Beyond Fine: How Relaks Is Rethinking Wellness in Nigeria

When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I run a wellness brand.

When they ask what Relaks does, I tell them we help people express themselves creatively, slow down, and make room for themselves in a world that rarely gives them the chance to.

And then I tell them we sell colouring books.

There’s usually a moment of confusion.

Colouring books? For adults? And what does that have to do with mental health?

It’s a fair question. For many people, the connection between a colouring book and mental wellness isn’t immediately obvious. We’ve been conditioned to think of colouring as something we outgrow in childhood, while mental health is something we address when we’re struggling, usually through therapy, medication, or professional intervention.

But what if wellness could look a little different?

What if taking care of yourself didn’t always have to begin when something was wrong?

That’s the question at the heart of Relaks.

We need to rethink what wellness looks like

In Nigeria, conversations about mental health are becoming more visible. More people are speaking openly about anxiety, burnout, grief, depression, and the pressure of simply trying to get by. But for many people, accessing support remains difficult, whether because of cost, stigma, limited access to professionals, or the belief that their struggles aren’t serious enough to warrant help.

And somewhere in all of this, we have created a very narrow picture of what taking care of our mental health looks like.

We think of therapy appointments. We think of mental health awareness campaigns. We think of the things we do when we’ve reached a breaking point and can no longer carry everything on our own.

Those things matter. Professional mental health care is essential, and nothing we do at Relaks is intended to replace it.

But I believe there’s another part of the conversation we need to have: what does taking care of ourselves look like on an ordinary Tuesday?

On the days when work is overwhelming, when the bills are piling up, when you’re navigating heartbreak, when you’re grieving someone you love, or when nothing particularly terrible has happened but you still don’t feel like yourself.

What do we do on those days?

At Relaks, we believe wellness should have a place in everyday life, not just in moments of crisis. It should be something we can practise in small, accessible ways, without waiting until we’re completely exhausted to give ourselves permission to rest.

And that’s where creativity comes in.

Why colouring books? Why Relaks?

Relaks was born out of my own experience with grief and the difficult emotions that can accompany it. After losing my mother in January 2023, I found myself navigating feelings that were not always easy to explain. Creative activities, particularly colouring, became one of the ways I could sit with those feelings and give myself something gentle to focus on.

That experience stayed with me.

I began to think about how many adults were moving through life without a simple, accessible way to pause. People who were constantly working, worrying, showing up for others, and trying to hold everything together.

I wondered what it would look like to create something that invited people to slow down. Something that didn’t require them to explain themselves, have the right words, or even know exactly how they were feeling.

That was the beginning of Relaks.

Today, we create colouring books and creative experiences that encourage adults to express themselves, reconnect with the present moment, and make space for intentional rest.

We aren’t simply selling pages to colour. We’re creating an invitation: put your phone down for a little while. Step away from the noise. Choose a colour. Follow a line. Make something that’s yours.

There’s no perfect way to do it. No deadline to meet. No one waiting to grade your work.

And sometimes, that’s precisely what makes it meaningful.

Making wellness accessible, one little moment at a time

One of the things I care deeply about is making wellness feel less intimidating.

You shouldn’t have to know the right terminology to begin taking care of yourself. You shouldn’t have to wait until you’re at your lowest to decide that you deserve a break. And you shouldn’t have to turn every difficult feeling into a conversation before you’re allowed to sit quietly with yourself.

Sometimes, you want to talk. Sometimes, you need a professional to help you work through what you’re experiencing. Sometimes, you need the company of people who understand.

And sometimes, you just want to sit with a colouring book, put on your favourite playlist, and spend thirty minutes doing something that doesn’t demand anything else from you.

All of these experiences can have a place in a person’s approach to wellbeing.

This is what we’re trying to build at Relaks: a culture in which everyday acts of self-care feel normal, accessible, and worth making time for.

We want the colouring book on your bedside table. The one you reach for after a long day at work. The one you take on a trip, share with a friend, or give to someone who could use a little reminder to slow down.

We want creative expression to become something you return to, not because it’s a cure for everything you’re feeling, but because you deserve moments in your day that belong entirely to you.

That, to us, is part of making wellness a lifestyle.

Beyond Fine: Because sometimes, “I’m fine” isn’t the whole story

This World Mental Health Day, we’re bringing that belief into our campaign, Beyond Fine.

Think about how often we ask someone, “How are you?”

It’s how we begin conversations, greet colleagues, check on friends, and start messages. It’s a question we ask so frequently that sometimes we barely wait for the answer.

“I’m fine.”

And we move on.

But what happens when fine is simply the easiest thing to say? When someone is overwhelmed, grieving, lonely, anxious, or struggling to make sense of their life, but doesn’t know how to explain any of it?

Beyond Fine is a reminder that there is often more to a person’s story than the answer they give us. It’s an invitation to ask with intention, listen without rushing to fix everything, and create room for people to be honest about how they’re really doing.

And it is also a reminder to ourselves.

Because the person who needs a little more care might be you.

At Relaks, we know that not everyone is ready to talk about what they’re going through. Not everyone has the words. Not everyone wants to explain their feelings to another person on a particular day.

That’s why we believe in giving people different ways to make room for themselves.

Maybe it’s reaching out to someone you trust. Maybe it’s speaking with a mental health professional. Maybe it’s taking a break from the demands of the day and spending some quiet time with a colouring book and a playlist that makes you feel a little more like yourself.

Creative activities are not a substitute for mental health care, and colouring won’t make every difficult feeling disappear. But a small moment of intentional rest can be worth making room for, too.

And sometimes, giving yourself permission to pause is a good place to begin.

So, what does Relaks have to do with mental health?

Everything we are trying to build begins with a simple belief: people deserve to have ways to care for themselves before, during, and after life’s difficult moments.

We want to contribute to a world where wellness is not an unfamiliar concept or an occasional conversation, but something people can find in the small details of their everyday lives.

Where adults can embrace creativity without feeling childish. Where rest doesn’t have to be earned through exhaustion. Where checking on a friend means being prepared to listen to an answer beyond “I’m fine.”

And where taking care of yourself can begin with something as simple as opening a book, picking up a pencil, and allowing yourself to be present.

That is what Relaks means to me. That is why we do what we do.

This World Mental Health Day, as you look beyond fine in the people around you, I hope you remember to look beyond it in yourself, too.

You don’t have to have everything figured out to deserve a little care.

Sometimes, you can start with a conversation. Sometimes, you can start by asking for help.

And sometimes, you can start with a colouring book, a beautiful playlist, and thirty minutes that are entirely your own.

Here’s to making room for ourselves, and for one another.

Relax. Create. Unwind.

Happy World Mental Health Day, from all of us at Relaks.