15 Best Anti-Anxiety Gifts For Your Self-Care Routine, According To Therapists

Call it an anti-anxiety toolkit or a self-care routine. Either way, having a collection of things you love on hand is one of the best thing you can do when your mental health is suffering. Struggling with anxiety, depression, OCD, or sensory overload? No problem, just take out your handy-dandy box. It can include anything from slime and fidget toys to your favorite lotion and journal.

"The most important part of an anti-anxiety toolkit is that it is created with the client in mind," Dr. Kristen Casey, clinical psychologist and author of Insomnia Doc’s Guide to Restful Sleep, told Refinery29. Basically, anything and everything that brings you joy and reminds you that life is more than the singular in-distress moment you're in right now.

"By incorporating these tools into your daily routine, you can manage your anxiety more effectively and improve your overall well-being," Nicolle Osequeda, therapist and founder of the Lincoln Park Therapy Group, told Refinery29. Keep on scrolling for self-care gifts — whether for yourself or your bestie — that are ideal for an anxiety toolkit, straight from the expert minds of therapists.

If you're not already on board with slime, let me introduce you to the wonderful world of sensory heaven. Whether it's crunchy or fluffy, it can be incredibly satisfying to play with slimes of all types. "The tactile stimulation of playing with these materials can be calming and soothing for the mind," Osequeda said to Refinery29. Plus, they smell incredible so there's an added bonus of aromatherapy!

When we're in panic mode, our brain tends to say incredibly mean things, and we're left unable to be patient and kind to ourselves. That's why either "writing down helpful reminders on sticky notes during tough anxiety moments" — as Dr. Casey said to Refinery29 — or having those reminders in the form of affirmation cards is super-helpful.

Everyone knows aromatherapy can be very helpful when it comes to creating a calming and serene space, but it's not just specific oils and smells, it also works with scents you simply enjoy. "Inhaling a scent that you like or using an oil diffuser can release serotonin and dopamine, which are chemicals in the brain that can improve your mood and reduce feelings of anxiety," Osequeda said. If you've read any of my DedCool reviews, you know I'm literally obsessed with its Milk scent — to the point where it's worked to motivate me to shower every day (don't judge, Karen, some people have mental illness and struggle with hygiene) simply because I want to be surrounded by the scent! A super-hack!

Nothing helps heal an overthinking spiral like writing down all those thoughts and putting them away from your mind and onto physical paper — especially if you have one of those handy emotion-identifying wheels nearby. "Sometimes it's difficult to identify our emotions at the moment, especially when we're anxious, " Dr. Casey said.

Fidget toys may have gotten a bad rep lately, but tools like pop balls, infinity cubes, or fidget cubes can be more helpful than you think. "It may be helpful to include a fidget toy in an anti-anxiety toolkit because it helps the client regulate their emotions. This can be especially useful for those who struggle to verbalize their thoughts or emotions," Dr. Casey said.