Treat yourself or encourage a friend to healing gifts that will offer peace to the mind, body and soul.
With all the trauma happening in the world, the universe is begging for healing. By now we’ve all experienced the domino effects of trauma and feel it as heavy negative energy on our bodies. It takes a person that is disconnected from Self and from the world to commit a crime. Encourage reconnection with the universe and peace in a friend or in yourself with a self-love or self-care gift. A gift won’t change the world or stop war, but the more people take care of and love themselves, the better they’ll be able to cope and help others.
From self-massage tools to recommendations of energy healers to how-to-make-an-eye-pillow, you’ll find a therapeutic tool that connects with you and is in your budget. All of these options will relax your body, freeing it of tension. Ridding of tension allows messages from your spine to flow freely to your brain and lets blood and nutrients reach all parts of your body, blessing with you inner happiness and clarity.
Restart, refresh, and fall in love with yourself and the universe this holiday season!
1. Massage Tools
Head massager
Starts at $2
This is one of the simplest and cheapest massage tools out there that stimulates innervation, light touch that excites nerve endings and releases endorphins. Endorphins are a set a of hormones that reduces pain and stress in the body. It also gets blood flowing into the scalp through a process called vasodilation, both of which promotes relaxation and feelings of happiness. It feels especially sensational if you use it by the neck (ugghhh I melt every time). Try it on yourself or have a friend use it on you. Buy one here.
Neck Massager
$18.80
I got this tool at an adorable Japanese store called Daiso and love, love, loveeeeee it! It reaches the hard to get spots of the neck for a cute price of $18.80 and is easy to use anywhere. There is one con, this product might not be as a effective on a person with a wide neck, but there are other versions online that are bigger than this tool. I like to use this tool lying down on my back with a towel propped underneath my neck and this massage tool on top of the towel so that all the pressure of my head and shoulders are pressing into the massage tool which presses on and slowly releases knots. Buy one here.
Everything massagers
Cheap af at the dollar store
You honestly don’t need any crazy tools to give yourself a massage. The cheapest and best tool out there are tennis balls. Tennis balls will be your best friend. You can massage your feet, legs, hips, back, neck, shoulders, chest – literally any spot you can think of, with tennis balls. I’m telling you, they’re the homies. I found some other bouncy balls at a shop that had things like nose shaped sharpeners and T-shirts of ewoks in San Francisco that have a different pressure than tennis balls and don’t cause rug burn if I use them with my shirt off (oh yeah, caution, you will get burns if you massage TOO MUCH with the tennis balls). And the golf ball in the photo can be used for more advanced self-massage practitioners (a.k.a. when you can handle the pain!!!) to nail deep knots or to massage your feet.
To massage your feet, stand up, place a ball underneath the foot, and massage back and forth with light pressure. Then draw lines from your each toe to your heel with the ball. Next, massage your inner arch on the big toe side of your foot and then the outer arch on your pinky toe side of the foot. To end, massage back and forth and again with more pressure.
To massage your back and shoulders, lie down on your back with your knees bent. Place two balls on below your neck and by the spine, but never on it! Lift your hips up and move your torso and walk your feet toward your head so that you draw a line straight down your spine all the way until your sacrum, that bony structure by your butt. You can go up and down drawing lines and pause when you get back to your shoulders. At your shoulders, make shoulder circles with one shoulder at a time and move side to side so the ball moves over the shoulder blade and back toward the spine.
To massage your legs, lie down on your stomach and place one ball above your knee. Use your hands and arms to roll your body toward your feet so the ball moves up toward your hip flexors. Take this a couple of times, then repeat on your side leg. Still on your side, bend the knee of the leg you’ve been massaging, and place the tennis ball on the cushy part of our side knee. Massage the knee area and thigh. That’s a very tender spot for me! Again, still on your side, you can also place the tennis ball into your hip closest to the floor, right before the butt, and massage in circles. The hamstrings are a little bit hard to get to with the tennis balls, but it’s doable if you play around with it.
To massage your chest, you can either stand up facing a wall, place the tennis ball on any sore spot below the collarbone and about inline with your armpit, and press the ball into the wall. You can either hold at a knot or massage side to side. If the wall is too hard because the ball likes to slip you can do the same thing lying down on your belly.
RAD
$24.99 – $140.00
There’s a couple of rad companies out there (ha, ha, ha…see what I did there…) such as Gaim or RAD that create fancy products that do the same job as cheap af tennis balls, but of course in a more fabulous way. If you have the budget for it, go full out and try this kit! It has a neck, leg, and back massager and they look delicious. Check out their products here.
