In this space, it's part of using cannabis as medicine. A tolerance break should just be like, you know, having a scratch if you've got an itch. It's just something that we do. And I think that because I have come from a place where, again, alcohol is an issue for me, I'm hyper aware of it and I get really nervous and think, oh, my gosh, can I not put this down? I can put it down every single time, no issues. I do find the first few days really tough because it's...

You know, when using it for pain, the pain will still be there. It's just, is it tolerable now? Like, can I manage without it? Yes, I can manage without it. Then the other symptom that I get, I get really bad sweating the second and third night, like absolutely drenched. I don't know what it is. I've researched and had a look, but I can't find anything that the endocannabinoid system does something peculiar. And so I'll have this big sweat and then once it's out, it's out.

And I think, again, for me, again, using it daily, I use it probably a similar time each day. Your body gets used to that habit no matter what it is, whether it be having a glass of water. So I just make sure that I am doing exercise, that I'm eating really well and making sure all of those other things are okay. So I'm not thirsty, I'm not hungry, I'm not lonely, I'm not sad, I'm not tired, I'm not all of those things. And then before you know it, the days go quite quickly.

How do you close a tea break? Do you have any rituals or practices? Oh, that's a good question. I actually don't have a closing, I guess, part of it. Like it's sort of, I just sort of intuitively go, okay, I feel ready now. And so I just sort of get back onto my oils and my flower. But it's, yeah, that's a really good question actually.

We were talking about this before on week seven or eight into my tea break, so I think this time I'll definitely sort of put some measures in place. In closing that, you know, it's sort of like how can I keep... I think my closing would be how can I keep honouring the plant because it's so easy because, you know, if you have it every second day or whatever, it's like, oh, it's just part of what we do or what we take.

I do personally take it for granted sometimes of what it actually does for me. So I think in reflection of your question, Ray, it's like I'll probably have a bit more gratitude this time when I have my medications. I'm always grateful when I get back to it because it's like, oh, thank goodness. It's natural. It's lovely. It's easy. One of the other issues that I think people may have around a tolerance break is sleep.

Sleep can be a really big issue and once you stop using the plant, you may have a few nights of broken sleep. I actually don't, surprisingly. I still sleep really well. But cannabis does suppress your REM sleep. I dream when I'm not using cannabis. I actually don't recall my dreams when I'm using the medicine, so it's interesting.

So it may take you a bit longer to wind down. It may take you a little bit longer to fall asleep. And I think it's really important to remind yourself that your body's readjusting. You trust your sleep will improve your time and be patient with yourself through the process. Love that. Love that. Being gentle with yourself. Yeah. Great advice.

Kylie's coming up with all the great advice. I think you guys are definitely witnessing one of the effects of a tea break. Me and Ray are like, what's going on? Their creativity today is gone. It's gone. No, it hasn't really. It is one of the things that I – so I have written a tea break guide. I keep telling everyone because I'm so excited about it because it is hard to find a guide that has everything in it where you can write down. So I've done that. Reach out to me if you want a copy of it.

One of the other things that I do talk about is withdrawal. It does happen. It doesn't matter what medication that you're taking. If you're taking it consistently over time, you will find you have some withdrawal. So perhaps during your second week of a tolerance break, you may find that you're irritable, that you've got mood swings, sleep disturbances, decreased appetite, headaches and cravings. And whilst they may be present, they won't be present for long.

And make sure, again, that you look at your nutrition and your habits around sleep. If your habits, you know, you're just relying on the plant and you're not using any other tools, then it's time to bring those tools back. Yeah. I think that was a great point. When you're taking a tea break, I think something helpful in journaling is to map out like a matrix of what's happening in your life because...

It can be a really challenging thing to do when everything's going great. But if you are under work stress or like you said, Kyla, if you're not able to look after your nutrition in the ways that you normally do, they all can influence the experience. And you can get there. You can get from A to B in many different ways. So to be gentle with yourself, to be compassionate about why things might be difficult.

or a bit of a challenge is great advice. That's good advice. I think it's easy to do a tea break when, like, everything's going well in your life. Whereas at the moment my life's gone, well, not to shit. It's still going, you know, I'm still going. Change. Change. And I've realised everything that Carla was saying, like, I'm not sleeping. I'm eating shit. It's just like, okay, I'm on a tea break.

Let's see how I feel. But it's like everything else is just out the window for me at the moment, you know, so doing it. And I think it goes back to when you choose to do a tea break as well. Maybe for me it's like, okay, yes, there's a lot of change happening at the moment. Is this really the right time? And what are you proving to yourself? And is your anxiety manageable? Is your sleep manageable? I think it's really silly to do it and have all of that, you know, go by the wayside.

I know myself when I take a tea break, I get really stressed out that I'm going to get into pain and then have to use the plant. But that's not what it's about, really. If you have to use the plant, you use the plant. But it's, you know, again, it's more the reset of the endocannabinoid system, but you will find that your processes and procedures will change as well. And, you know, if you're not looking after yourself nutritionally, if you're not looking after yourself with meditation.

