Quarantine and social distancing have been hard for everyone. Now more than ever, mental health awareness has become a priority in tandem with self care. When all of your life is happening within the same four walls, it’s natural to feel levels of stress & anxiety you haven’t in the past. This was happening for me, which made a collaboration with Komusō Design feel timely & needed.

I’m just going to put this out there, I LOVE ASMR. If you don’t know what it is, it’s basically the idea that sounds, or certain visuals, can be relaxing or “triggering” the mind into a stress free state. There’s an entire category of millions of videos on YouTube & I watch them to go to sleep, which is where I first got an ad for Komusō, & decided to reach out for a collaboration.

Komusō has developed The Shift, which is a small tool you can wear as everyday jewelry that helps you extend your exhale when you deep breathe. It seems so simple that the key to relaxing is breathing & while I have always known that, when I’m stressed, it’s impossible for me to control the flow of my deep breaths evenly. The founders of Komusō realized that the exhale is the most important part of any deep breath & by using their tool, it forces your exhale to slow, which calms your nervous system, slows your heart rate, reduces cortisol, & relaxes your mind.

I have read some reviews saying you can do the same things with a straw… so I tried it after using The Shift for a week. Let me tell you, those people are wrong. Straws are long & thin, & don’t allow you to properly exhale for 8-10 seconds… instead, they encourage blowing out, which is the opposite of what your body needs to reduce stress. Most importantly though, this is a beautiful piece of jewelry that blends into everyday life. Wearing it everyday encourages you to remember to breathe. I can’t tell you the difference it made for me throughout my work week to look down & see it. Many a tension headache have been stopped because of it!

I did a full unboxing on my Instagram so if you missed it, you can go to my page & tap the Shop highlight. I love how thoughtful the design & package are, & how it comes with instructions because honestly, I really wanted to make sure I was using this right!

I have nothing but amazing things to say about Komusō & truly believe that The Shift could help a lot of people naturally manage their stress & anxiety in ways they never thought possible. I was past the banana-bread-baking stage of quarantine & full into anxious, & stressed when this tool came my way, & it truly changed everything. It’s amazing that one little thing can shift your entire mindset, but I am hooked & know you will be too.