I don’t know about you but sometimes I love buying gifts for someone else even more than I love receiving gifts myself. You just can’t beat the feeling of getting it right and putting a smile on somebody else’s face.
I’m a firm believer that thoughtful gifts trump expensive gifts any day. You don’t have to break the bank in order to make somebody else happy! It really is the thought that counts.
So if you have a loved one in your life who experiences anxiety, why not treat them with gifts that help with anxiety?
Whether it’s a birthday, christmas or simply just a normal day, giving them one of these thoughtful gifts for people with anxiety is bound to boost their spirits!
As an anxiety sufferer myself, I know how much of a long way thoughtful anxiety gifts like the ones in this guide go. Not only do many of these items help me with my day to day wellbeing, but receiving gifts like these really reassures me that the people in my life care.
In this post I’ll be sharing some of the best gifts for anxious people so that you can show support like this for someone you love.
You can purchase one of the anti anxiety gifts in this list alone or combine multiple items from this list of gift ideas to create a special anxiety gift basket. Either way, I’m sure the person on the receiving end will appreciate your efforts!
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The Best Gifts for People With Anxiety in 2024
These are, in my opinion, the best gifts for people with anxiety to buy in 2024.
These include a combination of items that I love and own myself, items that other anxiety sufferers swear by, and several that are on my own wish lists!
There’s also a range of items that are suitable for different budgets, so money doesn’t have to get in the way of making your person smile.
I hope that you find something in this list to support a special someone in your life – let’s get into it.
1. A Weighted Blanket
If I had to pick one must-have item for anxiety relief, it would be this.
In my opinion, the next best thing to cuddling a human or an animal is definitely a weighted blanket. If you’ve never tried one for those anxious or stressed days then you’re missing out.
As if a soft blanket isn’t comforting enough, adding the weight causes grounding effects, which helps to calm you and bring you back down from anxious feelings.
This weighted blanket is even quilted to add to the calming effect, making it one of the best presents to help with anxiety!
This weighted blanket by Kuddly is filled with micro glass beads to avoid that annoying rustle that some weighted blankets have. It's super soft and comes in multiple sizes and weights to suit almost everybody! It's the perfect item to have at home for those times you need a little grounding, or to drift off into a restorative sleep.
2. An Anxiety Journal
Journaling can be a powerful tool for self-reflection and anxiety management.
I personally turn to journaling when I feel anxious, to help release pent up energy and emotions, and clear some metaphorical space in my head by getting my frantic thoughts onto the page.
An anxiety journal might just be the perfect gift for your loved one to work through their anxious feelings and take back control of their life.
3. An Anxiety Workbook
Take it one step further than the anxiety journal and gift your loved one an anxiety workbook.
Anxiety workbooks like this one are based on therapeutic evidence and allow the individual to work through core therapeutic skills in the comfort of their own home (or anywhere for that matter).
This makes them a great gift for someone with anxiety who is keen to learn coping skills to find relief from their symptoms.
4. An Essential Oil Diffuser and Oils
Several essential oils have powerful effects when it comes to reducing anxiety – some of my favourites are lavender oil and chamomile oil.
An essential oil diffuser releases the aromas of relaxing oils into the environment, which allows the individual to experience their calming effects passively.
My personal favourite essential oil diffuser that I use every day in my morning routine is the NEOM Wellbeing Pod. Not only is it visually beautiful for any space, but it looks and feels high quality.
I also have another essential oil diffuser from a different company, but this one has a far superior runtime with the same sized tank!
It makes a beautiful gift for someone with anxiety. In fact, I was actually gifted this diffuser by my mother-in-law a couple of years ago and it’s one of my favourite items to this day (and still going strong!)
The NEOM Wellbeing Pod is a high quality ceramic essential oil diffuser that will suit any space. It has three different time settings as well as the ability to run continuously until the tank empties. It's perfect for using with relaxing essential oils, with a customisable LED light function to set the mood in your room.
I love and trust NEOM’s high quality essential oils too, with this one being my favourite for relieving my anxiety and stress. This makes it onto my wishlist every Christmas when I need a top up, so I know that it makes a great anti-anxiety gift!
5. Sensate Sensory Device
As someone with anxiety and a chronic health condition, I’m a big fan of tools that can help to relax me. Sensate is one of those tools on my wishlist that many anxiety sufferers swear by.
It comes at a cost but, if you have the budget for it, Sensate is pretty much the ultimate gift for someone with anxiety (at least, in my opinion.)
