Discovering Heat Packs

I didn’t even know I needed heat packs until I had them. My friend Jenna sent me two homemade mini (hand warmer size) heat packs as part of my holiday gift this year and I am promptly obsessed. They are sitting on my stomach as I write.

Even Austin it gets chilly and I hate being cold. I think as humans we underestimate how much physical comfort really affects our mood. Being hungry, tired, having a headache … all those little day-to-day human things that I ignore and then wonder why I’m cranky. Eat, sleep, take some aspirin.

More so than putting on a sweater, these heat packs feel like a luxury just a short mircowave-minute away. They remind me of hot towels during a massage or heated car seats (my car isn’t so fancy yet). Unexpected and welcome warmth feels like a real treat for me. I think of sitting by the fireplace when I was growing up. I’d plant myself right in front of the hearth and read until my back itched from being too hot.

This past week I’ve been resting the mini heat packs on my chest, shoulder, or hip. At first, they’re too hot to put under my clothes I move them directly to my skin as they slowly cool so I can soak it all up. I’m a fidgety person by nature so this kind of rearranging feels good to me (better than biting my nails, anyhow).

This is such a small, simple treat from which I’m deriving so much pleasure … and I’m so excited to find treats that aren’t bad for me (like junk food, binging tv, spending money)!

Jenna has her homemade heat packs available on her Etsy shop TheSelfCareStudio.  You can get heat packs in all varieties though; I think stuffed animal heat packs are definitely on my horizon (my mom used to have a ladybug one).

With Love,
Natalie