Being a parent is a difficult task no matter which way you slice it. Here are five ways Microdosing has helped me become the best father I can be.
Quick Introduction
For the past two years, I have been taking extremely small amounts of psychedelic substances such as LSD and psilocybin, the active ingredient in "magic mushrooms," in order to improve my mental health, emotional awareness, creativity, focus, and much more.
One of the beautiful "side effects" of microdosing that I was not expecting?
Growth as a parent...
Shameless Podcast Plug and Disclaimer
If you haven't already checked out the episode on Microdosing, head on over to The Lunita Podcast and give Episode 2: Microdosing Psychedelics a listen. Also, be sure to check out the supplemental blog post on Microdosing, and remember to subscribe to the Podcast, leave us a review if you like the show, and give us a follow on Instagram for updates and conversations with the community.
*DISCLAIMER: Many psychedelics are categorized as Schedule 1 substances by the federal government meaning that the possession, distribution, and use of these substances carry felony charges, large financial penalties, and possibility of incarceration. We do not condone or encourage the use of illegal substances; we are simply providing an educational foundation for those interested in the topic.
My List of the 5 Ways Microdosing has Helped Me Become a Better Father
1. Higher Levels of Awareness and Presence:
You're dancing to your child's favorite song; you're talking to the teddy bear sitting at the table across from you while you're sipping your empty, tiny cup of tea; you're sitting on the floor watching your child draw lines of chicken-scratch across more-expensive-than-she'll-ever-realize paper... whatever the case may be, you're parenting, and hopefully, you're having a great time doing it; but how present are we in these moments, truly?
Microdosing has allowed me to see how much of an impact each and every moment with a child can have on their development and growth, and in turn, it's given me more opportunity to be a fully present participant during those moments; it's made me more aware of the joy that sitting down with your child to play a game, read a book, or piece together a puzzle can bring to them; and it's provided me with the most invaluable gift of all, more happy memories with my daughter.
2. Increased Patience
Ever been posed the question, "If you could have one superpower, what would it be?" I used to think of invisibility, super strength, the ability to fly, etc... After becoming a parent, my new answer is: Unlimited Patience.
While I, unfortunately, do not have that superpower, I have found that microdosing has increased my patience drastically. I'm more capable of seeing a situation through the eyes of my child instead of through the eyes of an adult, and that helps me better understand the best approach to turning moments of frustration into opportunities to teach and opportunities for my daughter, and myself, to learn.
3. A More Proactive Approach
Microdosing has also increased my ability to retain new information. This comes in handy when you're trying to teach your child things that you may not have all the information about yourself.
Example: We are teaching our daughter ASL (American Sign Language), and being totally honest, I did not know a lick of ASL before having a child, BUT I had a motivation to learn fueled by my desire for Luna to know it. Now, because of that desire, we're a family that knows the basics, and we are constantly adding to our ASL "vocabulary".
4. A More Organized Routine
If you're a parent, then you already know how important (and helpful) having a routine can be. Microdosing has allowed my mind to function at a higher level, including my ability to organize my life, and in turn, our daughter's. I can easily visualize my activities for the week with a greater level of clarity, the thoughts in my mind aren't as jumbled as they used to be, and it's easier for me to pause, breathe, and release the stress that's causing everything to feel overwhelming.
It allows me to take a look at my week as little chunks of time that can be filled with activities that I set instead of a train-wreck of to-dos, meetings, classes, and whatever else life has to throw at me. In simpler terms, it puts me back in the driver's seat of my own schedule.
5. Shift in Perspective
Lastly, psychedelics as a whole, including microdosing, has entirely changed the way I look at the world. Instead of seeing what I don't have, the focus shifted to everything I DO have; my priorities changed (as they do for most parents) in expectations I wanted from life. Yes, I still want a successful career; yes, I still want to own property one day; yes, I do want to be the owner of a UFO-building / Interdimensional-communications operation, but I know that all of that will come with time... what WON'T come with time is more time... specifically, more time with my family.
What's most important to me now is our health, our time together, our happiness, and the memories that we'll carry with us for the rest of our lives (and well into the future via storytelling). The Universe has given my family the opportunity to spend more time together than I could have ever imagined or hoped for, and who wouldn't be grateful for that?
Resources
Paul Austin's The Third Wave - A great all-around resource on Microdosing and psychedelic use in general.
JamesFadiman.com - James Fadiman is well-known throughout the psychedelic community as one of the first in the field to clinically study the effects of psychedelic substances (back before these substances became illegal and governments propagandized their "insanity-inducing" qualities).
We also highly recommend James Fadiman's book, The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide, a must-read if you're interested in learning more about psychedelics.
A Really Good Day by Ayelet Waldman - A truly enjoyable and informative book on Ayelet's 30-day Microdosing journey.
Microdose.me - The world's first mobile Microdosing study.
Drug Schedules and an Alphabetical Listing of Controlled Substances and Their Scheduling
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