Note: I fully intended to have this published way before this during mental health month. I fell ill, and I apologize for not getting this out sooner!
None of the information on this website is meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Positivity in Pain received compensation in the form of free products for my honest review.
May is a rather important time of year – sure, the flowers are blooming, but if you even look at them the wrong way, you might sneeze! Darn allergies!
But it’s primarily the month to educate and advocate for mental health. Not that you can’t do it any other time of the year, but this is the month dedicated to it. During this month, it is essential to highlight the prevalence and importance of mental health in society today. With mental illness affecting so many people worldwide, it’s crucial to increase awareness about this issue and the resources available for those struggling with it. This month serves as a platform for creating conversations about mental health in order to reduce stigma, promote understanding, and provide support.
Mental health is just as important as physical health. I know, you’ve heard it! But it is so incredibly true. If mental health suffers, so does physical health, and of course, vice versa. We just locally recently launched something called a “Distraction Drive.” It was a local project where I and a local non-profit partnered up with me to give away things like coloring books, reading, puzzles, and more. I can’t overstate the importance of distraction, especially how it can calm and quiet the mind when nothing else can. Eventually, I’d love to do some sort of semblance of this project nationally, but we’re not there yet…we’re just getting started, though!
Developing good mental health practices and coping mechanisms are essential to help us keep up with good mental health hygiene. Practicing self-care is one of the kindest things that you can do for yourself. We are sharing some of our top picks for self-care items. We’re also holding a Mental Health May Giveaway, where you can win some of the prizes from this self-care guide! Pick something up for yourself if something strikes your fancy!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! @positiveinpain is hosting a giveaway full of self-care items! Hop on over and enter! Click To Tweet
HOFASON Handheld Head Massager
We’ve all seen these, right? They look so soothing, and honestly – they are! If you just need a moment’s break to chill, head to a quiet place in your home, and use one of these! You’ll feel amazing tingles on the top of your head, and will definitely help you to relax. These are even great to use right before bedtime, so you can get some great sleep after a massage session with these!
GRAB THEM HERE!
Remedium Candles
Remedium candles are beautifully and sustainably made. They offer up a variety of unique scents – including Champagne and Berries! Their wooden wicks are placed in the candle to make sure that they are truly toxin-free, which is especially important when we, as chronic illness patients, are sensitive to such things. Another unique feature of these candles is that they are created with coconut wax versus soy wax. In addition to being eco-friendly by using a renewable source, this type of wax also burns at a lower temperature, which means, your candle will last longer than others. We have the Coconut and Lychee scented one, and it smells incredible. Bonus, the wood wick makes a beautiful crackling sound, like a fireplace!
GRAB THEM HERE!
Nekteck Electric Deep Tissue 3D Kneading Massage Pillow
These portable massage pillows are amazing, let me tell you. It features eight different kneading modes, so there is definitely a setting for everyone, depending on your body’s needs. Plus, it has 3-speed intensity, so you can truly customize your massage. The best part? It uses infrared heat to flow deep into muscles to soothe and help you to relax. I even got one of these for my boyfriend, and he uses it often!
GRAB IT HERE!
RAVE NAILZ
Sometimes, self-care looks like getting fancy sometimes. Because why not? We’re never going to get this same day back ever again, so why not doll yourself up? It can even help to boost your self-esteem. My go-to accessory is my nails. I always love doing different things to them. It’s fun and exciting for me. Rave Nailz creates a huge variety of designer press-on nails. They make it easy to put on some funky nails and feel good! They are durable for up to three weeks and are easy to apply! They have everything from these cute “Pierced Up” nails to fun daisy patterns.
GRAB IT HERE!
Manta Sleep Mask
Sleep is an essential part of mental health. If you are struggling with getting a good night’s sleep, this sleep mask may help you. It literally blocks out all outside light. The eye pads are light and movable so that you can adjust them to your comfort. You won’t experience any eye pressure with this mask, as compared to others that press down on your eyes. Plus, you can adjust it to fit your head with the velcro strap.
GRAB IT HERE!
Here We Flo
Here We Flo is a sustainable company that creates liners and tampons. The best part, though? The tampons come in an ice cream container. I mean, if that doesn’t add a layer of fun, I don’t know what does. Flo is for menstrual cycles, while Glo is for bladder leaks. I love the story behind this; after joking around in 2017 about building a “Fempire,” two friends, Tara Chandra and Susan Allen. Then, they went on to do it! See, never give up on your dreams! Here We Flo is available at Target, Whole Foods, Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Amazon.
GRAB IT HERE!
Beloved bath
Beloved Bath is a company that creates gainful employment opportunities for those living with autism. Their workplace is centered around employment, where they create lovely products just like these. This luxurious lavender gift set features a soy wax candle, Aloe and Shea body butter, and a heart-shaped soap, which is meant to symbolize self-care. All of the products are cruelty-free. There’s nothing quite like the scent of lavender to help relax and be taken away.
