If You’re Anxious AF, These 55 Weird, Cheap Things Are Legitimately Life-Changing

When your shoulders hunch up around your ears, and every fear and worry seems to make them tighter, pull out this deep tissue massage tool and help the muscles let go of that tension. It fits neatly into your hand, and so you can apply targeted pressure to tight muscles while you relax in front of a movie or with a hot compress over your eyes. It’s an elegant piece of decor when not in use, and it comes in five colors.

When stress hits, this aromatherapy treatment will bring on-the-spot relief. Dab some on your temples and take a deep breath while you rub it in. The scent of peppermint, basil, and eucalyptus will bring calm to your mind while the deep breath tells your entire body and nervous system to relax. “Tranquility in a bottle,” wrote one reviewer.

Rest your feet — or lie down and sleep — on this grounding mat to bring yourself back down to earth. It connects to an outlet and connects you to electrons from the earth to ground your nerves, improving everything from sleep to mood. “I have gotten the best sleep since using this mat, and when I awaken, I am no longer stiff and crippled up as I was in the past,” wrote one reviewer. Choose from eight colors.

Focusing on something engaging but not too complicated is a great way to relax your mind. This embroidery kit is the perfect way to start on embroidery as a calming hobby. And the frazzled cat image you end up with is a good reminder of why you started. “Pretty colors,” wrote one reviewer. “Very relaxing.” Choose from seven patterns.

If you wake up in the night worried that you left something plugged in, take some proactive steps to put your mind at ease. Plug hair appliances, the iron, and anything else you have to remember to turn off into this auto shut-off safety outlet. It will turn them off, even if you forget. It also saves power while it helps you get back to sleep.

Ready for a moment of instant bliss? This head massager delivers a startlingly pleasant experience, given its odd, claw-like shape. Just use it to scratch your head. “A pure state of bliss,” wrote one reviewer. The long tines have a ball on the end so you can’t hurt yourself. This is a pack of two in two colors.

If you have trouble getting to sleep or you wake up in the night and are unable to get back to sleep, try these heated eye masks for a bit of self-care. The combination of light blocking and heat is so relaxing. Once it starts releasing it relaxing aromas, you will be sound asleep in minutes. Your dry eyes will love the spa treatment, too. They require no power or microwaving, so you can open one, apply it, and relax. Choose from five scents.

That discomfort in your gut might not be all down to nerves. It could be dehydration. This water reminding smart light can help you remember to sip some water. Attach it to your favorite water bottle and it will keep track of the last time you sipped, blinking to remind you when it's time to take care of yourself. You can move it from bottle to bottle or attach it to any water glass. Choose from seven colors.

Give yourself something to concentrate on, and your overactive mind will quickly relax. This white jigsaw puzzle brings the challenge — and the calm. The all-white design gives you no colors or patterns to lean on. You have to focus on shapes. Too much? There are 12 other scenes to choose from. “A perfect mix of challenge and relaxation,” wrote one reviewer.

Spend some time relaxing with paints and these blank postcards, and you will not only be more relaxed, but you will also have a collection of postcards — painted by you! — to mail for special occasions. The paper is made of cotton, perfect for watercolors. And they are a heavyweight cardstock that is perfect for mailing.

Stick this hilarious silicone cow udder to the bottom of your desk for a sight gag that will make everyone in your office laugh. It will also always be right within reach when you need a stress-relieving fidget toy to fiddle with. “I’m a nurse manager and ordered these for my staff,” wrote one reviewer. “Well made, great color, and a lot of fun, milking our stress away!”

Set this projector light on a table, dim the lights, and enjoy a calm, ocean-like underwater experience right from your own couch, bed, or bath. It throws calming waves on the wall, creating soft beauty and a relaxing environment. “It is so wonderful to have this on with relaxing music and a hot shower,” wrote one reviewer.

Turn those two minutes — multiple times a day — of handwashing into a calming, spa-like experience with this gemstone rock soap. The rich aromatherapy fills your senses with the scent of lavender, lemongrass, rose, or whatever scent you choose while you lather up. And the beautiful rock-like shape looks like decoration in the room when it’s not in use.

Creating habits is not something you can leave to memory and hope. Spend a month — or more, if you need it — reminding yourself and tracking your success, and you will find that eventually that act you couldn’t remember to do has become second nature. This habit tracker calendar makes it easy to set goals and track them. And your efforts produce a visual chart of your success.

When sleep is elusive, create cozy comfort with this body pillow that looks like a pod of peas — a Peallow. Rest a leg on it or tuck it between your knees to align your spine as you sleep so you don’t wake up with back pain. The soft support is comfy, and it looks cute on the bed when you aren’t sleeping. It comes in four sizes and 11 colors.

