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It’s the most wonderful time of the year again so you may be wondering what you should put on your own or a loved ones gift list, my Spoonie Christmas Gift Idea suggestions are things or items that I’ve found that help me to cope with being home and in pain much of the time or things that I would personally buy or use.
The holidays are not always easy for some, especially for ones living with chronic illness. (I am exhausted even thinking about.) As someone living with chronic pain, I often struggle with comparing myself with others who are able to keep up the pace of visiting friends and family, eating whatever they want, plus being able to parent, tend appointments and activities as the holiday season starts.
So if you or a loved one is living with a chronic illness or pain and need some ideas for gifts that will actually be used, I’m going to help you out!
Spoonie Gift Ideas:
1. Laptop Bed Table
Instead of the usual, and more conventional choices, you can stand out from the crowd and offer the people you love a super practical accessory that they will love! A bed table is a present that will save them time, space, and make their life more comfortable!
I use one every, single, day. Whether it’s for surfing the web, journalling or eating. Most of my day is spent on the couch because my pelvic pain increases with sitting and standing so having a lightweight, portable desk on hand makes my life so much more easier.
Below are a couple of options. I am currently using the first one but the second one caught my eye as being another great option!
2. 2020 Spoonie Planner
These 2020 Printable Planners are for kick-ass chronic illness warriors who are ready to take control of their healing journey.
The printable 2020 Spoonie Planner is a collection of minimal printer friendly worksheets designed to be a resource for individuals to manage all aspects of their current healthcare, medical history and aids in taking care of the body and mind. A necessity for individuals living with chronic pain + illness, senior citizens, and caregivers. There are two options, chronic illness and pelvic health.
It contains everything you need to organize your life + medical information, from tracking your symptoms & progress, to planning your doctor appointment filled days.
3. Smart Watch or Health Tracker
Being able to track your vitals and activity to reach personal health goals is important in recovery. For someone living with an illness, it is especially important to see patterns or red flags. Giving them the ability to track everything on their watch or phone is incredibly helpful.
Apple Watch: Buy now
FitBit: Buy now
4. Instant Pot
My boyfriend and I got one this year and I think everyone should have one in their kitchen cupboard. I was nervous at first due to it being a pressure cooker but after using it a few times, the fear faded and my love for crazy fast and flavourful food with minimal effort, took over. There are also SO many great, simple and healthy recipes you can find online and on pinterest. The possibilites are endless, especially with so many food restrictions we spoonies have.
The Instant Pot offers set-it-and-forget-it cooking which is a big bonus for us living with chronic pain. They’re also a lot cheaper than they used to be.
5. Cleaning service
I think anyone would enjoy this one but especially ones living with chronic pain. For myself, doing a good cleaning takes a lot of spoons (energy) and most of the time my pain sky rockets the more I move around so I tend to put it off. My boyfriend does a lot of the hard jobs but I feel such a sense of guilt as I am laying there and he is vacuuming. So if I feel this, I am sure many of you guys do too!
Molly Maid is a common maid service in North America. They also allow you to buy gift certificates directly on their site!
6. Stylish Hot Water Bottles
A hot water bottle is a fantastic gift for people with any sort of chronic pain.
(Also, we go through a lot of heating pads and can never have too many when we flare up. )
Or even better… support handmade and small business on Etsy.
7. Art Supplies or Art Sets
Art therapy can be an important tool if you live with a chronic pain condition. It helps with stress relief, emotional resilience, supports cognitive functions and enhances confidence in one’s own abilities and thoughts.
To learn more about how art can help chronic pain, check out my blog post about the topic: Art Therapy Ideas For Chronic Pain
Some ideas to get your started…
Check out this cool wood slice painting set:
Or this mini acrylic set to dip their toes into painting:
8. Spoonie and Chronic Illness themed Greeting Cards. + Holiday Cards!
Check out the greeting cards I created for the very best in humorous, unique Spoonie handmade cards.
Buy 2 or more items and receive 15% off your order!
use code THP15 at checkout!
9. Yoga mat or equipment
If you live with chronic pain, stretching can be essential. With time, our bodies become weaker due to lack of movement (from pain) but we have to try our best to introduce movement into our days. So why not give that person who has been talking about taking up a yoga practice, a gift they’ll be excited to use in the new year!
A thinner mat will be more lightweight for someone with an illness but it all depends on preference.
See below for some great gift ideas for the yogi or striving yogi in your life:
10. Giftcards!
You can’t go wrong with a gift card. Being ill means a lot of medical bills and not much money to spend on other things so being able to give a giftcard that can be used for multiple personal or household items is key.
Amazon is a spoonies best friend. There are variety of items and it comes straight to your door. No need to ask for help going to the store or get out of bed to do your shopping.
You can also buy super cute gift boxes that come along with your Amazon giftcard, like this:
or more generic versions like…
Shopping for someone with chronic pain or chronic illness doesn’t have to be difficult or stressful. I do believe that as long as your gift comes from the heart, they are sure to love whatever you end up gifting them.
Do you have any great suggestions to add to this Spoonie gift guide for loved ones with chronic illness? I’d love to hear them!
