Struggle to make time for self-care? This monthly subscription box could help
From mental health charity Mind comes the Pause box - a moment of me-time amid the chaos of everyday life.

In 2023, it seems like you can’t go five minutes without hearing the term self-care, whether it’s used to recount an elaborate skincare routine or justify an extravagant buy.
While designer bags are great, what's just as important is taking the time to notice how often you actually check in with your mental wellbeing and spend time practicing self-care.
That's where Pause comes in, a monthly subscription box that’s designed to help you do just that. The brainchild of mental health charity Mind, Pause provides subscribers with a moment of alone time amid the chaos of everyday life.
For more details on how exactly it encourages calm, keep scrolling.
Meet Mind's monthly self-care subscription box
So how does it work? Good question. Each month, Pause subscribers can expect a moment of mindfulness, creativity and calm delivered straight to their door, with each Pause box tailored to provide something creative and focused on your wellbeing.
But don’t go thinking that it’s all self-reflection - while the subscription covers that base pretty well, it also recognises that learning new skills and trying new activities is just as important to your wellbeing as introspection.
Notice, learn and connect
The subscription aims to help you pause on three fronts: by noticing, learning and connecting.
- Noticing encourages you to check in with yourself and acknowledge how you’re feeling.
- Learning offers the opportunity to try a new skill or set a new goal or challenge (we won’t ruin the surprise, but each box comes with a fun activity inside)
- Connecting helps you to share, talk and connect with friends and family.
When it comes to looking after our mental health, talking about our feelings is often a difficult step to take. Whether you’re sharing a Pause box, gifting a subscription or teaching your new skill to someone else, Pause helps you to talk wellbeing with the important people in your life.
How much is the subscription box?
You can gift Pause to yourself or someone else from just £7.50 a month.
This includes a free gift message and delivery.
The best bit? 100 per cent of your payment goes directly to Mind, so you can help them provide support to the one in four people every year that will experience a mental health problem.
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Kate McCusker is a freelance writer at Marie Claire UK, having joined the team in 2019. She studied fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins, and her byline has also appeared in Dezeen, British Vogue, The Times and woman&home. In no particular order, her big loves are: design, good fiction, bad reality shows and the risible interiors of celebrity houses.
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