With October’s emphasis on emotional and mental health, I wanted to write this month’s LittleZotz.com posts with topics focused on different aspects of having a happy, healthy mind. Chewelry for adults is one of THE main ways I safely self-regulate my emotional wellbeing.
When the very noisy, very stressful, very strange world gets to be a little too much — or if my mouth is just bored and needs something to do so the rest of me can focus on other things — chomping down and gnawing on a piece of heavy-duty chewelry is usually exactly what I need to get my mind back on track.
So, in this post, I’m going to share my personal experience with chewelry (what is it and why I use it) as well as my Top 5 Favorite ARK Therapeutic Chewelry Necklaces! And then, at the veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery end, you’ll have a chance to enter to WIN a Jack-o-lantern themed chewelry necklace!! (October 1, 2021 – October 15, 2021).
NOTE: All of the ARK Therapeutic product links throughout this post are affiliate links – meaning, if you make a purchase using one of my links, I will receive a small monetary kickback for referring you at no additional cost to you as a customer. Also, although ARK Therapeutic is aware (and happy/flattered) that I’m writing this post and hosting a raffle, they have not sponsored this post and/or paid me to write anything about/for them. I’m doing this completely on my own.
My Chewelry Story
TW: Self injury.
I’ve always been “sensitive.” I rarely cry, I never scream… But I’m easily overwhelmed and prone to shutting down. Or, worse (for me), melting down.
When I was a wee one, I was in a full-body cast (a necessary side-effect of having a new hip built via bone graft) and I was unable to move. I didn’t have a ton of options for stimming. Due to lack of mobility, not being especially verbally talkative, not being cryer/screamer, and not knowing how to write yet… I would bite when I had an unbearable build-up of strong emotions.
Or just, you know, when my mouth was bored. It’s a bit difficult to explain — and I feel a bit self-conscious even attempting to! — but I’ve always just needed to chew.
This need, of course, was fulfilled as a baby via teething toys and whatnot. Though it’s generally expected that the need for “teething” will be outgrown… that’s not always the case. Older children, teenagers, and even adults (like I am!) sometimes need to chew on things to self-soothe and regulate their wellbeing.
Once I no longer had teething toys (since I was no longer a baby), I started biting myself – often to the point of injury. That was trained out of me. I attempted to replace the habit with nailbiting. That was also trained out of me (via nasty-tasting nail polish – bleh!!!). I would also chomp on remote controls and video game console controllers… which definitely wasn’t appreciated, especially if it was someone else’s controller (which was both embarrassing and, let’s face it, kinda gross/unhygienic on Young Lauren’s part – oops).
Cue years of secretive self-injury, over-snacking (food satisfies that stress-relieving chewing need but at a weight-gaining cost), and being generally…twitchy… I finally landed on vaping. It was socially accepted by most adults other than some light teasing and, for a good long while, it was amazing! But it was also expensive. Annnnnnnnnnnnnd, nicotine doesn’t mix well with many of the components of surgery like anesthesia…
Once it was confirmed, in 2020, that I needed to have five organs surgically removed in order to live, I knew I needed to kick my nicotine habit. But I also couldn’t afford to pack on any pounds! I’d made fantastic strides with my mental health, but I knew I’d go bonkers if I didn’t have something. I was in an immense amount of physical pain — the absolute last thing I needed was to lose control of my emotions.
I reached out to fellow neurodiverse individuals and they told me about chewelry AKA chewable chewelry!
After testing a few different brands and styles, I fell in love with ARK Therapeutic (a wonderful family-run small business who truly cares about their customers!) and their awesome chews. I needed chewelry for an aggressive chewer! The other brands just couldn’t cut it. My teeth would shred through lesser brands in a matter of days whereas my chewelry necklaces from ARK Therapeutic tend to last one-to-two months!
Thanks to ARK Therapeutic chewelry, I was able to quit vaping. I’ll be nicotine-free for an entire year next month!
Plus, I love the fun fashion element the chewable pendants add to my wardrobe! They’re adorable!! If you look at the illustrations I draw of myself, you can see my ARK chewelry featured (I always draw myself wearing one of my chewable necklaces, even if it’s just the cord peeking out from my shirt’s neckline hehehe).
They’re also extremely comforting. Calming. I wish chewelry had been available when I was young. I’m so glad that today’s kiddos have more options and can safely satisfy their chewing needs.
