This Mental Health Subscription Box Helped Me De-Stress Through Art & Journaling

While experiencing high stress levels can seem like a “normal” part of life, the truth is, it can feel anything but normal when you’re in the thick of it. Thankfully, talking openly about mental health is becoming the new normal, and Archer & Olive is getting in on the conversation with subscription boxes designed to help you kick-start a practice of art and journaling. After all, journaling and other creative endeavors are an amazing way to take the edge off, and medical experts have reported they can do everything from helping to lower stress levels to tracking negative thought patterns and prioritizing concerns. As someone who feels like my tension has been dialed up to an 11 out of 10, I was more than ready to see how it could help.

Quarterly Subscription Boxes For Mental Health Practices

One of the most interesting things about Archer & Olive is the fact that the creator herself received diagnoses of bipolar and generalized anxiety disorder, a fact that made my ears perk up. (In my opinion, when it comes to mental health practices, real, hands-on experience counts for a lot.) The company — which specializes in high-quality hardcover journals, writing and drawing implements, and accessories — has launched quarterly mental health subscription boxes, so you can have amazing materials on hand to motivate you to begin an artistically minded mental health practice.

Premium Materials In Eco-Friendly, Vegan Packaging

If you love the look and feel of upmarket stationery and art materials, you’ll appreciate Archer & Olive’s quarterly subscription boxes, which come with everything you’ll need for three months’ worth of art and journaling practice, as well as items that’ll help you focus and stay organized. Each package comes with at least one ethically manufactured notebook, as well as limited-edition and never-released Archer & Olive products.

The sample set I received included several hardcover journals (with both linen and faux leather covers), a set of Archer & Olive’s dual-sided Calliograph pens in soft shades of green, blue, and orange, a tote bag, illustrated prints for coloring, and stickers to brighten up my pages and help me organize. (If you’re a stickler for organization, you’ll love knowing that there were stickers for both to-do lists and days of the week.) There were also several rolls of decorative washi tape, including one with images of leopards on it that I literally can’t stop staring at in pure aesthetic admiration.

How It Feels To Use The Materials

As someone who once had a dedicated journaling practice that’s since gone by the wayside, I have to say that having nice tools on hand actually helped jump-start my motivation. The hardcover journals made it easy to write anywhere, even without a desk or table, so I could use them outside, which only helped capitalize on the soothing factor of the experience.

While I’m no artist, I liked that you could use one side of each pen for coloring or calligraphy and the other for writing. Also, seeing things in color — as opposed to using a standard black or blue ballpoint pen — made the whole experience much more engaging, helping me to slow down and make a ritual of the process.

The Wellness Benefits

Using the creative side of my brain definitely makes me feel like the best version of myself, and being able to engage with that in a hands-on way felt energizing. I also appreciated the organizational stickers as a way to prioritize daily tasks, which is a lot more enjoyable than simply jotting them down on paper. The fact that I could compile thoughts, fears, gratitude, and daily schedules into one journal was something I wasn’t sure about when starting off, but — as someone who tends to misplace things — I enjoyed having one central notebook to streamline my day. While I’m still early on in this routine, I’m curious to see if utilizing these tools might be a fun alternative to my regular meditation practice.

All that being said, I can see this subscription box being genuinely great for anyone who enjoys high-quality notebooks and art supplies, regardless of whether or not you’re looking to funnel that into a mental health endeavor.

Other Offerings From Archer & Olive

While my recommendation is to just go all-in for a subscription box (I think it’s worth it if you’re ready to commit to an art or mindfulness practice), you can also buy individual items from Archer & Olive. They have an impressive array of tools — everything from watercolors to pencil pouches — in a variety of designs that’ll look amazing, whether you keep them on your desk on your nightstand for some pre-bedtime journaling and art.