Leg massager
$39.99
A yoga instructor recommended this GRID Foam Roller from TriggerPoint for her sciatica and, though my mom was at first skeptical about why self-massage would help her, healed her pain within a few months! I love this roller for my legs, I’ve heard some people use it for their back but I think that’s just crazy because this roller has no space for the spinal cord, so you wouldn’t be getting the best self-massage for your back with this tool (and actually would probably feel very uncomfortable on the actual spinal cord because you really aren’t supposed to massage the actual vertebrae, just around them) but it is AMAZING for your legs. It’s the kind of “hurts so good” massage hehehe. You can buy one here.
Self-love Massage with your Fingers and Oil
However much your oil of choice costs – anywhere from $7-$45
Your skin is the first thing that is vulnerable to the world, so massing your skin with your own fingers is very intimate and creates compassion and love for yourself. Get naked, and massage your whole body with the oil and your fingers. Your face, neck, arms, fingers – my favorite in this process is to start standing, and work my way down from my hips, thighs, knees, lower legs until your my hands caress the tops of my feet and I’m in a forward fold. Forward folds fully relax the body, so adding self-massage with a forward fold is overwhelmingly relaxing. Tip: While your massaging your skin, include some positive self-talk. Ask your body how it’s doing, and tell your body thank you, I love and respect you. You can buy crazy expensive but very legit massage oil with essential oils here, or check out your local health store for cheaper oil options. Sometimes I just use coconut oil so that it also hydrates my skin at the same time. Other times I use eucalyptus or peppermint massage oil to offer open and cool down my joints.
I haven’t tried these yet but Lush also has massage bars that sound fantastic! You can purchase them here.
I hope one of those works for self-massage, or treat a friend or loved one and massage them xoxoxox.
2. Bubble Bath and Bath Salts
$2-$10
Water in general is soothing and calming to the mind, body and soul. So if you’re not into baths, maybe try a long warm shower, some jacuzzi time, or a trip to the beach. If you’ve never been a bath person but want to give it a go, you can get a bottle of bubble bath for as cheap as $2 from Johnson & Johnsons, but I also found a cute one by Burt’s Bees for aboutt $7 here.
Combine your bubble bath with epsom salt and you’ll be in muscle relaxer heaven! Epsom salt can be found at your local grocery or health store for about $3 a bag. Just pour one to two cups into your bath and let it dissipate into the water. Be warned that when you buy fancy bath salts, they might have other stuff besides epsom salt in them, which is what aids in muscle pain relief. However, some bath salts have lovely essential oil coated epsom salt with stress relieving scents such as chamomile or lavender.
For all you virgin bath takers and senior bath lovers, I found these awesome Lush bath products that all start around $7 might interest you:
Bubble Bars
Bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles !!! Buy one here.
Bath Bombs
Date night with self starts with this romantic rose bath bomb. Buy this one and others here.
Luxury Bath Melts
Rich butters and essential oils that melt in your bath. Buy one here.
Fun
Mold dinosaurs, kittens, aliens with your take your bath with this soap, shampoo, bubble bath and putty toy! Buy one here.
Find what makes you happiest or make a cute gift basket for a friend who needs to zen out!
3. Essential Oils
Essential oils can help with muscle pain, anxiety, depression, and a number of other ailments! Natural essential oils are different from pleasing artificial scents because the artificial scents, according to research, do not alter brain waves. When an essential oil is inhaled, the particles go directly into your bloodstream to heal you inside and out. When topically applied, the oil can kill harmful bacteria. Some oils recharge brain cells and help dry skin.
When first trying essential oils on your own, it’s best to try individual ones rather than blends because that way you will know what actually helps and start to make blends with those that help.
A well trusted brand for essential oils, but quite pricey, is called Young Living. The retail price of one oil can be about $40…but wanna know a secret? If you become a member of Young Living, you can get 24% off all their retail goods and make money if you sell their products. Selling their products is not mandatory to be a member and receive a discount, however, to become a member you do have to purchase one of their startup kits, the cheapest is $40. Become a member here and check out their essential oils here. If this is totally out of your price range, you can find cheaper ones at your local health store. I use peppermint oil most frequently for mental clarity and to release any inflammation and pain in my muscles.
If you start getting into making your own mixes, two must-have books are:
The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
by Valerie Ann Worwood
$9.18 on Kindle or $13.43 on paperback. Purchase one here.
