27 best gifts to help relieve stress and ease holiday frazzle

What if I told you for $6 a bottle you could have a stress-free bedtime experience? Thanks to Dr. Teal’s, this is a promise I can keep. I’ve actually used this exact spray for years and now, and when I smell it, I’m instantly relaxed and ready to nod off. Thanks to its calming blend of melatonin, lavender and chamomile, it’s never been easier to drift on down to dreamland. You can use it in the shower, on your body, and on your pillows and sheets. Gift a bottle to a friend and keep one or two for yourself.

I love a gift that looks adorable and happens to deliver helpful results. This is the case with the cute and functional Nodpod Sleep Mask. It’s basically a weighted blanket for your eyes, distributing deep-touch pressure to help soothe headaches and calm the mind to help you relax into sleep. Its scallop-edge design allows it to contour your face while its loose ends offer comfort in any sleeping position. It’s a perfect gift for that frazzled friend who could use a little brain hug.

Nothing makes me mellow out faster than someone scratching my head or playing with my hair. Sadly, it’s not always possible to have another human on hand to make that happen. Enter: a scalp massager. This particular model has 20 “fingers” that flexibly retract to give the scalp a feeling of absolute zen. This item makes a great stocking stuffer or a stand-alone gift for an exchange at the office.

If you’re looking for a gift to help reduce stress as a matter of routine, look no further than the Calm app. It offers a range of ways to integrate calm and serenity into your life, including support for good sleep, meditations, music to help with focus and sessions to support overwhelm at work. Calm offers a free 7-day trial and a full year’s subscription for $69.99. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving.

The creative arts, including art, music, dance and drama, are all known to offer mental health benefits and stress relief. That said, we’re not all natural artists. To reap the mental health benefits of creative arts without the stress of coming up with an art project (that may not turn out the way you want it to), Breathe People offers beautiful paint-by-number kits to cater to this need. The kits come with everything you need — a paint-by-number art sheet, paints and paint brushes — so all you have to do is open up the kit and let your creativity take over. It’s a great stress relief gift for people of all ages. 

A nice, hot shower can be a pretty great stress reliever on its own, but adding in the soothing scents of eucalyptus, lavender, mint and chamomile makes it that much better. Gift these shower steamers to someone who could use an at-home spa experience to relax and unwind. This set of 18 will help your giftee start the day (or end the night) on a stress-free note.

Adults are absolutely allowed (and encouraged) to play with toys, especially when said toys provide added stress relief. Such is the case with LEGO’s Bonsai Tree Building Set for people over 18. This set includes a bonsai tree and cherry blossoms for a mindfulness activity with a display-worthy payoff (perfect for creating a mini green space on an office desk). If you know someone who chills out best by keeping their mind and hands occupied, this is the perfect gift.

There is legit science behind the evergreen shrub ashwagandha and its ability to lower stress levels, and thankfully, you don’t have to chew on a bush to reap those benefits. This herb is harnessed in Olly Ultra Strength Goodbye Stress Softgels. Its combination of stress-fighting ingredients including ashwagandha, GABA, L-theanine and lemon balm work together to help soothe the brain, improve response to stress-related fatigue and support relaxation. 

Just remember that supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA and not all supplements are appropriate for all people. While the ingredients in this product are considered safe, it’s always a good idea to consult with a medical professional before adding supplements to your diet. 

Once again, Dr. Teal’s delivers for the win. At a price this low, you could give the gift of a relaxing bath to everyone on your list. The lavender essential oils and soothing epsom salts help the mind and body head to a calmer place, preparing it for bed. And if your recipient has kids? You can pair it with the kids’ version so the whole household can enjoy a toned-down bedtime routine.

Do you have a friend or partner who sweats through several scary Zoom meetings a day? Keep their hands busy with the Panic Pete squeeze toy. It’s a classic for a reason — slowly squeezing Pete and watching his eyes, ears and nose pop out does produce an oddly relaxing effect. For just $8, they make a perfect team gift for your co-workers.

Living a lower-stress life starts when the sun comes up, and the Hatch Restore 2 Sunrise Alarm Clock helps the user fall asleep and wake up more naturally. It incorporates a dimmable clock, sleep sounds, and a sunrise alarm for a “gentler” wakeup. If you have a loved one who tends to start the day cranky and upset after their iPhone alarm has jolted them from their dreams, this gift could be the answer. In fact, it ranks as our best overall alarm clock for heavy sleepers and ranks high on our list of best sunrise alarm clocks too. 

There are times in life when grabbing a box of wine and commiserating for hours with friends seems like the only reasonable way to deal with a particularly stressful day. For the person who regularly hosts your “wine and whine” nights, help her dress up her boxed wine dispenser system with this classed-up stainless steel Boxxle which is compatible with an 3-liter box of wine. 

It may seem simple, but people have sworn by a mug of hot tea as a stress reliever for literally hundreds of years. Adding this soothing brew to the evening routine is an economical way to initiate the relaxing process. This is a great gift to tuck into a beautiful mug as a teacher gift or a nice stocking stuffer for mom (and you know teachers and moms could use some added stress relief!).

