Recovery can mean different things to different people, and it truly does come in all shapes and sizes. You might have a friend or family member who suffered an injury that will take weeks to heal. Perhaps your loved one has a chronic illness they’re fighting to heal from. Or maybe a new mom you know is dealing with birth trauma or post-partum issues. In any event, your loved one working hard in recovery needs all the love and support you can give.
Here are some ideas for what to send them:
Healthy Food
More and more doctors and nutritionists are speaking out about the healing power of healthy food. Sure, many people have been told to eat their fruits and vegetables, or maybe you’ve heard about how much protein you need. But the real impact food has on the human body has only recently been genuinely discussed at a public level. First, the wrong foods can hinder healing and recovery. Junk food can make you feel sluggish and unwilling to get your physical therapy done. Sugar can inflame already injured joints and muscles. And the wrong kind of fat can block your blood flow.
Nutrient-rich food, in contrast, can speed up recovery. In fact, if your friend or family member has not had the best relationship with healthy food, a switch might find them feeling better than ever. You can help support your loved one’s long recovery by sending a get well care package filled with supportive food items. Chicken soup packed with veggies, onion, and garlic, fresh fruits, herbal teas, and even a pot of honey can all help promote various stages of the healing process.
Treats
But what is life without treats? And you can certainly send the best version of a guilty pleasure for help recovering. After all, a huge part of recovery is mood and attitude. People who don’t believe they’ll ever get better often take longer to heal from injuries and illnesses. If your loved one has a negative perspective on their abilities and their body’s potential, they may extend an already long recovery for weeks or months more.
It might seem silly, but some chocolate chip cookies, a box of chocolates, or even a basket of sweet fruit can help the mood-enhancing chemicals in the brain. These chemicals are triggered by sugars and chocolate, which can help them get even a few moments of positivity, which can start to turn things around for them. Plus, you can add nutrients to those treats as a healthy bonus. Consider adding protein powder to a brownie mix, walnuts to cookies, or zucchini to a chocolate loaf.
R&R Self Care Items
Of course, healing isn’t only about food. Many factors combine to help a body, mind, and spirit recover from illness or injury, even if the pain is psychological or emotional. What often happens is that someone in pain tends to hyperfocus on that pain. Especially if the recovery process is extended, the hurt person might start to identify with their condition. Once that happens, it becomes extremely difficult to pull themselves out of a dark place, which only makes recovery more challenging.
Like with treats, you can offer support in other ways that involve triggering the happiness chemical in their brains. Self-care items are great for making this shift. You could load a basket with bath bombs, lotions, candles, a soft blanket, and cozy socks. Part of the reason people sit in their own darkness is that they resist the healing process. A care package like this one can encourage them to lean into rest, relaxation, and recovery. Remind your loved one that they’ll have plenty of time to rush back into life once they feel 100%.
Books and Puzzles
Then there are those loved ones who are doing everything they can to heal, but they’re bored while they wait. They eat well, they get good sleep, they talk to their friends and family, and they enjoy all the self care, from bubble baths to pedicures. But those days seem to stretch on forever, and they find themselves desperate for something, anything, to do by midday. It can feel like being trapped in the prison of their own home.
You can help this particular friend or family member by sending gifts to help pass the time. Pack a box with fun paperback novels, intense literature, gossip magazines, academic publications, huge puzzles, simple puzzles, and more. You get the idea. Give them a variety of ways to entertain themselves, depending on the time of day and the mood they happen to be in. Their loneliness may quickly turn to excitement at the idea of catching up on news or completing that cool puzzle.
Workout Gear
Finally, one of the best ways to recover quickly, regardless of the illness, injury, or harm, is through exercise. Not everyone can do the same exercises or enjoy the same levels of intensity. But virtually everyone can benefit from some form of movement or another. Exercise boosts mood levels, improves blood flow, strengthens lungs, and so much more. If you have a friend dealing with a long recovery, encourage exercise that makes sense for them.
One way to do that is by sending them some workout gear. In this case, you’ll want to talk to your loved one first to discover what exercise has been approved by their doctor. Then, you can send over a yoga ball, a yoga mat, small hand weights, or new walking or running shoes. If they don’t belong to a gym yet, you might send a gift card for a gym membership or even for a personal trainer. The more you can help your friend get up and get moving, the happier they may be to get healing.
In the end, you have many options for supporting your loved one battling a long healing process. Of course, the biggest form of support you can offer is just to let them know you’re there for them. If you live nearby, invite them on a walk or to sit and watch a movie together over protein brownies with ice cream. Go make some chicken soup in their kitchen. Or even take the kids for a day so they can enjoy that bubble bath. You can help your friend or family member heal simply by reminding them that they have so much to heal for.
