Recommendations for things that make my life easier:
None of these are affiliate links, if they ever become affiliate links it will be noted. List may grow as I think of things I already have that make my life easier or if I find new things that make my life easier. Click each item to read more about it and see a link to the product page.
lotion bar stick
(lotion bar shop link)If you're like me, a person who could stand to moisturize more but hates the texture of most lotions on my hands, you may love this as much as I do. It's easy to use and a little can go a long way (your mileage may vary, obviously). Great for dry/ashy/cracked/itchy-but-not-in-the-needs-antihistamines-way skin, at least for mine (I am not a skin professional). Made, sold, and shipped by a small Black-owned family business.
neck light!!
(neck light!! shop link)I LOVE THIS THING. After I got it we both loved it so much that we got one for each member of my family and also a bunch of our friends (who then got one for each of their kids). It's so freaking versatile. It has 3 different light temperatures, each with 3 different brightness settings, the arms are flexible, and it's USB-C rechargeable. Originally I thought I'd use it to read in bed while my spouse is sleeping. I have not read in bed with it since BUT I still use it all the time. I usually go to bed after my husband does so when he goes in he brings it to me so I don't wake/keep him up by needing to have a light on. We've used it to help see into dark corners when building furniture or when checking inventory. It's great for if you live in a place where you have to go outside after it gets super dark or when you have power outages. It's super light and pretty comfortable to wear.
pop fidget medication tracker
(pop fidget medication tracker shop link)Unfortunately "pill popper fidget" is, shall we say, not a helpful search term. I was having a lot of trouble with remembering to take a new med and the "take your pills out of the bottle and put them in a new container that is meticulously sorted by day" thing is not for me, partially for hand stability reasons and partially because it doesn't match with how my ADHD manifests. These are great for me, you slip 'em around the neck of the med bottle and pop when you take a dose, then unpop them and start again the next week. Reusable and can also help with tracking multiple doses throughout the day!
adjustable heating pad with velcro straps
(adjustable heating pad with velcro straps shop link)My husband recently sprained his shoulder and my back always hates me, but sometimes other parts of my body hate me too. We like the versatility of being able to use this either plugged in for powered heat or wirelessly (kinda, by using the included heat/cold pack) and the ability to wrap it around whatever part you need. It comes with 2 additional velcro straps to accommodate different sizing or wrapping needs. We got two because what if we were both in pain at the same time? Anyway since we got them we have already spent several nights laying next to each other sighing in relief on our own respective heating pads. Who says getting old and creaky can't be romantic? If you recognize this company it's probably because they also sell the portable personal air purifiers that Imani Barbarin uses (we also have 2 of those filters, one for each of us).
IMPORTANT: Before you plug it into the wall, attach the other end of the cord to the heating pad, otherwise it won't work and also might fuck up the electronics (I am not an electronics professional).
fully wireless heating/massage belt
(fully wireless heating/massage belt shop link) (not the place I got mine from but idk if that shop is still open since their socials haven't been updated for 2 years)This is different from the heating pad above because it's fully wireless (USB-C rechargeable), has 3 heat levels and 3 massage modes, and it is a little less versatile since it's only a belt. It's great for travel and work and the vibrations combined with the heat really do help. One reason I decided to include this here despite having another heat relief option directly above is because in addition to working for back pain, it also helps with relief for stomach pain and menstrual cramps.
(Reminder that while cramps are painful, it is not "normal period pain" if you are actually debilitated by them, especially if you also have bleeding that is much heavier or lasts much longer than it used to. People with periods are often gaslit into not seeking medical care for their issues until it gets really serious. Finding a good specialist who won't dismiss your pain can be difficult, but it could save you a lot of pain and suffering.) (I am not a gynecological professional.) (but I did have fibroids for 3 years and that shit was awful.)
sleep headphones!!!
(sleep headphones shop link)I'm going to start by saying that you can find many cheaper versions of these that may work just as well so if you just want to try it out as a concept there is a lower cost of entry. We got this one because my spouse liked the sizing info/velcro closure, it got a great review on Wirecutter, and most importantly, we had holiday money.
So, I snore. A lot. Super loud. And even louder if I'm sleep deprived. Sometimes when I wake up my spouse by snoring he can nudge me and I'll change position, but not always. We have been a couple for nearly 15 years and this has only gotten worse during that time, giving him many sleepless nights. One of my friends mentioned Bluetooth headphones that live inside a soft cloth headband (a cheaper brand they are very happy with btw), I asked if he'd be interested, he said he'd try, we researched options and…
They've been a fucking gamechanger. He says he's been able to sleep through my snoring when he wears them, they're comfortable, and I've noticed that even on nights he doesn't wear them, he seems less bothered by noise than he was before. They're not noise-canceling so we don't have to worry about if something happens and he can't hear it and his alarm goes off both in the headphones and out loud, so if he doesn't wake up I can nudge him. The ONLY "flaw" he's noticed is that the first couple nights he would dream that he was awake and the music from the headphones would be diegetic so people in the dream would actually react to it 😂 But like, imagine something that's been a thorn in your side for almost 15 years just…immediately no longer being a problem. It's magical. (I am not a magic professional.)