Find Your Zen: The 10 Best Gifts to Relieve Stress

In a world as hectic, stressful, and overconnected as ours, sometimes the best present that can be given, or received, is an opportunity for pure and simple relaxation. Much more than simply items that smell or look nice, these stress-relieving gift selections are scientifically proven to help us unwind by engaging built-in hacks within the human body and the natural world.

Though these easy-chill methods work for nearly everyone, they could use a little explanation, so we brought in a guide. Gabe Staub, MS, RD, CSSD, is a dietitian, sports performance coach, and wellness program manager whose 20 years of experience in the gym, classroom, and lab have led him to one universal realization: Escaping external stress all begins with inner peace.

1. Self-Care Package

Lavender has been treasured for centuries for its relaxant effects, and has been shown to lower cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. “Because of its calm-inducing abilities, the scent of lavender is not only great for daytime but also valued as a natural sleep aid,” Staub says. “And nothing shuts down stress like a good night’s sleep.” When combined with a day’s-end bath, the included soap and candle’s lavender elements make for a double dose of tranquility.

Further, the lemongrass in the soap contains citral, an aromatic compound with uplifting mood effects, as well as anti-inflammatory elements like limonene and eugenol, which can serve to alleviate muscle pain and skin tension. A light spritz of the rose face mist — an easy-carry, natural stress relief aid — can quickly dial down a chaotic day, and when applied before meditation, it can also be a great helper in initiating deep breathing.

2. Assorted Sampler Soap Variety Pack

Between the hot water, soothing steam, and time alone, the shower is a prime spot to detach and unwind. Add in soaps designed to relax, and some serious stress relief awaits you. Among the bars in this sampler is a unique Dead Sea Mud variety, with high magnesium levels that relax muscles and reduce bodily tension, and a rich mineral content that stimulates blood circulation.

Tea tree and eucalyptus scents, both present in this pack, are powerful relaxants, which Staub says can serve to refresh and clear the mind. “Tea tree can also be a powerful decongestant. Eucalyptus is often used to soothe muscle and joint pains, and, in addition, has anti-anxiety properties — just the smell of it can be calming.” The aroma of rosemary can also nudge away anxiety by lowering our cortisol levels.

3. Tea Forte Wellbeing Gift Set

Steeping tea leaves in boiling water for slow consumption dates to the third century, and has been adopted worldwide as an easy, portable means to relax the soul while providing tangible physical benefits. This well-being gift set also includes an oil diffuser that can serve to raise the laid-back aesthetic of the tea drinker’s immediate area by gradually emitting pure essential oils (sold separately).

The set’s green tea is said to bring mindfulness and relaxation, while the Defense blend adds echinacea, ginger, and elderberry for immune strength. The Purify blend’s citrus, ginger, and dandelion root aid the digestive process, while the Invigorate herbal blend adds ginger, ginseng, beetroot, and matcha to stimulate energy production. Serenity is an herbal tea that provides an effective cool out with leaves of mint, lavender, and juniper.

4. Heart of Hope Weighted Pillow

This heart-shaped weighted pillow utilizes deep pressure stimulation (DPS) to mimic the sensation of being held or hugged, inducing biochemical calm and relaxation by reducing cortisol while upping serotonin levels (a natural mood enhancer). The gentle, even pressure of a small weighted pillow can also help boost melatonin levels, serving to encourage the faster onset of a deeper sleep.

The pillow’s optional spearmint scent activates a kind of neurotransmitter (called GABA) that reduces anxiety. Staub adds that “spearmint aromas can also calm nausea and provide a non-narcotic, sedative-like effect, which may aid in a more relaxing sleep.” And don’t worry: The pillow’s heat-retaining flaxseed filling is all natural, so if you’d like to warm it up, you’re never microwaving harmful plastics.

5. Teal Lavender & Spearmint Eye Pillow

Just like the heart pillow above, this weighted eye pillow with optional spearmint infusion leverages DPS and aromatherapy to engage our nervous system’s serotonin secretion and cortisol levels. Equally helpful if used warm or from the freezer as an ice alternative, it speeds up relaxation through direct contact with the forehead or neck — two spots on the body where stress often manifests as physical tension.

Compounds in spearmint exert a bright, soothing cool through nasal pathways, providing a comforting analgesic effect. “Spearmint contains menthol,” Staub explains, “which, here, is a doubly great helper for headaches when experienced both topically and through its mind-clearing aroma.” This combination can alleviate tension in multiple brain regions and aid both incidental headaches as well as the severity and frequency of migraines.

6. Meditation Bowl Box

Meditation bowls, or singing bowls, work with the brain’s auditory cortex to promote a sense of inner calm throughout our nervous system. Forged from a four-metal alloy with special harmonic resonance, this bowl generates soundwaves of specific frequencies when struck or rubbed with the included mallet that, when focused on, can produce alpha and theta brain waves — both associated with deep relaxation.

Practicing consistent sound therapy involving singing bowls has shown to help lower blood pressure, decrease heart rate, and reduce cortisol levels. It also stimulates the vagus nerve, the hub of our parasympathetic nervous system that regulates cardiac, digestive, and immune functions.

7. Red Fidget Squares

Weighted fidget squares, small bean bag-like objects designed to be turned over and manipulated in one's hands, serve as effective stress relievers through the principle of tactile engagement. The repetitive motion of fidgeting these squares, Staub says, helps to redirect restless energy, improving focus and concentration without excess effort.

The gentle weight of the squares provides proprioceptive input, which can help calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety by stimulating the release of serotonin and decreasing cortisol levels. “In addition to tactile engagement, the calming lavender scent of the squares makes for a holistic, multisensory approach to relaxing,” Staub adds.

8. Serene Butterfly Water Fountain

Studies have long found the sound of running water acts as an effective stress buster and sleep aid. This desktop fountain produces a white noise effect that reduces mental clutter while subtly diverting your attention away from annoying sounds around you. The visual element of having moving water and natural materials indoors also serves as a constant, peaceful reminder of the larger world around us.

Indoor fountains can be great meditation tools, as focusing on water flow serves to enhance mindfulness during breathing exercises. They can also add moisture to the air, which traps dust and other particles, contributing to a cleaner in-room environment and reducing respiratory irritants.

9. In the Garden Gift Set

The exposure to sunlight and physical activity involved in gardening is scientifically linked to stemming anxiety and depression, and this gift set includes all the basics needed to tap the therapeutic benefits of cultivating nature. And for floral stress relief without bug bites (or having to inhale synthetics), the included vegan citronella verbena body spray is an all-natural insect repellent for your time in the yard.

The seeds included in the pollinator pack yield a wide variety of blooms, including New Englandaster, plains coreopsis, milkweed, Indian blanket, and eveningprimrose.And science shows that being in the presence of flowers offers not only immediate and long-term positive effects on our own mood but even compels us to demonstrate more compassion toward others.

10. Sweet Dreams Gift Set

We can’t stress this enough: Few things encourage a clear mind and good mood like a great night’s sleep. To ease the process, Dream Catcher tea is brimming with USA-grown chamomile, roses, and lavender flowers that encourage a fuller, more tranquil rest. For the mornings when sleep wasn’t too dreamy, the included stone jade face roller relieves skin tension while reducing puffiness and inflammation in the eye region.

The included lavender room spray is a perfect means of setting the scene for bedtime, or, given the spray has no sedative effects, just a simple midday break. When dream time does arrive, the pillow spray blends lavender with eucalyptus essential oil for a calming, skin-friendly mist that won’t stain your sheets.