Sensate is a device designed to help calm the nervous system, making it perfect for those suffering from anxiety or stress. Not only does it help in the moment, but over time it aims to help develop resilience by stimulating the vagus nerve and improving "vagal tone".
6. The Reflect Orb
Another powerful device that’s great for gifting someone with anxiety is the Reflect Orb. This is a simple but powerful device that makes the power of biofeedback for anxiety easily accessible at home.
The Reflect Orb is an anxiety relieving device that uses biofeedback to help you tune into your innate ability to regulate stress. With repeated use of the device you can train your body to access its relaxation abilities more readily during times of stress.
7. An Adult Colouring Book
Colouring books aren’t just for children; the impact of colouring in for mindfulness is becoming more widely understood, and more adults are taking to the activity (including myself!)
A colouring book is the ideal anti anxiety gift to encourage your loved one to take some time out to relax and practice mindfulness in a creative way.
It’s also a great low cost gift to use as a stocking filler, or as a simple “pick me up” gift if someone you know if struggling right now.
8. Relaxing Herbal Tea
There are lots of herbs that may have anti-anxiety effects in the body and help to calm the nervous system.
I personally take adaptogenic herbs each evening to help me relax and unwind before bed. And whenever I make up a care package for a loved one having a hard time, I always make sure to include some nice soothing herbal teas.
Why not gift your anxious loved one with a relaxing herbal tea to support them? This chamomile and lemon balm tea is perfect for this very purpose.
Herbal teas like this may not be a cure for anxiety (and it’s worth mentioning their claims are not FDA approved), but I still think they make a lovely gift regardless.
9. An Inspirational Mug for Wellbeing
Everybody knows that a hot cuppa is one of the best ways to relax and unwind. Whether it’s herbal tea or relaxing hot cocoa, gift your friend their favourite warm beverage and top it off with an inspirational mug to lift their mood while they drink!
I absolutely adore this mug – it’s covered in uplifting quotes and has such a quirky and fun design! This is the perfect gift for a person with anxiety!
10. Positive Affirmation Prints
Reading motivational quotes and affirmations is a great way to empower us, but we can quickly forget about them and return to our self-limiting beliefs.
So what better way to remind someone than to gift them with some motivational prints for their home?! This gift will serve as a frequent reminder to be more compassionate towards themselves.
This “Positivitea” Print was designed by me and is a gift to bring some joy to someone with anxiety or low mood.
11. Mindfulness Cards
Mindfulness cards are a fun way to practice mindfulness everyday and bring some more calm into your life, making them one of the best gifts to help with anxiety.
These cards feature inspirational quotes and a small mindfulness exercise to make practicing mindfulness less daunting.
12. A Subscription to a Meditation App
The benefits of meditation for anxiety are huge, but getting started with and being consistent with a practice can be hard.
Gifting your friend with a subscription to a meditation app could be the kick-start they need to incorporate meditation into their life.
Apps like Headspace and Calm offer different meditation and mindfulness audios, which make it easier to develop a solid and consistent meditation practice. You could gift someone a yearly or lifetime subscription, which has the potential to make a big impact on their wellbeing.
13. A relaxing Bath Set
One of the best ways to relax and unwind is with a warm bath. But I think you’ll agree that a bath just isn’t complete without all the accessories!
A bath set is the perfect anti-anxiety gift and the perfect excuse for your loved one to take some time out to practice self care.
This relaxing bath gift set is perfectly packaged for that special touch, and comes with 8 different items for them to use again and again.
14. A Spa Experience
If a relaxing bath set isn’t enough, take it up a notch by gifting someone with anxiety a spa experience.
Try finding local spa deals on Groupon or other voucher sites, and gift your loved one with a day to relax and unwind stress-free.
15. Healing Crystals
Whether you believe in the power of crystals or not, an anxiety crystal healing set can be the perfect gesture to show your support.
This set comes with five different crystals/stones designed to calm stress and anxiety, and an explanatory card to let your loved one know what each is designed to do.
This crystal healing gift set for anxiety contains 5 crystals that are thought to have anxiety reducing properties - sodalite, lepidolite, tourmaline, amethyst and rose quartz.
16. A Friendship Bracelet
Show your loved one that you’re there for them by gifting them with a friendship bracelet.
This gorgeous “worry angel” bracelet has a thoughtful backing message designed to show support to someone going through anxiety.
This could be the perfect gift for a person with anxiety to show them that they are not alone in their struggles.