They're your first step. So try and bring those back in so that they are solid whether you're using the plant or not. Easy to say. I've been the same. I've actually been like that since about August, really struggling with keeping some old behaviour at bay. I think you say this quite a lot, Kyla. You always reference the toolbox and making sure that there isn't one dominant tool to rely on. It's really...

you know, prescribing yourself what you know is going to support you. And yeah, I actually realized from this conversation that I am not eating. And I know food is a big driver for me. It affects my state of mind. It affects my energy. And yeah, I'm not being gentle with myself. I should be, you know, putting a little more effort into that to get through this tea break.

with a bit more ease yes and that's what you want with ease so you know that's why I created this guide so you can say right how's my nutrition I'd like to focus on that instead of the plant and irritability I've got irritability open here because let me tell you I get irritable because I'm in perimenopause and I've got three children not their fault they're gorgeous but there's a lot going on so for me during that time so I have to tell everyone the kids like

run for cover she's on a tea break pretty much for the first few days they're like yes mum so deep breaths mindfulness you know setting some extra boundaries around that time because you know you've got to look after yourself when you're doing these things and making sure you're just getting out and doing some movement whether that be going for a walk so if we had to give one top tip when

either starting or being in the middle of a tea break, what would it be? Plan. Plan, plan, plan. Plan it. Nice. Really. I agree. I have to steal that. It's plan. I'm sort of reflecting now. I'm like, I've chosen the worst time to do a tea break. I'm sitting here. I'm not saying. I'm never going to talk about why someone shouldn't be doing it, but good Lord, love, you've done quite a good time now.

Your endocannabinoid system is back to basics. I'd like you to start on some CBD, just generally. Yeah, I was like, I'm ready to go home and close. Close. CBD. What about you, Rae? I think I would have stolen plan as well. But just to add something else in the mix, for me I feel as though...

A tea break really, not only in terms of assessing whether the medicine is still working for me in the way that I'm needing it to, but a tea break in challenging times is really a check for me in terms of whether I'm using these other principles and values that I tell myself and I know for myself are foundational for me. And, you know, you brought up meditation, Kyla.

And that's something that I'm really not honouring during this tea break either in the frequency and the intention that I should. So I guess it's a bit of a reality check in terms of, yeah, helping oneself. And not white-knuckle it through. You don't want to white-knuckle it through anything. There's no need for white-knuckling. Yeah, I say. It's a great mirror to...

To just reflect. There's nothing like a bit of discomfort to help you introspect, assess, and like you said, plan and move ahead in a way that it doesn't have to be more discomfort than it needs to be. Correct. No, and one of the other things is don't use alternatives. I don't believe that you should then go, oh, well, I'm just going to drink and...

Smoke cigarettes and junk food and sugar because that's going to help me. Alcohol, you all know what I think about that. So that's just silly. There's no need to – it's not going to help you with your pain, maybe temporarily. It's not going to help you with your anxiety. Definitely not. Yeah, it's there to serve a purpose and just subbing in something else isn't going to shed any more light. None of those things are medicine. Oh, nicotine can be occasionally, so I hear.

You know, for all intents and purposes that you really need to, you know, reset your body and mind. Great. Wish anybody listening a happy tea break journey. Yes. Download the guide. Download the guide. Plan, prepare, action. Oh, that was a bit too much.

Kayla's really in a... She's, yeah. I'm action mood today. She's on actions and things. I am because I'm not on a tea break if I was. I'd probably be discussing this a little bit differently. It would be a very quiet podcast if we were all on tea break at the same time. I usually drop off the face of the earth when I'm on a tea break. Everyone's like, where's she going? What's happening here? I don't want to be irritable if I talk to you. So we're actually witnessing the many faces of... Yeah.

Oh, yeah. B&A are in the introspection phase. They're in their introspection phase. Kyla's in her get it done phase. And that's the beauty of it. Get it done. Get it done. And I just wanted to finish off by saying be proud. Be really proud of yourself, whether you take it for a day, two days, a week. The fact that you've set the intention, you've done that, your endocannabinoid system's, you know, somewhat back and your medicine's going to work better.

You know, I think trusting ourselves, that's what it does for me. I can trust myself that when I say I'm going to do something, I do it. I get to the end of it and I'm like, yeah, good job. I can do something else. Yeah. I love that. It's interesting the way you phrased it made me realise it's actually all about awareness. Yes. Just checking in to see if things are working and if they're not, reassess. Yeah. Well, that's us drawing to...

The end of another episode. Tea breaks. I have to do an outro, but I can't find it. There it is. So if we're looking for this PDF, we can find it in the show notes. It's going to be in the show notes. Please. And any feedback you have, I'd love to hear the feedback. It's, you know, a document, again, where you can take a tea break, do some journaling, pop it away somewhere, and the next time you do a tea break, pull it out and go, that's right.

That's how I felt on day three and seven and nine. So that's a wrap from us at Seeded.

If you feel like these conversations might be helpful for a friend, please share this episode with them. Until next time, thank you, ladies. Bye-bye.