A Holistic Approach to Self-Care: Hands-on Tools

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Managing physical and emotional well-being can be challenging enough during the best of times, however, 2020 has brought more than its fair share of uncertainty to Californians. We’re experiencing a global pandemic, discourse and tensions on racial injustice, unprecedented wildfires, extreme heat, and Public Safety Power Shut-off events. With all that’s happening it is more important than ever to take time for self-care.

With all of life’s responsibilities, it can be really hard to prioritize self-care. In this blog we will provide an over view of some hands-on tools that might assist you in your self-care. In the upcoming companion blog, A Holistic Approach to Self-Care: Virtual Tools, we will outline various virtual tools to assist you in your self-care journey.

A person meditating on a rock by the seaside with sun the sun setting in the background.

Wearable Technology

AVA is a wearable that helps manage your menstruation patterns, It can help track periods, identify ovulation cycles and track sleep, weight management and stress levels in pregnant women. The best part – 20% of sales go toward women’s health research and development.

Calm Wear is compression clothing for youth and adults that can be effective in providing relief for individuals with autism, sensory processing disorders, ADHD, cerebral palsy and a variety of other disabilities

Dream on sleep aid uses vibrations to your wrist or ankle in order to get your brain into a calm state.

Fitness trackers, like Fitbit, are incredibly useful for tracking and encouraging overall fitness, they track your heart rate, monitor your sleep, and also provide their wearer with alarm options which can be utilized to set meditation reminders.

Meaning to Pause has a simple design, looking like a basic beaded bracelet, but the bracelet has a capsule that is worn on the inside of the wearers wrist which vibrates every 60-90 minutes, reminding the wearer to take a moment to meditate or reframe their thoughts.

Muse Brain Sensing EEG Headband interprets your mental activity and produces calm weather sounds when you are in a peaceful state of mind, loud weather sounds when you are not feeling calm. This can help the wearer to better understand their feelings and identify when they need to attend to their personal needs.

Mynd VR and Rendever are the leaders in getting virtual reality to older adults in order to combat isolation and provide active engagement.

Spire Stone: Stress Management and Activity Tracker clips to your waist band and measures your breath. It recognizes when your breathing becomes ragged or irregular and recommends visual exercises or guided meditations via notifications.

In-Home Technology

Adult coloring books and puzzle books are a relatively cheap and simple way to wind down feelings of stress and anxiety, and the best part is that they come in an endless variety of difficulty level, theme and size.

Alexa and Google Home both connect you with your smart devices, like Hue bulbs, wifi plugs or Ring security systems, but they will also interact with their owners on a social level by telling stories, jokes and serving as an internet search function which can answer questions like “What is the air quality like today?” or “What are some healthy lunch ideas?”. Additionally, Alexa can play white noise or rainstorm sounds if asked.

Dream Egg and LectroFan EVO are white noise machines that can assist individuals in a surprising number of ways. They can assist you in focusing on studies or work, they can tune out environmental noise and provide a peaceful environment for individuals to feel safe and can aid their users in relaxing and getting to sleep.

Elli Q is an adorable robot who functions much like Alexa or Google Home, but designed for older adults. It offers mindfulness and entertainment activities, responds to questions and offers suggestions.

Exercise benefits a whole host of physical and mental health concerns. If you are low on space or looking for cheap options, try resistance bands or hand weights. I you have room to move or want a more guided workout, try rowing machines, stationary bicycles or an elliptical.

If you need a massage to compliment all those home workouts you have been doing, consider getting a massage gun to work out individual muscle groups. If you are looking for a massage aimed toward a more relaxing experience than a recovery based one, you can get a neck and shoulder, hand or foot massager.

Fidget Toys can help the user to calm their minds and maintain focus on tasks.

Philips Sleep and Wake-up light is a device that uses light-guided breathing and personalized sun settings in order to more gently aid you to sleep and wake you with light, rather than an abrasive alarm.

Smart electric toothbrushes can help you learn how long to brush, if you missed any areas or if you are applying too little or too much pressure.

Tombot is a company that makes robotic support animals that have been providing support and partnership to many individuals, like members of the aging community and those who are living with Alzheimer’s.

U by Moen offers voice control for your shower. This could be a godsend if you have a difficult time turning your shower on manually. With the system, you not only control your shower by voice, additionally you can set a specific and safe temperature, and time limit for your shower.

Weighted Blankets are a great tool to provide comfort from anxiety and facilitate a more restful sleep.