And:
The Fragrant Mind: Aromatherapy for Personality, Mind, Mood and Emotion
by Valerie Ann Worwood
$10.99 on Kindle or $19.01 on paperback. Purchase one here.
5. Massage with a Massage Therapist
Starts at $60 an hour
My go-to massage therapist is Aja Alexander. It can get confusing when first searching for a massage therapist because THERE ARE SO MANY! What is deep tissue massage?? What is Thai massage? Reflexology? My tips for your is to first, read this article Aja wrote about the different styles of massage and how it helps with mental obstacles, and secondly to know that if you are going to get a massage therapist, it’s not going to be cheap. A good massage usually starts at $60-$100 an hour. If you go to a cheaper place, you could risk further damaging yourself with a less experienced therapist.
If you live near Santa Clarita and would like to get a massage by Aja, you can contact her here.
6. Energy Healing
Starts at $100 an hour
Another expensive but totally worth it gift for yourself or for a loved one is an energy healing session. Energy healing is where a practitioner manipulates energy to provide healing effects in your body to battle physical, emotional or mental pains. Even if you have no current or noticeable pain, it is good to have a yearly energy healing check-up to remove any negative energy that you have collected on your body from other people and experiences. I have definitely heard some stories of energy healing sessions gone wrong, so I am recommending that you contact Marnie McNulty. She is trained in several methods such as Kalos, Theta Healing, 12-strand DNA activations, The Melchezidek Method, Reiki and Sensory Learning and can help you in person or through the phone. I’ve seen her several times over the past two years and she’s rewired my brain to lessen panic attacks and rid of tension in my neck that was causing my throat to dangerously close. Learn more about what energy healing is and how it can help you in an article Marnie wrote here. You can contact Marnie at dragonmoonrising@yahoo.com.
7. Reiki
Starts at $0
Reiki is a type of energy healing that anyone can learn and perform on themselves or on other people where you are able to channel energy through your body and out your hands. Many people suggest to be attuned by a reiki master, but you can teach yourself how to perform reiki without being attuned! All you need to know is the proper placement of your hands on the body to heal. Sssh, I’m telling you secrets!
Learn the 12 basic reiki hand placements here for self-treatment. If you feel the need to be attuned, your local yoga studio would probably be your best bet in asking where to find the best Reiki master who can attune you, but don’t be surprised if it costs a lot!
8. Self-Help Books
$2-$15
Self-help books can aid in reconnecting with the universe and discovering your inner happiness! Here are some of my favorites life-saver books:
A relatable zine !!!
Go to your local zine shop or zine festival and find some relatable zines! Some of my favorites are Mckenzie Mullen’s zines for $2 here.
Your Illustrated Guide To Becoming One With the Universe
by Yumi Sakugawa / Hardcover: $13.19
Become one with the universe with extremely cute comics that will guide you to reconnect with yourself such as having a tea party with your demons. Purchase it here.
There is No Right Way to Meditate
by Yumi Sakugawa / Hardcover: $11.40
Purchase it here.
The Yoga Sutras
by Swami Satchidananda / Paperback $15.24
Advice from a guru on how to live a happy life, confront and overcome obstacles and see the truth.
9. Eye Pillow to Calm and for Sleep
Eye pillows are great if you suffer from insomnia, anxiety, or have trouble relaxing your muscles before bed and are super easy to make! The soothing weight of flaxseeds and the calming smell of lavender, rose, and or any other scent you choose will melt you into bliss. Below are instructions on how to make an eye pillow:
What You Need:
Stuffing:
⅓ to ½ cup of flaxseed, rice or lentils.
⅓ to ½ cup of lavender buds. You can purchase some here.
Optional: A 3-4 of your choice of essential oil: lavender, chamomille, vanilla, or rose
Optional: Other flower buds such as chamomile or rose.
Fabric:
4.5” x 18.5” of cotton or silk fabric for the inner pocket
5” x 22” of cotton or silk fabric for the outer slip cover
Learn how to make one here with step by step instructions!
11. Tea that Calms
Take the dosha quiz, your mind-body type, and discover what foods and herbs might help you stay calm! In general, ten types of calming teas can be found here. Also, Dragon Herbs, a Chinese tonic herbal company, has a couple of teas that are great for anxiety, but they suggest you have the tea five times a day to see results. To reduce time, they have created drops and capsules instead here.