GRAB IT HERE
Corso’s Cookies Color-A-Treat™ Cookie Coloring Kits
They say coloring is a form of therapy, and well, cookies are already delicious. It’s no stretch to say that Corso’s Cookies Color-A-Treat™ Cookie Coloring Kits are the perfect combination of self-care and fun. Each box contains 16 cookies – vanilla sugar cookie flavored. Each cookie is individually wrapped, peanut and tree-nut free. and comes with six edible ink markers. Corso’s Cookie’s mission is “making smiles, one cookie at a time.” Tina Corso created this company out of her kitchen in 2002, and has since grown to become one of the largest specialty-cookie factories in the United States. For all of the kits they sell, they donate a portion to the Corso’s Kid Foundation. They created the foundation to help other adults, like educators, parents, counselors, and more, find and use research and tools for reaching out to children to help them identify and learn coping skills for kids living with mental illnesses. It’s truly a beautiful mission that they are doing.
GRAB IT HERE!
iJoy Sport Bluetooth Headphones
Music is one of the greatest joys in life. We all have our own different tastes, but deep down, music can feed and nourish our souls. It has the power to evoke a lot of emotions. Listening to our Mental Health Playlist on Spotify for example, is a great idea! But I digress. These headphones, while made for running, I use when I am writing. It provides me with a distraction-free session. A good thing about these headphones is nothing gets tangled, and the sound quality is *chefs kiss* just so amazing.
GRAB IT HERE!
BOXFULL
Sometimes, we just need a hug – a bear hug! Boxfull sends smiles to anyone you want them to. They are the original Bear Hug In A Box. Who wouldn’t love to open a box to see this adorable bear – with his arms outstretched, ready to snuggle you? They have a variety of different stuffed animals to choose from, a special poem, and a special handwritten note as shared by you. Then it is delivered to your recipient’s doorstep! It’s a great way to brighten someone’s whole week!
GRAB IT HERE!
HEIRloom video books
If you live far away from loved ones, there’s a way to share some of those family videos from your kiddos, pets, or yourself doing TikTok dances; it could be anything! But the point is to bring a smile to the recipient’s face! It’s a book filled with videos that you there! The process is incredibly easy, and the result will be priceless when your giftee opens this. The book does not use any internet, so you don’t have to worry about being connected when perusing the book. Plus, you can use vertical videos just fine, and they show up wonderfully. If you don’t have a lot of videos, you can always upload photos, and they have a variety of background music that you can place with it for the perfect mix! A gift of true happiness.
GRAB IT HERE!
CADENCE Capsules
Cadence Capsules are everything we didn’t know we needed. We’re always on the go, whether we are heading to a doctor’s appointment, grocery shopping, or just going for a walk. When you need to take something with you, grab a capsule. You can literally put whatever you want in them. They offer a variety of different colors, so you can choose your favorite (or build a bundle), and you can choose the labels that go on top, too! The best part? They are magnetic! They stick together! You can store your medicine in it if you need to take it with you or travel. You can get ones labeled for makeup, haircare, and more. There are so many combinations!
GRAB IT HERE!
Famolare
Living with a chronic illness, we all know how important the comfort level of footwear needs to be for each of us. I’m sharing one brand that I absolutely love. It is insanely comfortable, and the shoe that I tried is even a little dressy – which I like! Everyone needs a good comfortable pair of summer shoes! Famolares help relieve lower body pain with their famous patented wavy rubber sole design! There are plenty of different styles of shoes to choose from. Click below to find out more!
GRAB THEM HERE!
SIXTEASE
I feel like changing up my purse every once in a while makes me feel better! Sixtease is an amazing company making bags, purses, backpacks, and more from upcycled and vintage materials. Each bag is created in India by a skilled artisan. They are all about using the earth’s resources by saving tons of fabric from landfills and dumps. The result is a beautiful bag that celebrates you!
GRAB THEM HERE!
COOLCURA
Using an ancient form of acupuncture called Feng Fu, the CoolCura stress relieving device is an absolutely fabulous creation, especially for those of us living with chronic pain, which of course, causes stress. The way it works is there is a spot right at the back of your neck where it meets your spine. By applying ice to it, it relieves endorphins throughout the body. Endorphins make you happy. Instead of messing with ice cubes, the CoolCura’s special ice pod goes in the freezer, along with a foam pad to hold it. When it is frozen, a ten to fifteen-minute session with this device can help kick out all sorts of pains, from muscles to headaches. Not to mention you’ll feel much less stressed after using it!
GRAB THEM HERE!
That’s all folks for our 2023 Mental Health and Wellness Giveaway! The winner will receive the following:
1 signed copy of Positivity in Pain: Finding Joy & Happiness Despite Chronic Pain
1 $25 Amazon Gift Card
1 CoolCura Ice Therapy Device
Various goodies from the gift guide!
Simply use the giveaway widget below to enter! Open to the United States only.
My favorite form of self-care is creating artwork or crafts.
I was just diagnosed with c-PTSD a month ago. This site has always been helpful for fibromyalgia. I hope to find calming skills here or products that calm. Thanks Jenn for always caring for us with your hands so full with your pain. Hugs
Great tips. Plus those backpacks from Sixtease are so cute!
My favorite form of self care would be to sit and relax with a cup of tea and read when I do not feel well with Fibro or RA or feel stressed.
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful & helpful products in addition to your great contest!
My favorite form of self care is relaxing in a bubble bath.