Editor’s Note: As a collective, the Gear Patrol staff is a wealth of knowledge about products — everyone is an expert in his or her own right. Of course, every story we publish is a testament to that. In our personal lives, we pursue our product passion too. This series is our way of showcasing and sharing our insights on products we inpidually endorse and love and own. Our hope is that you enjoy it all — and perhaps discover something new as you meet our staff over the next few weeks.
My adult life has largely consisted of figuring out what my essentials are. This applies, as you’d expect, to my ambitions and my principles — typical twentysomething stuff. But I’ve found that it’s equally important to consider the daily necessities that keep me functioning well enough to approach those questions with a calm, mindful headspace.
You could call them creature comforts. I think this diminishes things a bit. Consider, for example, that prolonged physical discomfort can lead to injury; the same is true of the mind. And I, a tremendously anxious introvert with a tendency to walk around completely in my head, am psychologically a Greg Oden. (My coworker said this would be an appropriate sports metaphor.) So, my physical (mental) therapy regimen: things that remind me of home, things that speak to my childhood self, things that prevent or assuage overstimulation, and lots of video games.
Antsy Labs Fidget Cube
This is the one that raised millions on Kickstarter, and it’s the one you want. (The knockoffs you can get at Barnes & Noble and elsewhere are, reportedly, busted.) I definitely favor one or two sides of it more than the others, but overall, it works; when I can remember to take this thing with me to work, I can actually stop nervously picking at my nails long enough to have to clip them.