For those who de-stress best by keeping busy, these mindfulness puzzles created by Calm in conjunction with Spin Master Games will be a real treat. There are a range of 300-piece options featuring relaxing nature scenes and calming quotes. For bonus de-stressing powers, your harried loved one can work on this puzzle while listening to meditations on the Calm app (a great combo gift, if you’re so inclined).

Yoga can be an incredible path to a lower stress life, and having a high-quality mat makes the pursuit of zen even easier. The Liforme Classic yoga mat features GripForMe technology that helps root the hands and feet firmly in even the trickiest of poses. It’s also longer and wider than traditional yoga mats which means your yoga-addicted loved one will have plenty of room to knock out that crow pose. (It also made the list as one of our favorite yoga mats). 

I am a writer and therefore qualified to say that a lot of us writers are natural stress machines. In true writer fashion, jotting down the things that worry us and keep us up at night is a pretty effective way to manage stress. The No Worries journal is a guided anti-anxiety tool that helps track habits, practice mindfulness, document therapy sessions and much more. Get this gift for the scribe in your life who could use a dedicated place to put their panic into words.

I can’t be the only dog owner wistfully gazing at my oblivious, sleeping pooch, wishing I could be that worry-free. While we might not be able to achieve a dog’s daily level of chill, we can try to sleep like them and hope for the best. The dog lover in your life will definitely appreciate the chance to cosplay as man’s best friend with this incredibly cozy “human” dog bed. It has a built-in 360-degree pillow bolster, orthopedic foam, and soft vegan fur to keep you as comfy as your furry BFF. I can’t promise your loved one’s dog won’t try to turn it into their bed, but could you blame them?

Few things pack a stress-relief punch like a good ol’ aromatherapy candle, and no one does them like Bath & Body Works. I’m a B&BW girl from way back and I swear by their stress-relief line of products as gifts for the overwhelmed friends in my life. Just light this one up and let the calm begin as the fresh and clean herbal scents of eucalyptus and spearmint fill the air.

Speaking of filling the air with chill, an essential oil diffuser is a solid gift for the person who loves to change the mood via scent. This diffuser comes in several decor-friendly colors and can provide stress-relieving bliss in a large room for up to 20 hours. It has an auto-shutoff function for safety and boasts a modern marble design making it as attractive as it is functional. Grab this diffuser for the stylish friend who could use low-stress vibes.

Us moms are actually pretty simple when it comes to stress relief — 45 minutes in the tub with a glass of wine, a good book and an aromatherapy candle should do it. That’s why this aesthetically pleasing teak bathtub tray will be a welcome gift for the frenzied mom in your circle. It expands to adjust to the size of her tub and has plenty of spaces to hold all of her bath essentials. Offer an hour of free babysitting as part of the gift so she can enjoy her de-stress gift in a truly stress-free mindset.

There’s something about that moment at the end of the day when you can sit down, take a deep breath and pour yourself a glass of wine, and the weight of the world seems to lift for a second. That moment feels even better when the glass you’re sipping out of is beautiful, conveying a sense of serene. These hand-blown crystal Rio glasses from Byrdeen are inspired by the incredible colors of the Rio Celeste in Costa Rica. While you may not be giving your recipient an actual trip to a tropical rain forest (wouldn’t that be nice?), they may feel like they have the chance to get away for a few minutes while sipping from their new favorite glass.

I’m just going to come out and say it — most weighted blankets are not cute. I have one, and it looks like a utility blanket that belongs in the back of a truck. It gets the job done, but I’m not displaying it for all to see. That’s why this Bearaby weighted blanket gets high marks as a potential gift — instead of looking utilitarian, it’s hand-knit perfection. Available in eight gorgeous colors and in multiple weights for a customized relaxation experience.

It would be great if in those challenging moments of life we had someone in our corner whispering, “You can do this,” or “Just keep going.” Unfortunately, that’s not the reality for most of us. While this Positive Penguin figurine may not be quite the same thing, it’ll certainly bring a smile (and maybe some much-needed motivation) to a stressed-out friend who could use a little cheerleading.

There’s a wealth of evidence supporting the fact that exposure to green spaces (parks, plants and trees) can help alleviate stress and bolster mental health. Unfortunately, not everyone has a park right outside their front door. To help your stressed-out friend reap the benefits of exposure to green space, you can help them create their own green wall at home with these vertical, linkable pots from Watex that are easily affixable to any wall or fence. 

Stress isn’t always emotional, it’s physical too. And anyone who spends their days on their feet knows that their feet could use some TLC at the end of a long day. These OOFOS Women’s OOcoozie Low Shoes are the perfect “recovery shoe” to support healing and prevent pain and stiffness. Each pair carries the American Podiatric Medical Association’s Seal of Acceptance for reducing load and decreasing compressive forces. Bonus points? They’re machine washable too. 

Who doesn’t look forward to the moment at the end of the day when you can take off your work clothes and settle into comfy clothes? (Bras? Belts? Restrictive pants? No thank you!) That moment when you can finally take a deep breath is a true mental and physical release. Help your frazzled friend enjoy it even more with this super soft and cozy hoodie from Paka that’s made from alpaca fiber and recycled nylon.