Alternatives for commercially available weighted blankets/clothes?

[Fae]

I personally have gotten a lot of mileage using heavy blankets or other piles of things to put on myself when my anxiety rises. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it does knock down my nervous energy to manageable levels so that I can focus appropriately on tasks at hand rather than the swirl of anxious thoughts in my head.


The commercial options to accomplish this are pretty steep in price! Reaching for a blanket in the middle of summer is impractical though, as is bulking up on clothes to keep frazzled feelings down when out and about.


Has anyone found cheap or at-home workarounds to get weighted clothes or weigh down blankets without having to resort to those big purchases? Perhaps just sharing your own experiences with weighted articles can spark some ideas.

 

[Amber B.]

Weighted blankets, clothes, etc. suppress your sympathetic nervous system. When someone hugs you tightly, you wear heavy clothes, etc. it calms you down. Science! I've found that the weighted blankets you buy online are ridiculously priced. I actually had my mom make me one some time ago. We went to Joann Fabrics and picked out comfortable, heavy fabric to use. I got to pick all the materials so I made sure it was going to be comfortable for me. Do you have Facebook yard sale groups in your area? There are a lot of small business owners and independent seamstresses that may be able to make one for you at less cost. If you go to a tack store, they also have really heavy saddle and horse blankets. You have to watch the price on those, too.

 

[Usagi]

Weighted blankets' date=' clothes, etc. suppress your sympathetic nervous system. When someone hugs you tightly, you wear heavy clothes, etc. it calms you down. Science! [/quote']
I've always gone to sleep much easier when I've wrapped myself up in a big heavy duvet. I never knew there was an actual thing to it! This explains so much...

 

[Zzyli]

Weighted blankets or other 'deep pressure' to reduce anxiety and sensory distress have definitely been proven to be beneficial in studies. I've thought about getting a blanket for myself as I find that tight clothing or heavy covers can be very comforting but it's not something I've tried yet! I do wear a corset at times which can give a similar kind of deep pressure on my torso and I can wear it out and about. It's also helpful because it makes me aware of my breathing so I can tell if I'm starting to take too many shallow breaths and I can take some time out to calm down. If anyone is interested in knowing a little more about corsetry I can talk a bit about my experiences and point you to some helpful links, but it's possibly a bit off-topic.


There's a bunch of tutorials around if you (or someone else you know) can sew in order to make your own weighted blanket. I follow r/sewing on Reddit and saw someone share their experiences and the tutorial they used there recently. https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/comm...ghted_blanket/ I'm not sure exactly how this would compare in pricing to buying a ready-made blanket but the people who posted there seemed to suggest that if you're prepared to hunt around and buy bulk you can get a decent deal on the poly pellets to fill the blanket and can customise the blanket to your liking.

 

[Fae]

I've noticed that effect with body shapers, feeling much more relaxed when I have one on. They're also a nice help to my posture, too! I can sew, and would like to make my own corset at some point, but I think I need to practice my patterning on less complex items first.


I've seen some tutorials, but I paused when plastic pellets were involved, as the amount I'd need would be very pricey. Heavy fabric, like denim, could be an alternative. Some of the area thrift stores are generous on their clothing sales to get old jeans free for that purpose.


Thank you for the link and ideas!