The Little Box Of Mindfulness: The Steady Box for Anxiety Gifted Review- AD.

(image: The Little Box of Mindfulness)

Today’s blog is about a very special calming self care gift box – The Steady Box that was kindly sent to me by post to review from James Marchant at The Little Box of Mindfulness here in the UK.

I chose the Steady Box to review as someone who lives with an anxiety disorder at times and I wanted to see this self care box and how it can help calm anxiety by being mindful. The Steady Box is created for ‘people navigating anxiety, worry or emotionally overwhelming periods. A thoughtful gift designed to bring grounding, reassurance and gentle moments of calm.’. The Steady Box creates space for pause, presence and the feeling of being supported.

I opened the little black box and on the packaging it says ‘You are in someone’s mind this moment is yours‘. So already as you open it, you are feeling loved and welcomed. Each box also includes access to digital mindfulness practices, extending the feeling of care long after the gift is received. When you open the little box which is compact and fits through a letter box easily, you open to a winking face and a message- ‘You are not your thoughts, this moment is yours. Breathe. You’ve got this.‘ and some beautiful resources nestled within:

  • (image: The Little Box of Mindfulness)
  • A painted blue and cream handcrafted ceramic thumb stone (created by a local potter) to help with mindfulness and slow breathing when anxious. You hold it between your thumb and finger, focus mindfully on its texture and weight and then breathe slowly, returning to the present. The stone feels so calming and will make a lovely gift to a friend or loved one who needs to practise calming anxiety through mindfulness and breathing.
  • A Little Mindfulness box- a ‘Pause Pack’ containing items to help you ‘reconnect and reflect’, exploring at your own pace. These contain reflection cards with calming photos, affirmations about dealing with anxiety and lifes challenges( and finding strength and peace) and on the back, mindfulness prompts. They remind you to be in this moment, be still, breathe, name and ground yourself in the present;
  • There is also a leaflet teaching you how to ground yourself in the present (eg 5 things you can see, 4 things you can heal, 3 things you can hear) and a QR code for digital mindfulness resources that James has curated online.
  • Lastly, the box includes a Mindful Checklist card where you can tick off activities to help calm anxiety through mindfulness eg ‘I drank some water’, ‘I moved my body’, ‘I reminded myself I am safe’, I let go of one unhelpful thought’ , ‘I paused and noticed my breath.‘

(image: Little Box of Mindfulness)

This box retails at £15 and it makes the perfect letter box gift to send to a friend that needs to breathe, find a moment of peace to steady and ground themselves. I would recommend it as someone who lives with anxiety- I particularly liked the calming activity of slowing down and breathing with the thumbstone. As someone who has learnt a bit about how to practise mindfulness, I would say this box would be particularly useful at managing anxiety before it turns into a panic attack.

The Little Box of Mindfulness describes this as a’ refined letterbox gift for moments when words feel hard to find. A way to offer reassurance, presence and the quiet message that someone is thinking of them.‘. I would agree that it would make a lovely gift to send to reassure someone!

James Marchant, the founder and creator of the Little Box of Mindfulness, said to me, “I created these boxes with the simple hope of helping people feel remembered and supported during difficult moments, so it means a great deal to know the Steady Box resonated with you personally.” I truly love these products and the story behind them!

James created ‘The Little Box of Mindfulness’ due to his own battle with anxiety, stress and career burn out. He says, ” I’ve experienced anxiety in my own life and have seen first-hand how difficult moments can affect both individuals and families.The Little Box Of Mindfulness was created from a simple belief: when someone is struggling, small acts of kindness can make a real difference.Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say or how to help. My hope is that these letterbox gifts make it a little easier to reach out and remind someone they’re not alone.”

James’ story is so inspiring and I truly love these gift boxes and the concept. As well as the Steady Box there are two other boxes in the mindfulness range. They also sell beautiful self care mental health gift sets for thinking of you, bereavement, stress and burn out which are lovely and contain different treats. You can see all the mental health gift sets here: https://littleboxofmindfulness.co.uk/collections/mental-health-gift

Thank you James for gifting me this wonderful box to review!

(Image: Little Box of Mindfulness)

This article is a sponsored and gifted review. All thoughts on the product are my genuine review.

Six Ways to Practice Self Love This Valentine’s Day (and Every Day) with Kalms #ad

(image: Unsplash)

Valentine’s Day is here and it’s time to show a little extra love to the special people in our lives. But what about the most important person of all? Yourself! Whether you’re single or taken, it’s important to pamper yourself with the same kind of love and kindness that you’d shower on anyone else. Here the expert’s at Kalms, share six simple ways to practice self-love on Valentine’s Day and beyond.

Practicing self-love isn’t always easy. With so much else going on in the world, me-time is usually last on the to-do list. Worse, we can sometimes feel guilty about taking the time required to take care of ourselves. But no matter how indulgent or fancy the term may sound, prioritising self-love has some serious benefits for our mental and physical health.

In addition to boosting self-esteem and lowering your stress levels significantly, self-love has other physical health benefits including increased levels of dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin aka the ‘happy hormones’, better cardiovascular health and a strengthened immune system.

So do yourself a favour, take a deep breath, give yourself a little hug and follow Kalms, the traditional herbal remedy specialists, top six simple ways to practice self-love this Valentine’s Day (and every day):

Do something you love.
Engaging in activities you enjoy elevates your mood and boosts energy. So, schedule time regularly to do something just for yourself—whether it’s journaling, meditation, painting, listening to music or simply giving yourself an at-home spa treatment.

Pay attention to your thoughts.
It is very important that we remember to be kind to ourselves. Whenever you notice yourself saying something unkind to yourself, simply switch to a gentler tone and try to evaluate things rationally to contain your inner critic. Speak to yourself as you would to a loved one. Self-love is about respecting your own needs and desires and is essential to counteracting stress.

Move your body.
Whether it’s a brisk walk around the block, or a virtual workout, exercise encourages the body to release endorphins which counteract the release of cortisol. Getting outside in the fresh air not only clears the airways, but a daily dose of Vitamin D supports the body’s natural mood regulating system.

Write it down.
Try taking time at the end of each day to write down how you feel. Offloading thoughts in this way can help slow down your thinking and clear your mind. Writing down the things you are grateful for can also relieve stress by focusing your thoughts on what’s positive in your life.

Relax your mind and prioritise sleep.
Getting a good night’s sleep is restorative and healing. It also gives you clarity in your thinking and decision-making. Even just one night of poor sleep can decrease your ability to make effective decisions and increase stress levels. Valerian root-based remedies such as Kalms Night One-A-Night can be used to promote a refreshing and restful night’s sleep, whilst Kalms Day help to promote relaxation and relive stress.

Laugh more.
Laughter releases endorphins and other healthy hormones and helps take your mind off of stress. Don’t know where to begin? Take note of who makes you laugh and smile and spend time with them. Read the newspaper and look for goofy headlines. Take a quick break at work to watch a funny video. Record a TV show that makes you laugh. Keep a journal of all these little things, so when you’re feeling blue, you have a pick-me-up guide.

The Kalms Range is available to buy instore and online at Boots, Superdrug, supermarkets, and pharmacies nationwide and online retailers such as Amazon or directly from www.kalmsrange.co.uk.



This article contains an advert for Kalms remedy capsules, but as according to guidelines, I did not receive payment.