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Holiday Gift Giving Ideas For Loved Ones With Anxiety

Hello! Bree here! Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week?! 2018 lasted about 2.5 hours – at least that’s what it felt like to me!…

by  [email protected]

Hello! Bree here!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week?!

2018 lasted about 2.5 hours – at least that’s what it felt like to me!

If you’re in America, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of holiday season. You’ll begin going to holiday parties begin in a few weeks, Secret Santa emails start rolling out within your friend group, or maybe your work does a white elephant gift exchange. Simply put – you need gifts! Budget-friendly gifts, random gifts, and I-don’t-know-this-person-that-well-gifts!

Instead of doing your typical holiday gift ideas, I thought I would create a list of gifts that would be great to give someone who has anxiety.

Better yet – some of these gifts are great for people who want to uplevel their self-care game, decompress and lower their stress levels!

Or maybe, you’re like me, and shopping for other people is just a great excuse to buy yourself a little something!

As someone who experiences anxiety – I can speak to how much it means to me when someone gifts me even the littlest gift because they want to help me with anxiety symptoms.

Often times, those who are experiencing anxiety feel like no one understands them or realizes how intense and debilitating it can be sometimes. When someone acknowledges their anxiety with a small gift like a book or a lavender spray – that really fills the gap in connecting with someone who might not completely understand what their going through but is trying to. Empathy and compassion move mountains!

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, a record of 40 million people experiences anxiety. And that’s just in the US! Women are twice as likely to experience anxiety than men. 

Chances are, you might have a coworker or cousin or friend who experiences anxiety. 

Here are a few of my favorite gifts for my friends and loved ones that experience anxiety!

1. YnM Weighted Blanket 

 

Weighted blankets have been all over my Instagram feed lately. And for good reason! I finally decided to make the small investment (60 bucks) and try one out. It basically feels like falling asleep while being hugged. It’s supposed to comprise of 10-15% of your body weight. So if you’re between 100-150 pounds – the blanket weights about 10 to 15 pounds. I love a good cuddle sesh – but body heat, snoring and wandering limbs can get uncomfortable in the middle of the night. This blanket will put you to sleep better and faster!

2. CALM

 

I have been RAVING about this drink for years. If you’ve checked out my ‘Favorites‘ page, this has always been a staple. This mixture is mainly made up of magnesium. Which, if ya’ don’t know…a majority of us are actually magnesium deficient. 75% of us – to be exact.  We may experience things like anxiety, headaches and muscle cramps due to lack of magnesium. On anxious days – I sub this drink instead of tea or coffee. They also have easy to-go packets!

3. DARE: The New Way To End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks 

This book is.life.changing. If I could gift this to every reader or listener of my podcast – I would. It’s that amazing. A lot of the ideas and concepts that I learned going to CBT are reinforced by Barry McDonagh. One of my favorite things about the author is that he’s not a doctor or scientist spitting out facts and statistics. But it’s actual tangible exercises that HE has tried. To me, in the context of this situations – experience trumps fancy degrees. I’m also listening to the audiobook while doing the dishes and it’s been extremely therapeutic. It also comes with access to the DARE app on your phone so you can utilize the techniques on the go!

4. Calm The F*ck Down 

Grab your Crayolas and a sippy cup. (Fill it with wine – if that’s your thing!) And get to coloring like it’s your freakin’ job. Personally, this is one of my favorite things to do after dinner. It really switches my brain off of ‘work’ and more into ‘play’ time. There are a ton of reasons why coloring is actually good for adults and especially adults with anxiety. You can read about some of them here. 

5. Lavender Spray 

This the PERFECT stocking stuffer! Seriously. Who doesn’t love the smell of lavender? Give me their names so I can send them a bottle of this spray. This is perfect to spritz on your pillow before you go to sleep or even in your car if you’re stuck in traffic or during a long commute.

6. The Anxiety Journal 

This is not your typical journal. I’ve talked extensively about why journaling is so important and the science behind the power of journaling in my blog post here. This journal includes inspiring quotes, prompts from cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness exercises, and pages to keep track of your progress.

7. Therapy Grip Balls 

I hate that I love these so much. These are a perfect gift for a coworker or as a stocking stuffer! As someone who fidgets when she’s anxious – these are perfect to release any excess energy!

8. Essential Oils + Diffuser 

 

I love these essential oils because they aren’t hundreds of dollars! I purchased the starter pack and the diffuser for my birthday earlier this year and I’ve been obsessed ever since. One of my favorite things to do in the morning is to turn on my diffuser. Our sense of smell is the most powerful sense! (Whew – that was a tongue twister!) Dropping some lavender or your favorite essential oil into your diffuser is a great way to relax and unwind from a stressful day.

That is all I’ve got, folks!

Have you started your holiday shopping yet?!

Shoot me an email: info@livingbreely or send me a DM on Instagram @livingbreely!

I’d love to hear from you.

 

71 comments

  1. This really is a great selection of gift ideas for people with anxiety. I knew a person who used the weighted blanket a lot as a stress reliever at night time and supposedly it really worked very well! Stress balls are probably more well known I guess but the books on here would be great as well.

    Reply

  2. These sound like the perfect gifts to get yourself so you don’t get totally overwhelmed at this busy time of year. Those books look like good ones–and reading it under the weighted blanket should help!

    Reply

  4. while scrolling down 1 by 1 I found myself saying oh I like this and this. Such great ideas you have provided and I believe it will be helpful for readers.

    Reply

  5. Those are some great holiday gift giving ideas for ones who have anxiety. I will definitely check that anxiety book, it looks really good to read.

    Reply

  9. These are fantastic suggestions. I recently bought my husband the weighted blanket and he loves it.

    Reply

  11. Oh wow, such a great list. My sister loves the blanket and YnM Weighted Blanket looks so perfect for her. I’ll have to check this out.

    Reply

  12. What a lovely great gift ideas. Christmas is coming and I have done nothing, Glad I was able to read this, Definitely needed this

    Reply

  13. This are great gift ideas and I am sure the person who will receive some of these stuffs will really like it but if I am going to choose what should give to a love ones who have anxiety I would rather choose the blanket that will really give them a nice comfort.

    Reply

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