However, I’ve seen a lot of posts about chewelry for toddlers and chewelry for kids (which is great!), but I’ve seen almost none about chewelry for adults. People from my generation (I’ll be 37 in January 2022) who could really benefit from utilizing chewelry either aren’t aware of it or feel shy about using it. As I said earlier, even I feel a little self-conscious talking about this stuff! You get so used to being told harmless — even genuinely helpful! — aspects of yourself or the things you enjoy are “weird” and then having to mask or delete those aspects that it’s difficult sometimes to just be like “DANG IT! I absolutely NEED to gnaw on things as a massive part of MY self care and to heck what anyone else has to say about it!!”
So, in the spirit of supporting better mental health for all, let’s bust any stigmas regarding chewelry for adults and get the word out about this AMAZING resource! I hope that seeing me — a genuine adult born in the 1980s! — publicly sharing photos of myself wearing and using my chewelry will help YOU feel less reluctant/shy about trying it yourself. ♥
My Top 5 Favorite ARK Therapeutic Chewelry Necklaces:
The ARK-O’-LANTERN™ Pumpkin Necklace
The ARK-O’-LANTERN pumpkin pendant is the one I draw myself wearing the most often. It’s just so cheerful, isn’t it? And there’s something hilarious to me about biting onto the Jack-o-lantern’s teeth with my teeth. It cracks me up! I don’t know why. Like… maybe I’m his chew and I’m helping him feel soothed too? Haha. I dunno.
Anyway, I love this chewable pumpkin necklace! It’s adorable, and it LASTS. All of ARK Therapeutic’s dog tag-shaped chewelry necklaces are about half-an-inch thick and can withstand even the most avid chewing. (Spoiler alert: Three out of five of my favorite chewelry designs utilize this shape).
Since this is October (spooky season!) and this design is now appropriate for the masses and not “just” year-round horror fans, this is the chewelry design that I’m raffling off at the bottom of this post! I have a brand new, still-in-its-bag, XXT (xtra xtra tough) orange ARK-O’-LANTERN necklace that I’m going to be giving out to a lucky winner to have right on time for Halloween! Woo-hoo!! ♥
ARK’s Krypto-Bite® Chewable Gem Necklace
Isn’t the Krypto-Bite pretty? Just like wearing actual crystals, the gem-shaped design is very unisex friendly. It’s also great for all ages.
Most importantly, it’s extra long (but not too thick so it doesn’t trigger your gag reflux!) so it can reach your back molars!
ARK also came out with a sleek, flat version of the Krypto-Bite called the Chewel! I haven’t had a chance to try it yet since it literally just came out last week, but it looks like it’s going to be another winner and it was made with adults in mind. Although you can use all chewelry for adults, the Krypto-Bite and the Chewel ooze maturity.
ARK’s BOO CHEW® Ghost Necklace
The photo of me below isn’t the most flattering, but I thought it was important to include. It’s a candid shot my husband took of me in June 2021, one month before I had my defective organs removed. It’s me, puffy, pained, and exhausted – comforted by my BOO Chew.
I enjoy ghost-related stuff, so this design was an instant winner for me. And my BOO helped get me through the last few weeks of a horrifically painful (physically) time in my life. Thanks, BOO!
ARK’s Textured Pizza Chew Necklace
In addition to offering varied levels of firmness for their oral sensory products, ARK Therapeutic makes chews that range from heavily textured to completely smooth! Their chewable pizza necklace is gently textured on its top with what seems to be cheese, pepperoni, and strips of bellpeppers (which just so happens to be my favorite kind of pizza!) and is completely smooth on its bottom — the sensory best of both worlds!
It’s a pleasing shape for chomping on and, come on… It’s pizza! What ’80s kid didn’t want to be a ninja turtle, right?
ARK’s BAT BITE® Chewelry Necklace
Surprisingly discreet! ARK’s bat chewelry design is another fantastic unisex choice for any age group. Whether you’re into old-school vampires, or Batman, or just happen to love the Chiroptera order — the Bat Bite is one of the best chewelry choices out there!
A Chance to Win Your Own ARK-O’-LANTERN™ Chewelry (Free-to-Enter Raffle!)
I’m giving away a brand new pumpkin orange ARK-O-LANTERN chewelry necklace! No purchase necessary.
Unfortunately, only readers located in the United States are eligible to win this. I can’t afford to ship anything internationally (someday that will change, I hope!). Plus, I really want to make sure whoever wins is able to enjoy it before/on Halloween!
Thank you for reading and for helping to spread the news about my raffle. I’m looking forward to chewelry for adults becoming completely normalized!
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