17. A Sleep Enhancing Gift Set
Anxiety and stress can have a significant effect on sleep quality and even cause insomnia. I know firsthand that when my anxiety is bad, so is my sleep.
A relaxing set centred around sleep can show your loved one that you’re thinking of them while promoting a better nights rest.
This Works are known for their sleep improving products, and I love this set of two of their most popular products for gifting purposes. It’s one of the perfect presents to help with anxiety or sleep disturbances.
18. A White Noise Machine
Another anti-anxiety gift designed for sleep, a white noise machine delivers relaxing sounds to help you fall into a deeper sleep.
This white noise machine comes with 24 different sounds to help your loved one relax and unwind into a peaceful slumber!
19. A Worry Jar
If you haven’t heard of worry jars, the idea is that you write all your worries on pieces of paper and place them in the jar to forget about.
When you revisit your worries, you may come to realise that they didn’t amount to anything and you can now rip up your worries and move forward.
I love this worry jar because it comes with a cute motivational print on it, which you can customise. But alternatively you can buy your own plain mason jar and decorate it yourself for an even more thoughtful and personalised gift to help with anxiety!
20. A Worry Monster
Similar to the worry jar, worry monsters take your worries into their mouth and gobble them up! Yes, they’re aimed at children… but that doesn’t mean adults can’t enjoy them too!
Plus, it comes with the bonus of being super soft and cuddly, which can be really comforting in anxious or stressful times.
21. A Fidget Cube
Having something to fidget with can be a positive distraction in times of high anxiety.
Fidget cubes are designed to keep the mind and body focused on something and they can be really calming for those who suffer from high stress or ADHD. For that reason, I think they’re a wonderful gift for people with anxiety!
They’re also a small anti anxiety gift that’s perfect to use as a stocking filler.
22. A Stress Ball
Stress balls are another great distraction method, and can help to release any negative tension and irritability.
I love these stress balls as a gift to help with anxiety because of their uplifting quotes. These are an ideal gift for someone who is having a hard time at work or school.
23. A Himalayan Salt Lamp
Salt lamps are a beautiful gift to give to someone suffering from anxiety or stress!
Not only are they beautiful, but Himalayan salt lamps help to purify the air of your space with negative ions. The warm light they emit can also have calming effects, making them ideal for relieving stress and anxiety.
This Himalayan salt lamp has a dimmer switch that allows you to adjust the brightness in your room to create a calming atmosphere. It also comes in three different sizes to suit your own unique space.
24. Incense gift set
Burning incense can be incredibly calming in times of high stress and anxiety. Try gifting your friend some incense to add to their anxiety reducing wellness routine.
I particularly love this set as a gift because there are multiple scents to try, so they’re bound to find one that they love and return to in times of need.
25. A Relaxing Candle
Similar to incense, burning candles can give off amazing relaxing aromas to calm the mind and body.
These candles are a beautiful gift for anybody that needs some time to unwind – they are made from soy wax and contain the purest lavender essential oils to melt away stress. This set is bound to put a smile on anybody’s face!
26. A Yoga Mat
Practicing yoga is amazing for stress relief and anxiety, but it can be difficult to get started. A gift of a yoga mat could be the kick-start your loved one needs to start a practice.
You don’t have to splash out to get a decent yoga mat, but it’s always good to invest in a gift that’s going to last and be loved for years to come.
I personally love the Jade Fusion Yoga Mat because it’s a high quality mat from an environmentally conscious company!
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27. Therapy Sessions
This is one thing on my list of gifts for someone with anxiety that I would tread with caution. If you gift anybody with therapy sessions it may turn from a thoughtful gift to a thoughtless one, and it could cause offence!
However, if someone you love has expressed an interest in therapy sessions but hasn’t followed it through due to financial reasons, this could be the perfect gift!
You could design a card and write down your intention so the receiver still has something to open on their special day. This is an anxiety gift that is truly invaluable.
And that concludes this list of the best gifts for people with anxiety to buy this year!
If you buy one of these gifts for someone with anxiety I really think you can’t go wrong. But then again, maybe I’m biased. With that being said, I’d love to hear from you if you gift someone something from this list.
You can also let me know if there are any other anxiety gifts that you think should make the list! I’m always looking to update with other recommendations.
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Esther is the founder of Through the Phases, a wellbeing and healthy lifestyle blog dedicated to sharing mind/body/soul practices for self-exploration, healing, and fulfilment. She has a degree in Psychology, is yoga teacher trained (200hr), and is currently pursuing a Neuroscience MSc to further study the mind-body connection. Read more about her story here.