These days, you might be having a more difficult time than ever quieting your mind, getting a decent night’s sleep, and finding some inner sense of calm. And sure, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, and other such practices can be helpful. But now more than ever, it’s worth adding to your arsenal of stress-fighting tools. Here are inexpensive items — from massage products and sleep aids to engaging books and laughter-inducing board games — that can help you find a few minutes of daily zen.
Note: Prices and availability are subject to change.
Related: Americans’ Top 10 Biggest Fears About the Coronavirus Pandemic
Scalp Massager
$9 from Amazon Shop Now
Using one of these can be rather disconcerting at first — most peoples’ heads are considerably more sensitive than they think. But once you get used to it, the scalp massager feels good and the initial reaction usually makes for a good laugh, which is something we all could use right now.
Acupressure Mat & Pillow
$20 from Amazon Shop Now
Made of 100% cotton and plant-based foam, this mat has 6,210 acupressure points, and the pillow 1,782. Translation: reduced tension and pain and increased relaxation, energy, and circulation.
Aromatherapy Stress Relief Body Cream
$19 from Amazon Shop Now
Made with spearmint and eucalyptus essential oils, this body cream must be doing something right, as it gets an average rating of 4.8 stars from buyers, who say it has a pleasant, non-overpowering scent that calms. Bonus: It also appears to work as a mosquito repellant, according to users.
Aromatherapy Mask
$13 from Amazon Shop Now
Filled with plant herbs and oils as well as flax seeds for added acupressure, this mask can be placed in a freezer overnight for a cooling therapy, and the outer cover is removable so it can be washed. Plenty of buyers with chronic headaches and migraines swear by it.
Deep Sleep Pillow Spray
$24 from Amazon Shop Now
Spray this on your pillow for a better night’s sleep. It contains a “superblend” of lavender, vetiver, and chamomile that can not only reduce sleep anxiety but help keep you in the Land of Nod once you get there.
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Yogi Stress Relief Herbal Teas
$30 from Amazon Shop Now
Some people swear by a cup of herbal tea to calm their anxieties. This five-box set lets the entire family try different varieties and flavors to see which works best for each individual member.
Charley Harper Jigsaw Puzzle
$20 from Amazon Shop Now
Introduce yourself to the wonderfully whimsical world of American artist Charley Harper while also concentrating your mind on something other than your own stress and anxiety.
Stretchy Sensory Toy
$7 from Amazon Shop Now
This colorful fidget toy can help distract and calm an anxious young mind. Toys like these are particularly great for kids with ADHD, autism, and other spectrum disorders.
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Homeopathic Stress Relief Pastilles
$6 from Amazon Shop Now
Pastille is a fancy name for a gummy, and these are naturally flavored with orange and elderflower. They also contain “Dr. Bach’s famous combination of 5 flower essences.” They don’t seem to work for all users, but those for whom they do say they have a calming effect, and some even use them on anxious dogs.
Cap Fitness Yoga Mat
$8 from WalmartShop Now
Make at-home workouts a little easier on the joints with this non-slip yoga mat, an ideal cushion for harder surfaces. It’s also easy to roll up and take on the go.
Snailax Shiatsu Massager
$35 from Amazon Shop Now
Can’t make it to the massage therapist? This shiatsu massager is surprisingly good at kneading out kinks in sore muscles. It has a heat feature that can be turned off, but you cannot use the heat without the massage.
Adult Coloring Book
$6 from Amazon Shop Now
For some, the simple act of creativity can be soothing, and coloring books allow for creativity without too much effort. This book contains pictures of animals, mandalas, flowers, patterns, and more.
Gratitude Journal
$7 from Amazon Shop Now
There is always something to be grateful for, and research shows that expressing that gratitude can lead to greater happiness. This journal encourages its users to spend just a minute or so each day acknowledging the things for which they are thankful.
Bath Bombs
$15 from Amazon Shop Now
If self-care is your path to destressing, this set of six colorful essential oil bath bombs can help soak your troubles away.
Kids’ Anxiety Workbook
$8 from Amazon Shop Now
Kids are not immune to feeling stressed — they’re just not always so great at expressing it. Through the use of “lively metaphors and humorous illustrations,” this workbook guides children and parents through cognitive-behavioral techniques most often used in anxiety treatments.
Foot Massager
$45 from Amazon Shop Now
If a foot massage is more likely to destress than neck and shoulders, this product features 18 deep-kneading pressure points as well as heat. Some buyers say it has worked miracles on their plantar fasciitis.