12. Treats that Don’t Hurt Your Belly From Iris Petite Bake Shoppe
If you have a billion and one allergies like me, you will totally appreciate Iris’s treats! Check out her online store and recipes here. Make yourself or a friend something delicious that doesn’t hurt their body or order some cookie mixes. Self-love <3 <3 <3.
13. Body Pillow, Heat, Blanket and Cuddle Buddy
Those nights when you want to cry on a shoulder but no one is available, you need cuddles! Treat yourself or a friend to a brand new fluffy blanket, body pillow, stuffed animal to cuddle, or maybe even a new pet! A heating pad, heated blanket, heated mattress pad, or small portable heater could help you sleep if you suffer from any muscle pain, stomach aches and or insomnia. Or offer a friend your platonic cuddles <3 <3 <3. The ultimate sign of friend love.
14. Journal
Release all of your thoughts in a brand new journal! Don’t let them sit in your head. Write them down, then close the book. Or write them down, rip the pages out and throw it away, whatever makes you feel positive release.
15. Funny Movie
Have a netflix night and laugh all night watching all the seasons of Friends or maybe some old-time Abbott and Costello or whatever will for sure get you laughing! Laughing is one of the cheapest forms of medication.
16. Be Creative: Dance, Acting, Music, Photography, Art etc.
Creativity is one of the best forms of therapy because it allows natural healing through in the moment self-expression. For those of you with no artsy experience, no problem! Here are some ideas on how to get artsy as a beginner and for cheap:
1. Gather some cheap supplies such as a beginning ukulele book and a cheap uke
2. Buy a pack of watercolors and search online how to watercolor
3. Grab a notebook and write plays about the people you see
4. Get a disposable camera and do photo shoots of yourself to display your raw in the moment moods.
5. Make a zine of all of journal entries, drawings and photos and share it with your friends or bury it in a time capsule.
6. Read lyrics to your favorite song and interpret the words with dance moves or movement
Or search online for a creative class that interests you and sign up! Check out the DancePlug for online dance classes or TakeLessons for online music classes. If you have the time, take a class at a studio near by you.
17. Hike, Flowers, Plants or Gardening
A lot of times when we feel disconnected with the world, it is a great way to get grounded again by taking a walk or a hike through nature. Another way is to surround yourself with nature by getting plants that can be grown indoors or buying a bouquet of flowers to set in a vase, or if you have a yard, gardening can be a great way to reconnect with yourself and the universe. Especially gardening barefoot can be a profound experience, feeling your toes and fingers in the earth and the sun on your skin is the most literal way to reconnect with the universe. As a gift to self, buy yourself some flowers, plants or take yourself on a hike. If you have a friend that’s been down and stuck in their house or at work all day everyday, help them get out of the house for a bit to walk and notice the trees or bring them a beautiful bouquet or flowers or a new plant. Tending for a new plant can be a very loving experience because it teaches someone to love, care and have compassion for a living thing which in turn can translate to experiencing self-love, self-compassion and practicing self-care.
18. Help a Friend or Ask a Friend to Help You With Daily Life Activities
If your friend has been struggling with severe chronic mental obstacles, help them do their daily activities that are currently exhausting and overwhelming such as taking out the trash, doing their laundry, the dishes, washing their car, getting them all new groceries, cooking them meals, or even just donating money to them if they are out of work or have been missing work often.
19. Yoga or Meditation Class, Retreat or Training
$20-$3,000
Yoga is the greatest healing tool you can have and take anywhere to reconnect with the universe and Self. There’s TONS of yoga classes and retreats out there, the retreats are usually hella pricey but they go to inspiring places such as Peru, Italy and France. Read about which yoga class might be good for you here. Or take a class with me if you’re in Los Angeles :)
If you’ve been practicing yoga for about a year and are interested in diving deeper, I recommend taking a basic 200 hour yoga teacher training. You do not have to want to be a yoga instructor to take a yoga teacher training! You can take it as therapeutic self-help and self-discovery or to gain a positive, healthy and supportive community of friends. I took mine through YogaWorks and loved it. Each training day was like intense group therapy and the weekly readings, meditation, pranayama and yoga homework taught me how to perform my own self-therapy. Besides YogaWorks, another 200 hour training that caught my eye is Yoga Medicine, founded by Tiffany Cruikshank.
