This Crescent Backrest Majorly Alleviated My Work-From-Home Aches and Pains

The world's worst-kept secret is that working from home during this period of lockdown and quarantine has had an impact on people's daily lives and comfort in myriad ways. I've noticed a whole new slew of aches and pains crop up from my less-than-ideal home-office setup. To provide some temporary relief (along with some sense of scenic variety), I've taken to occasionally working while sitting on my couch or bed. The downsides were immediately noticeable and would compound over time: namely that my posture would get worse, I'd wind up sitting in a weird position, hunching, and making my existing discomfort worse. Nothing kills a flow state (or prevents one entirely) like constantly fidgeting, repositioning, and feeling low-grade tense/sore.

So that's why I jumped at the chance to try out the Moon Pod Crescent Backrest ($129, originally $169) to see if it helped alleviate some of these workday aches and pains. My thinking was, "Hey, anything can help, right?". Well, my expectations were confirmed when I was able to get it unboxed, assembled, and ready to use in less than 5 minutes, and my neck, shoulders, and back were all thanking me within the hour. Then I was thinking, "Hey, I could get used to this."

It's brilliant for getting away from your desk for a bit while still maintaining good posture (and sometimes it helps me have better than I have at my desk). Along with this, the beanbag-style pliability enables it to fit a wide range of ergonomic needs. I also loved this product's inclusivity and accessibility function. My partner and I have very different body types, and both of us had no difficulty nestling into the Pod or wrapping it around ourselves to get just the right feel — especially while wearing it like a particularly stubby (and full) boa constrictor. It's a marked difference from other preformed backrests I've tried that needed to be bought at a certain size to work.

The Pod's uses go beyond just work, though. It functions really well on my bed, and provides a perfect cuddle-buddy to pair with a good book. My cat, who is constantly on the prowl for snuggle spots, has taken quite a shine to the pod (though I have to make sure she doesn't put holes in the fabric due to her prenap kneading). Sometimes I have to fight her for who gets to use it, a battle any cat owner knows is futile.

It provides so much back support while I'm on my couch, and it helps me to keep my back straight without feeling uncomfortable. With my couch, which should have been replaced long ago, that is really saying something! This makes it great for when I'm playing Xbox since I always used to hunch over and get a sore back, tense shoulder muscles, and neck pain when gaming on the couch for an extended period of time. The Pod comfortably makes me sit up straight by providing sufficient lumbar support and a place to rest my elbows while holding the controller. I liked the Moon Pod Ergonomic Backrest so much, I'll even give it partial credit for my 48-player kill-streak in Battlefront II (but not too much).