Therapy Putty & Stress Ball Kit
$19 from Amazon Shop Now
This set combines the intervention of a fidget toy with the creative therapy of putty. It comes with putty in four vibrant colors and a stress ball.
Sleep-Mask Headphones
$23 from Amazon Shop Now
We love a product that can do two things at once. This one acts as both a sleep mask and Bluetooth headphones. It’s made of a soft fabric and can provide up to 10 hours of playtime with a 1- to 2-hour charge.
Noise-Canceling Wireless Earbuds
$40 from Amazon Shop Now
Music and podcasts can be greatly therapeutic in the sense that they get us out of our own heads. These well-reviewed wireless earbuds look a bit like Apple’s AirPods without that high price tag. They’re sweatproof and come with a charging case.
Chuckit Dog Balls
$8 from Amazon Shop Now
Dogs need exercise, and throwing one of these for a ball-crazy dog can be a great destresser. Chuckit balls are durable and have a wonderfully unpredictable way of bouncing.
Double Ditto Board Game
$25 from Amazon Shop Now
Named “Game of the Year” by Creative Child Magazine in 2016, this game has earned an average rating of 4.7 stars from Amazon reviewers. They say it’s a fun family game that is easy to learn and provides plenty of laughs.
Spontuneous Board Game
$30 from Amazon Shop Now
Any board game that throws out a caveat of “talent not required” is bound to be entertaining. Spontuneous tests your knowledge of song lyrics as well as your ability to throw melodious caution to the wind.
Weighted Hula Hoop
$24 from Amazon Shop Now
Hula hoops are generally great for exercise and, for some, laughter — both are necessary right now to keep stress under control. This one comes with a workout and lesson DVD.
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers
$12 from Amazon Shop Now
Robert Sapolsky’s book will both engross you in something other than your own anxiety and give you insight into reframing tough times through perspective and attitude, all with a healthy dose of humor.
5-Minute Stress Relief
$12 from Amazon Shop Now
Dr. Elena Welsh’s book provides 75 simple exercises to quiet the mind and calm the body, using tactics like “visualization, breathing exercises, acupressure, coloring, a walking meditation, and more.”
Cooling Weighted Blanket
$37 from Amazon Shop Now
Weighted blankets are great for anxiety relief, but with temperatures warming up, you don’t want just any weighted blanket. This 60-by-80-inch option features six-layers for breathability for a more cooling experience.
My Coping Cards
$20 from Amazon Shop Now
Another way to find a quick suggestion for immediate stress relief, this colorful pack of cards offers up tips like “stretch for 5 minutes” or “listen to a favorite song,” while also featuring cards that give longer, more thoughtful bits of advice about reframing your perspective.
Crosswords
$14 from Target Shop Now
These puzzles are “light and easy” enough to not make you question your own intellect, which in and of itself can be unsettling. There are 96 pages of puzzles, all edited by crossword whiz and New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz.
Sheet Masks
$3 from Macy’s Shop Now
These inexpensive sheet masks are a quick and easy way to make you feel cared for. They come in eight different varieties and feature benefits for your skin such as moisturizing, pore care, skin-soothing, and more.
Mineral Bath Salts
$24 from Macy’s Shop Now
Lavender is one of the most soothing and calming scents out there, and this product from Ahava serves up lots of lavender. It also contains 21 essential minerals that “condition skin by increasing moisture and nourishment levels, helping to ease muscle tension and soreness and relax both body and mind.”
DIY Kids’ Vegetable Garden
$20 from Macy’s Shop Now
Many folks with a green thumb will tell you they garden because it’s therapeutic. With this kit, you can get the kids in on the action, too. As a family, grow carrots, radishes, and spring onions with the included seed packets, or rummage through your own seed stash for alternatives.
Related: 15 Foods You Can Grow in a Container Garden
Essential Oil Diffuser
$11 from Macy’s Shop Now
Essential oil diffusers are great for dispensing calming scents, but a lot of them have a design that sometimes feels a little clinical. Not so with Serene Living’s version. The spherical diffuser is pleasant to look at and takes up little space, at 4 by 4 inches. It comes in four colors, too.
Lavender Mix Essential Oils
$15 from Macy’s Shop Now
You’re gonna need some oils to go with that diffuser, and this set contains four varieties of the always-calming lavender: lavender chamomile, lavender cypress, lavender lemongrass, and just plain old lavender.
