The beginning of the holiday season brings about a joyous and celebratory time for many people. However, many people’s experience during this time of year can be a difficult time. This can be due to anxiety, depression, and or stress. Despite the mental health conditions they may be experiencing, these people in your life will benefit from mental health gifts that show your thoughtfulness, understanding, and support of what they face daily. This list of mental wellness gifts ideas for the holidays will provide you with a range of suggestions when looking for gifts for someone with anxiety and depression or any other mental health condition. In addition, this list of mental health gifts makes a great mental health gift guide as well!
Weighted Blankets
I mean who doesn’t love a weighted blanket. The soothing weight of a weighted blanket mimics a therapeutic technique called deep pressure stimulation or pressure therapy. Weighted blankets are linked to the ability to help reduce stress and anxiety while also producing feelings of calmness. There have also been indications that weighted blankets can be a benefit for other conditions as well. Plus these are great perfect mental gifts to give someone for the cooler days/nights ahead in winter.
Light Therapy Lamps
Speaking of the cooler days, they usually bring about less sunlight. That is why a light therapy lamp is considered to be one of the best gifts for mental health improvement during these changing conditions. The cooler months ahead in winter usually mean a change in mood for millions of people. This change in mood is known as seasonal affective disorder. A light therapy lamp is a helpful gift for people with depression. 15 minutes to 30 minutes in front of a light therapy lamp has been said to improve shifting moods in the fall and winter.
Spa Therapy
What better way to brighten the mood of a friend struggling with mental health than by gifting them with time at the spa? Time at the spa is one of many mental health gifts that offer both mental and physical benefits. Those benefits come from the various services that they offer. A few treatment options in a spa can help reduce stress and diminish depressive symptoms. These can include yoga, aromatherapy, and full body deep tissue massages. Spa therapy provides the space to renew the spirit, regain mental clarity, and improve life’s longevity.
Scented Candles
The sense of smell plays an essential role in our psychological well being. The smell of a scented candle stimulates the limbic system that connects to both emotions and memory. Therefore, the smell of a scented candle can bring about positive memories which makes for a great mental health gift. The use of scented candles can improve the imbalances of certain psychological mood disorders like depression, anxiety, and or schizophrenia. Lighting a scented candle at the end of a hard day to take anyone to a soothing place.
Journals
When the negative emotions of a friend or family member keep popping up, sometimes all they need to do is write them down. That is when a journal comes in handy. Writing emotions down in a journal is one of the many well known methods to help with overall mental health and wellness. There are an extensive list of benefits to journaling which include stress relief, recognition of triggers, and managed emotions. Guided journals which offer prompts are great mental health gifts for someone with depression because it provides insight into unknown various feelings.
Self-Help Books
Being able to share the gift of a different perspective of emotions through self-help books is always an appreciative wellness gift. Someone going through a tough period mentally may find inspiration from these books. Self-help books offer several coping skills and strategies to shift thoughts and feelings into a more positive direction. These types of books can be just the thing to help just about anyone decompress after a stressful day or stressful time.
Mental Wellness App Subscriptions
A subscription to a mental wellness app can offer a mental health gift that keeps on giving beyond the holidays. The various apps available can provide family and friends with several useful tools to improve their mental well-being. A few of these tools can be practices and services which include mindfulness, a virtual mental health counselor, techniques to meditate, medication management, calming stories at bedtime, and more. The benefits of apps like this are extremely life-changing. A mental wellness app can be just the motivation needed to help that loved one who may be affected by a mental illness in your life. The price of many mental wellness apps have subscriptions that range from just a few dollars to the double digits.
Sound Machines
Purchasing a sound machine as a mental health gift provides ambient sounds for a sense of calm. Sound machines provide a sense of calm which redirects focus onto the sounds rather than the thoughts and emotions that may be running through their minds. The relaxed state from a sound machine can be beneficial for individuals who have issues with stressful environments. In addition, sound machines assist in the sleep routine of many individuals who deal with anxiety. Sound machines can be just the impactful gift for a depressed friend or loved one that helps them cope well.
Adult Coloring Books
Coloring as an adult is such a nostalgic practice that is a form of therapy for reducing stress. It is a creative activity that sends people into a meditative state. Adult coloring has become an extremely popular coping mechanism for depression, anxiety, and other mental mood disorders. These types of coloring books can be funny mental health gifts which often lighten the mental load. This type of mental health gift is meant to cater to adults by offering very interesting artwork that allows for endless creative options throughout its pages. This mental health gift encourages people to breathe and slow down in the midst of a busy season.
Essential Oils
Just how scented candles play a role in our psychological well being, essential oils are able to promote mental wellbeing as well. Not only do essential oils offer an amazing fragrance, they are plant based extracts that help improve your overall mood. They have many benefits as long as they are used safely in practice. Essential oils used in the practice of aromatherapy have been said to alleviate conditions such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, and more. The most popular varieties of essential oils are lavender, peppermint, and tea tree oil to name a few. Some of the varieties have powerful healing properties. However, they may cause an allergic reaction or adverse effect depending on the person who uses them. So be careful when selecting an oil for that friend or family member who you think will benefit from them.
Affirmation Card Deck
The use of affirmations has become a highly free and beneficial daily practice for many people. The use of affirmations has encouraged many through some difficult moments as well as set the tone for a positive day! A set of affirmation cards can be just the gift that helps a depressed or anxious person improve their mental wellbeing. They serve the purpose of reframing negative thoughts into positive thoughts, increase confidence about achieving goals, and or setting the intentions for the day. Affirmation card decks have thoughtful short statements which are powerful mental wellness tools.
Mental Health Gifts Are Great Ways To Help A Loved One Prioritize Their Mental Well Being
All of these are the best mental health gifts for the holidays! They are all phenomenal ways to show how you took the time to find something special that will truly improve the life of a friend or family member struggling with mental health issues. Remember these gifts make great self care gifts that can be purchased for yourself as well! If you are looking for more original mental health gift ideas, check out my blog post about more self-care gifts for mental health toolkit! Nonetheless with this mental health gift guide for the holidays, everyone on your holiday list is sure to get a gift that supports their mental health with these mental health gift ideas!
To shop this mental health holiday gift guide, visit my LTK Shop at https://www.shopltk.com/explore/MindFULLyWellRooted/giftguide.
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Originally Published on December 3, 2021
Updated on September 26, 2022
Watch The YouTube Video About This Blog Post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pi65J1BoK4&t=11s
For more inspiration for mental health gift ideas, check out this mental health gift guide for her as well as this ultimate mental health gift guide.
To further educate yourself about mental health awareness, visit the NAMI, Mental Health America, and American Foundation For Suicide Prevention.
A thoughtful and thorough compilation of wellness gifts that everyone is bound to benefit from. Instead of buying items like bags and clothes, these items are more likely to create a better impact on the mind.
First and Foremost, thanks so much for reading this blog post Tia! I appreciate that so much! I am so glad you thought that these gifts have long term benefits rather than superficial usage! all of these will definitely impact the mind in a positive way! Thanks again for reading!