Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you need to know how to come down from a high sooner rather than later. Maybe something unexpected came up and you need to clear your head and be a bit more focused. Maybe your high got too intense or took an uncomfortable turn into paranoia and anxiety. Whatever your reason, if you want to get back to the ground quickly and safely, you need to know how to come down from being high. Here are nine ways we know of how to come down from a high.
1. Eat Some Lemon
Apparently, lemons contain certain terpenes that tend to produce calming effects that can help counteract the psychoactive effects of THC.
In particular, limonene is a powerful non-stimulatory terpene that is prevalent in many citrus fruits, but especially in lemons.
To get limonene into your body so it can start calming you down, you can simply eat some lemon. Alternatively, you can squeeze some lemon juice into water, tea, or any other beverage.
But, because limonene is most concentrated in the lemon peel, you should try to get either some pulp or rind into your system. Try zesting a lemon into something you’re eating or drinking for a big limonene boost. Finally, you can also inhale or consume some good, quality lemon essential oils.
2. Smell or Eat Black Pepper
Like lemons, black pepper also contains certain terpenes that can produce calming effects, making it another good substance to consume if you’re trying to come down from being high.
Obviously, you can simply eat black pepper, either by adding it to something you’re eating or drinking or by simply chewing on a peppercorn.
Alternatively, you can smell pepper—just don’t inhale it directly into your sinuses. A few sniffs of ground black pepper may be all you need to activate the calming effects you’re looking for.
3. Consume a High CBD Strain
If you’re feeling too high and you want to come back down, you can actually consume more weed—as long as it’s a strain high in CBD.
Interestingly, CBD helps counteract a lot of the more intense psychoactive effects of THC. That’s partly what makes it such a powerful medicinal cannabinoid. But in this instance, if you need to quickly come down from a high, try getting more CBD into your system.
You can also try taking CBD extracts, use a topical patch, or put a few drops of a potent CBD tincture beneath your tongue for maximal absorption.
4. Hydrate
Drink a lot of water. This is a good general rule for dealing with any sort of psychoactive experience that gets a little too intense or intoxication.
It won’t instantly fix things, but it will help flush out your system and at least get you moving back down toward the earth. Additionally, if you’re looking for methods of how to come down from a high avoid drinking alcohol, as this will just compound things.
5. Take a Nap
Sometimes the solution of how to come down from being high, you just have to sleep it off. Very often, getting some sleep—even if it’s just a nap—can help clear your head, almost like a little reset button.
Further, when you wake up you’ll probably feel better in general, as you’ll be better rested, more rejuvenated, and more focused. If it’s not time to go to bed for the night, give yourself a quick 15-minute power nap. Even that short time can go a long way toward clearing your mind and mellowing out your high.
6. Go For a Walk
Moving yourself out of the house, getting some fresh air, and engaging in a bit of physical activity can be a great way to clear your head as well as how to come down from being high.
Again, it won’t produce instant results, and it won’t fully get rid of your high, but it can certainly be a great way to start moving back down from your high.
7. Take a Shower
For a lot of people, taking a shower functions like taking a nap, sort of like a little reset button. Taking a cold shower can kind of shock your body out of its current state.
Going with a slightly different approach, a warm shower can also be a good way of relaxing your mind and body to help you feel a bit more grounded.
8. Focus on Something Else
Sometimes you need to get your mind to stop fixating on your sense of being high. Try watching a movie or TV show, reading, listening to music, doing a puzzle, playing a game, or anything else that will engage your brain and keep you busy for a while.
This isn’t a guaranteed method of how to come down from a high. In fact, depending on how you react to certain stimuli, some of the things we just mentioned might actually send you deeper into your high.
So do some experimenting to see which sorts of activities help you come down from being high, and which ones send you even higher.
Final Hit: How To Come Down From a High
There are many options for how to come down from being high. Of course, none of them will produce instant results, and none of them will work 100 percent of the time for every single person. But each of the ideas on this list is an excellent starting place.
The effectiveness of any given technique depends in part on the type of high you’re experiencing. If you’re feeling couch locked from a deep body high, you need something that will stimulate you and get you going. Similarly, if you’re feeling a head high that is muddying your mental clarity, something stimulating may also be helpful.
But if, on the other hand, you’re feeling too much mental activity—for example, if you’re fixating so much that you’re getting paranoid and anxious—you may need to do something that will mellow you out and calm you down.