Thursday 21 January 2016

Buddy Box


I first became aware of The Blurt Foundation through Twitter and after seeing one of their thought provoking and highly relatable messages about depression. One of the reasons why I love Twitter so much is because so many people speak openly and honestly about their mental health problems. I believe that this ultimately helps to break down the stigma attached to emotional illnesses, whilst also offering some comfort and support to other sufferers.

Blurt are dedicated to helping those affected by depression and from the moment I took the time to read more of their tweets and their blog I knew that they really and truly understood what it actually means to struggle with depression.

I've sadly experienced periods of depression in my life and it's a sad fact that only those who have also been through it really understand what its like, how it makes you feel and what a devastating impact it can have on your life. It's so much more than feeling low or a bit down and sad. When depression strikes at its worst it can be completely crippling by crushing your self esteem and effecting your ability to get up in the morning, hold down a job, maintain friendships / relationships and even leave the house. This is something the Blurt founder and CEO Jayne Hardy knows all too well. Having been diagnosed with depression herself she recalls - 'the isolation was crippling and in time, I was too scared to leave the house'.

It's fantastic to see how dedicated The Blurt Foundation are to raising awareness about depression and the help that they offer to those affected by the illness. Along with their tweets and blog they also offer informative resources, a support database, podcasts and a peer to peer support group. As if all of that wasn't enough they also come up with the Buddy Box, aka 'a hug in a box'.


If you follow my blog you will already know how much I love happy mail, in particular subscription boxes, so as soon as I saw the Buddy Box I was curious to learn more. The Buddy Box is designed to be a little box of self care to help anyone who may be struggling. I instantly fell in love with the whole concept of a subscription box service dedicated to this as, since my own experiences with anxiety and depression, I have learned the hard way the importance of self care to promote positive wellbeing. This is also something that I advocate on my own social media accounts and blog.

The Buddy Box is also a great idea because not only can it work as a treat for yourself but also as a gift to someone who you know may be in need of a little boost. I know from experience people can often struggle to know what to say and do when they know you are struggling with any emotional health problem. In some ways, and despite all the openness on social media platforms, it can still be somewhat of a taboo subject which people often find difficult to address. By sending someone a Buddy Box it's the perfect way of letting them know that you're thinking about them and that you care. I know I would love to receive one of these in the post at any time but I also know how much it would mean to receive one when you're at your lowest.

2016 is the year of being kind to myself and so as a little new year treat I decided to gift myself a Buddy Box. Ok, there's no denying that it would have been lovely to receive one as a surprise in the post from a friend, but rather than waiting for that day I decided that I needed one in my life right now! And I guess that's the thing about self care. It's caring for yourself! It's doing happy and nice things for YOU to make YOU feel good.

When I ordered my Buddy Box it was completely new to me so I made the decision to avoid any temptation to look at previous boxes as I wanted a nice surprise. When my box arrived I was so excited to find out what was inside...




Included in the box:

12 Faber-Castell colouring pencils
The Little Book of Calm Colouring 
A box of Clipper 'Sleep Easy' tea bags
Hurraw lip balm 
Panda hand warmer


When I looked at all the contents of this box it felt very spooky as if they really knew me and what I like! It made me smile a lot. I'm a big fan of colouring for calmness and relaxation so it was nice to receive some new pencils and a mini colouring book which is such a handy size for carrying around with me. I was also happy to receive a new box of tea bags which I haven't tried before and I love that they are supposed to help with sleeping. I'll look forward to a cup of this tea in the evening before bed. Hurraw vegan lip balm is already a favourite of mine and I already have this exact flavour on my bedside table so yay for more lip balm! And you're probably wondering what the little panda is? Well it's a lovely little hand warmer which just so happens to be very cute!


There are multiple different options for subscribing to a Buddy Box which means that you can get a surprise box of treats just like this every month. A reoccurring monthly subscription costs £21.50 but there are cheaper options if you pay in full upfront for 3, 6 or 12 months. Alternatively you can do what I have done and buy a one off box for yourself or a friend for £21.50 (free postage). There is also a Buddy Box Lite which contains 3 full sized items instead of 5 for £12.00 (free postage).

The Buddy Box is the perfect way to say I care whether it be to a friend, family member or most importantly yourself. It encourages you to take some time out away from any stresses for yourself to relax. Stress was a major contributor towards my own anxiety and depression and if I could change anything I wish someone had stopped me and encouraged me to slow down and look after myself.

Have you been lucky enough to receive a Buddy Box yet? 
* The V Nice Life is a compassionate lifestyle blog which predominantly focuses on vegan and cruelty free living but also promotes compassion and awareness around mental health issues. Compassionate living encompasses all areas of empathy towards living life, humans included! The Buddy Box cannot guarantee that the contents of these boxes will always be vegan friendly. This box was purchased by myself and all views expressed within the review are my own. 
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3 comments

  1. Love the concept behind this box, and what brilliant things too! I have the Hurraw Chai Spice lip balm on my bedside table as well ;)

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  2. This seems like such a lovely idea, it's bound to cheer someone up on a miserable day. I love how it included a box of 'Sleep Easy' tea bags which should be a lot of help for those who have trouble sleeping :) xx

    Yasmina | The July Journal

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  3. Omfg, this box is fantastic!

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