You may have guessed from the title of this blog, but anxiety plays a big part in my life, and this year has been particularly difficult. After travelling so regularly for the last few years, I’m 99% sure I am suffering with burnout, and that of course, has played a part in my general feeling of malaise.

I have slowed things down massively this year, and after visiting so many countries in 2022, I couldn’t handle the thought of continuing at a similar pace in 2023. So, this year, there was a disastrous housesit in France (I will save that story for another post), three months in Antalya, Turkey, and stays in Greece and Bulgaria, as well as a short trip to Spain, and then a return trip to Turkey. So actually, still quite busy.

Anyway, the last couple of months have been particularly difficult for me, and it’s certainly been the worst I’ve suffered with my mental health in many years. I’m a lot better at recognising the symptoms and triggers now, so I decided to come back to the family home in Wales, and get better.

To do that, I am adopting a lot of strategies to try and help myself, and one of these has been purchasing the Calmcarry device, and seeing if that can make a difference. I was seeing Calm Carry EVERYWHERE when I was online, that remarketing is real, and after reading a lot of the comments, and reading the reviews, I decided to take the plunge.

So, without any further ado, here is my review:

Cost: The purchase price for my CalmCarry was £43 (pounds as I am based in the UK), and this is over 50% off the original cost, so I won’t argue with that. The good news is, you can add discounts to this total, to bring it down even further!

If you’re interested in the product, then please feel free to purchase through this link. Not only will this link give you 15% off (the unique discount code will be automatically applied at checkout), you’ll also be helping me with costs involved in running this website, so thank you! The total discount will be close to £10 if you use the above code.

Delivery: Delivery did take a little while, and took 12 days from purchase to arriving at the house. It was tracked, and I was made aware of the actual day it would get here, which is always handy, as this won’t fit through most letterboxes. I naturally forgot to take a photo of the package, but it was a little bit shabby-chic, with tape in random places, and the wrapping not fitting particularly well. It was secure though, which is of course the main thing to concern oneself with. 

The delivery times listed upon completion of payment was 3-8 days, but the above note was added to the confirmation email, and my delivery fell at the back end of that. Still, I thought it was a nice touch to add this disclaimer, and with it being near Christmas time, post volume naturally picks up, and as Mentioned, it was tracked throughout.

The box: The box is nice! After a tiny bit of concern upon seeing the package, it was a relief to see the box inside was pretty pristine. The CalmCarry is nicely presented, with a small box that folds out. The CalmCarry is placed on top of a foam layer, and beneath this is a charger and the instructions/warranty.

First use: So, first things first, make sure to charge your device. I think I charged for an hour, before it was good to go. My initial reaction, confusion. Now, despite looking at this product for a while, I wasn’t aware that it doesn’t buzz/vibrate. For whatever reason, that’s what I had in my mind, but it does not do that, and naturally, I thought my device was broken.

Thankfully, this wasn’t the case, I was just using it completely wrong. In case you’re unsure, the CalmCarry doesn’t vibrate, but it kinda zaps you, and I’ll be honest, it takes some getting used to.

Does it work? As mentioned, it definitely takes some getting used to, as to me, it initially feels like a minor electric shock, which doesn’t scream relaxation. To get it working, you have to put your fingertips on the back of the case, and bring the metal bit to the palm of your hand. You can try this in a number of ways, and the CalmCarry website details different ways to hold the device.

According to the website, it works better in particular positions, so keep this in mind!

When it’s in the right position, you should feel the zapping kicking it, and it’s definitely a little bit weird at the beginning. The first time I used it though, I did feel super relaxed afterwards, and was ready to get to bed.

Since then, I’ve been using it when attempting to get off to sleep, and it certainly seems to be helping. It’s a strange feeling, because on one hand, you’re aware of this zap in your hand, but the last few nights, I’ve woken up later in the night, so it clearly did its job. It turns itself off after 20 minutes of use which is a really nice touch, and I think I’ve only had to go into two cycles, once.

I’m not the biggest fan of the hoop that you use to put your wrist through, as it all felt a bit tight. I have pretty small wrists, and instead, I have been holding the CalmCarry loosely in my hand, which means you might lose it in the night, but this was far more comfortable for me. There seems to be quite a few complaints about the hoop, and the cover in general, as a lot of people have reported it breaking easily. This isn’t ideal, and even though CalmCarry offer a replacement cover you can buy on the website, they should probably make it a bit more robust/bigger to begin with.

As mentioned, I have small wrists, and it felt like it might break when pushing through it, so as pointed out, I like to hold it loosely, and I also feel this gives me more freedom for adjusting the position of the device. Of course, CalmCarry will perform optimally when it’s kept in the same (correct) position, so the hoop is helpful in that regard, but for me, it just added a layer of tension when putting my hand through said hoop, which for a relaxation device, sets you off in the wrong way.

There are also two features on the CalmCarry, which wasn’t entirely clear during the purchasing process. The first one is less intense, and is meant to be used for going to sleep and for general relaxing. The second is noticeably more powerful, and is designed to help with focus. As a freelancer, who has absolutely no discipline, this is hugely valuable. You’ll definitely feel the zapping in this mode, and my hand felt a bit tingly afterwards, but it seemed to work, and left me feeling more focused.

Procrastination has been a major issue for me this year as mentioned, so anything I can do to help that, is welcomed.

Conclusion: So, for me at least, it was certainly weird the first few times using it, and as mentioned, the zapping doesn’t scream relaxation (CalmCarry says it feels like a heartbeat, but I didn’t really get that at first). BUT, the proof as they say, is in the pudding, and it’s clear that this works. There are hundreds of positive reviews, and these far outweigh the negative ones, but I can totally buy into the fact that it isn’t for everyone.

The more I use this though, the more my body seems to be adjusting to it. The other night, it did actually feel like a heartbeat! And, I’ve noticed that I am turning up the power a bit, so my advice is, if it feels weird at the beginning (and it did with me!), then keep at it, because your body might have to get used to it like mine did.

Should I buy it? Personally, I would recommend this product, and if you suffer from anxiety, it’s a bit of a gamechanger. I’ve certainly felt more chilled after using it, and I will absolutely be taking it on my travels with me. Regarding insomnia, I don’t normally have too many issues getting off to sleep (although ironically the night I wrote this, I struggled more than I normally do), so I can’t offer as informed a view here, but it does help me in the process of falling asleep, and it now forms part of my nightly routine.

It’s cheaper than therapy, hypnosis etc, and if you’re like me, you’ll find that your brain massively struggles to switch off. Having this as a distraction is a welcome addition, as I always feel I need to be doing something, and for me, this is something. The Calm Carry will form part of my daily routine, and I will update this article after I’ve used it more often. As mentioned though, if you do suffer with anxiety, then I would recommend you consider this product.

Once again, if you are interested, then you can purchase the CalmCarry right here, and get 15% off! Your support would really mean a lot.

And, just to finish off, I want to point out that I wasn’t paid by CalmCarry to write this article, I have no link to CalmCarry or the company that owns them, and these are my independent views. If you have any other questions regarding the product, just let me know in the comments, and I will answer as soon as I can!