USING A THERAPEUTIC WEIGHTED BLANKET DURING COVID

Weighted blankets, or anxiety blankets have increased in popularity over the past few years. Because of the COVID pandemic and the increased isolation people feel, weighted blankets can provide comfort when many have little access to close human contact and physical touch. Weighted blankets come filled with a variety of materials, come in many sizes, and some even have heating/cooling mechanisms.

I personally find great relaxation from the grounding experience of the heavy blanket weighing down my body. It calms my system in a very similar way as receiving a slow, long hug. While I sometimes sleep through the night with it on, oftentimes I simply lay down in my bed for 20 minutes with a heating pad underneath my sacrum, a weighted blanket draped over me, an eye pillow and relaxing music playing in my earbuds. This combination provides me some wonderful moments of calm at any time of day or night.

Weighted blankets provide a form of deep pressure therapy. Deep pressure therapy is often a combination of weight and pressure. From weighted blankets/vests/jackets, to having a person or large dog lay gently on top of you, to Closing the Bones rituals, deep pressure therapy can have very soothing effects. For more information on deep pressure therapy to help settle the nervous system, read my blog post here. 

I would love to hear how weighted blankets have benefitted you, especially during COVID. I have noticed that having a weighted blanket in my toolbox of self-care practices allows me to slow down and take a break from this overstimulating world we live in.