37 - Tolerance, Breaks & the Nervous System with Kyla de Clifford.

Do I Need a T-Break?

Tolerance breaks are usually framed like a punishment.
Like you’ve done something wrong.
Like you need to reset, detox, or start again.

But for many women, that framing doesn’t fit real life - or real bodies.

In this episode, Kyla takes a slower, more body-led look at tolerance breaks and what they’re actually for. This isn’t about abstinence or discipline. It’s about understanding when a break is helpful, when it’s not, and how to approach it without destabilising your nervous system — especially if you’re navigating perimenopause, pain, sleep disruption, anxiety, or chronic stress.

In this episode, we cover:

• What cannabis tolerance actually is (and what it isn’t)
• Why tolerance isn’t failure — it’s feedback from the body
• Signs your system may be asking for space
• How pain, trauma, and nervous system load change the T-break conversation
• Why stopping THC suddenly can feel awful for some people
• Different ways to take a tolerance break — from full breaks to gentler resets
• Whether CBD has a place during a T-break (and when it helps vs. when it doesn’t)
• What a successful T-break actually looks like — beyond white-knuckling

This episode draws on both clinical research and lived experience to offer a more compassionate, realistic approach to tolerance one that prioritises regulation, safety, and relationship over rigid rules.

A gentle resource 

If this episode sparked the thought “I know I need a break, but I don’t know how to do it without falling apart”, Kyla has created a 21-day tolerance break guide you can download it here

Support the show

If you’d like to support the podcast, you can buy Kyla a coffee here No pressure - it simply helps keep these conversations going.