After taking a basic yoga training, or if you are another type of body workers, mental health or medical worker or other professional, you are eligible to take trainings that are specific to depression and trauma. Below are a list of my favorite ones that I hope to take someday:
LifeForce Yoga – Yoga for Depression
Online or in person – dates vary – Level 1 training is $600 but can be split into two parts. Following that there is a mentorship and a level 2 training that is available.
Hala Khouri Trauma Training – Yoga for Trauma
For yoga instructors.
Combines yoga with social justice and somatic experiencing.
Venice, CA – February 12 – February 14 – $425 or $350 early bird registration. There are scholarships available!
Urban Zen Integrative Therapy Program
For yoga instructors, allied health care professionals, nurses and doctors.
Mixes yoga therapy, essential oil therapy, reiki, contemplative care and nutrition.
Locations and dates vary.
Somatic Experiencing Training
For body workers, mental health and medical workers, educators and other professionals who want to help those with trauma such as PTSD.
Many dates and locations, the next beginning level 1 one training is in Los Angeles is March 18-21 for $865 or $815 early bird registration.
20. Dry Skin Brush
$5-$15
Dry skin brushing gets energy in your body moving again by stimulating blood circulation, exfoliates your skin without removing natural oils, and detoxes your body. The lymphatic system lives right below the skin and is a part of the immune system where toxins are stored. By dry brushing the skin, your lymphatic system is stimulated and your body is encouraged to detox. To use, brush your skin very gently either in small circles or in straight lines toward your heart. After using my dry skin brush two times, I noticed old skin started to shed. I’ve read that it can also help remove scars, but I haven’t gotten to that point so I will let you know if this is true! I also feel more energetic after each use, which is a normal response because it increases circulation in the body. You can get one here.
21. Candles
Go full out and get expensive essential oil candles from Young Living or do what I do and get some from the Dollar Store that rid of the cat poop smell in your room so you can have date night with self. Candles often saved me when I was freaking out at night and couldn’t focus, so I’d light a candle and meditate by staring into the candle while saying a healing chant that you can listen to here.
22. Healing Crystals That Fight Depression
A few healing crystals that can absorb negative energy in your body and protect you from others are smoky quartz, lepidolite and tiger’s eye. Calcite, blue soothe the nerves and anxiety, chrysoprase aids with relaxation and manganocalcite relieves emotional trauma. The photo below is of hematite that was recommended for me at a crystal shop in Oak Park, CA. Find your local crystal store and order online.aids in relaxation and manganocalcite relieves emotional trauma. The photo below is of hematite that was recommended for me at a crystal shop in Oak Park, CA. Find your local crystal store and order online.
23. Ayurveda Doctor
$150 per visit
Ayurveda translates from Sanskrit to “science of life.” It’s a traditional Hindu system of medicine that focuses on diet, herbal treatment and yoga to bring balance in the body and overcome ailments such as arthritis or depression. An Ayurvedic doctor would ask you a bunch of detailed questions ranging from what do you normally eat for breakfast to what color is your pee (I’m not kidding…).
Based on your answers to their questions and on your mind-body type, otherwise known as your dosha (you can find out what your dosha is here), the doctor would assign you a special diet, herbs and or yoga. The diet could be as specific as, you can eat spinach, but only when it’s cooked, or you can eat butternut squash, but no acorn squash. The herbal treatments are definitely something you have to be disciplined to set time aside to prepare the herbs and the yoga they assign is to keep your dosha in check rather than feeding your dosha’s imbalances.I’ve ALWAYS wanted to see one because my friends have had such positive results from Ayurvedic treatment, but it is currently out of my price range. Set up your first Ayurvedic doctor visit, in person or on the phone, with Mela Gaskins Butcher here. She will require a minimum of two appointments, one of which will be 45 minutes long and the second will last for 30 minutes.
24. Acupuncture
$20-$100 (Depends if your insurance covers it!)
Acupuncture is a practice that promotes natural self-healing in your body by making your energy, or qi, flow smoothly along your meridians, or bodily pathways. In a typical acupuncture appointment, the doctor will assess your current health and then gently place needles into your skin in spots that need to release energetic blocks. The needles will be left there for about 30 minutes and you will be left by yourself until the 30 minutes are over. Sometimes electric stimulation, heat and natural massage is used if needed.
25. Lotions and Soaps
I love going to my local health shop, such as Whole Foods, and just staring at all the different organic lotions and soaps they have to offer!
Sending you ++posi vibes++
Shannen Roberts
Founding Editor-in-Chief
The Strange is Beautiful
Contact Shannen at strangeisbeauty@gmail.com.
