Puzzles
Last year may have been the one that saw the world driven ever more online, but how about flicking the switch and going old school for 2021? Oliver Bonas has a great range of fun puzzles to keep your brain occupied and your fingers too busy to zombie scroll your social feeds. We love the vibrant London cartoon by award-winning illustrator, Michael Storrings and the Where’s Wally-esque ‘Where’s Bowie’ intergalactic scene.
Colouring
Download some free adult colouring sheets from Crayola’s website to help you decompress and ignite your creativity. Mindful colouring has been proven to relax the fear centre of your brain, known as the amygdala. So if the after-effects of 2020 are lingering, why not down tools, pick up a pencil and colour yourself happy?
Journalling
GWG Awards-winner, Dept Store for the Mind focuses on creating and curating products that bring mindfulness into the everyday. Its range includes the ‘record of good things’ gratitude journal, a beautiful cloth-bound book to keep note of the things you have to be thankful for. Studies show that keeping a gratitude journal can help you in a range of mental wellbeing areas, from self-esteem to sleep.
Gua Sha
Perhaps your resolve for the new year is to invest more time in your beauty regime. Rather than a perfunctory cleanse before bed, why not add a nifty Gua Sha tool to your skincare arsenal and increase blood flow to your face to boost bounce, glow and overall skin texture? We love this White Lotus example, available at Cult Beauty.
Hydration
Corkcicle’s stylish water bottles are just the thing to keep deskside if your new year’s resolution is to up your hydration this year. The smooth silicone skin makes them slip-proof and the wide mouth opening means you can add ice, no problem. There’s a range of neon brights, animal prints and marble effects to choose from, and the triple-layered insulation will keep your drink cool for up to 25 hours. Smart.
Wellbeing Apps
Exhale is the first emotional wellbeing app for and by black and indigenous women of colour (BIWOC). Designed to inspire mindfulness and self-belief through meditations, coaching, affirmations and guided visualisations, it could be just the pep-talk in your pocket that 2021 needs.
Or, if you’re thinking about giving Veganuary a go, download cult lifestyle blogger, Deliciously Ella’s plant-based recipe app. There are nearly 300 meal ideas, plus yoga and lifestyle content too.
Sleep
A study by the University of Southhampton showed that insomnia rose from affecting one in six to one in four during 2020, with a large number suffering from anxiety-induced sleep problems. A weighted eye mask may be just the thing to help invite sleep; this 100 per cent silk velvet one from Wolf & Badger is filled with dried lavender for aromatherapy benefits and is weighted to 150g to stimulate specific acupressure points for meditation and calm to help you drift off, naturally.
Affirmations
American Life Coach and Motivational author, Gabrielle Bernstein has collaborated with illustrator Micaela Ezra on Spirit Junkie - a beautiful deck of affirmation cards to help improve feelings of self-worth, confidence and to encourage individuals to use their gifts as a force of good in the world (2021 could definitely use some of that). Keep them on your desk for the daily mini fist pump you need to get you through the month.
Bathing
Drawing a long, hot bath on a cold winter’s night is truly restorative. Add a bag of Pursoma’s Digital Detox treatment to help beat that wired and tired feeling. Developed specifically for those who suffer from ‘poor sleep quality, tension and stress from the overuse of technology’ (sound familiar?), this potent bath mineral is enriched with some rather fancy sounding ‘hand-harvested French Grey Sea Salt’ to replenish electrolytes and eliminate toxins as well as French Green Clay to draws out impurities and the excesses of Christmas indulgences.
By Lydia Mansi
January 2021
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