Hold this meditation tool in your hand and let your breathing follow the patterns of light. It will guide you through several types of calming breathing, methods that have been proven to stop panic, calm anxiety, and let your mind relax. It also makes a terrific bedside light since it gives off a soft, color-changing glow.

Block out the light and relax with this weighted eye mask over your eyes. It won’t let any light through the contoured eye cups — or apply pressure to your eyes or lashes. The padded frame is soft against your face, though, and the weight helps you relax. “So comfortable,” wrote one reviewer. “No smashed eyelashes or uncomfortable pressure points. [...] Perfect for travel or anyone who is light sensitive.” Choose from six colors and styles.

If you have dreams of living in a wood-lined library surrounded by books, start small by building this mini bookshelf. It might be dollhouse-sized, but it still brings the vibe into your home. The act of arranging them onto shelves is also a sensory stress-reliever. “Perfect to fill my anxiety bookshelf,” wrote one reviewer.

This collection of ferrite stones in a metal tin is one of the all-time great fidget toys. Form them into shapes. Reshape them. Grab a pile of them and enjoy the tactile feel and constantly changing relationships. The smooth stones cling to each other and are endlessly fascinating. This is a pack of 55 stones. There are four size and color options.

This letterboard is a fun way to occupy your mind. Write poems. Arrange the letters. Use it to leave notes. And behind that board, with its snap-on letters, is a composition notebook where you can journal or write. If that idea doesn’t land with you, there are 13 journals with stunning, customizable covers in this line to choose from.

Stress can be made worse by those moments when your hands feel dirty and there’s no sink nearby. This hydrating, scented hand sanitizer is a gentler way to keep your hands germ-free than the industrial-strength type that wreaks havoc on your skin. The package is cute, too. Choose from 10 scents and colors.

A scented candle can quickly change the mood in the room and help you relax. But the open flame can be a source of worry. This candle warmer lamp is a better way. Set the candle on the base and the heat will unlock the candle’s scent without lighting it. The lamp provides a soft, warm glow that nearly matches candlelight. Choose from eight colors.

Your tight shoulders and back won’t relax themselves. Pull on this wearable electric heating pad and let the heat soften those wrought muscles. Lie down and relax or keep right on working. It covers your back (or front), wraps around your shoulders, and attaches so you can move around without it slipping off. It has six heat settings and three timers. Choose from two sizes and 16 colors.

When a migraine strikes, it can take you right out of commission. This migraine relief cap will deal with it fast. Pull it out of the freezer and pull it on. It blocks the light while it chills your eyes and nerves to reduce pain and chase that headache away. “Truly life changing,” wrote one reviewer. “It breaks like 90% of my headaches. It is truly incredible.”

The Calm Ball is a how-to-relax take on the Magic 8 Ball. Give it a shake and see what it suggests. It delivers 20 randomized coping skills to the mysterious window at the bottom so you don’t have to make a decision. Just do what it tells you, and you will feel better. “[It is] helping me step outside my comfort zone and learn new life skills to help deal with anxiety and depression,” wrote one reviewer.

The Whirlbottle is a fidget toy that encourages hydration. Shake the bottle to create a vortex, and pull your mind out of whatever spiral or fidget it’s in. While you are watching that engaging vortex, you might as well drink some water and make your body feel better. “The whirlpool is so much fun to create and watch!” wrote one reviewer. “Calming too.”

Nothing says, “Leave me alone for some me time!” like lying down with cucumbers over your eyes. Now you don’t have to purchase or slice the cucumbers to achieve this moment of calm. These cucumber eye pads are always ready, infused with fruit, and so soothing. They hydrate and refresh the delicate skin around your eyes while you relax. Choose cucumber or watermelon.

Stepping into a hot shower can work wonders on stress and sleeplessness. Adding some aromatherapy to that shower makes it even more effective. Drop one of these happy shower steamers into the bottom of the shower and turn on the hot water. As it melts, it fills the room with luxurious, calming scents. This is a pack of 12 in an assortment of aromas.

These nasal inhalers allow you to apply calming aromatherapy anytime you need to calm down. Just hold it to your nose and take a deep breath. It will clear your breathing and your mind. Menthol feels cool and refreshing. Eucalyptus invigorates. And peppermint offers a powerful reset. “Inhale [...] for good positive vibes,” wrote one reviewer. “And it helps me breathe a whole lot better.” Choose from six scents.

Reading and crafting are both habits that help with anxiety and stress. These diamond painting bookmarks enable both of those endeavors. The kit has all the tools you need to get started on this trending craft. And when you complete a project, you can tuck it into the book you are reading and enjoy it every time you read. There are 20 styles to choose from.

With the Breathing Buddha on your self-care team, you will always have someone available to walk you through slow breathing exercises. Choose from three modes — balance breath, calming breath, or box breathing — and follow the colors as you inhale and exhale your way through the breathing patterns. “It truly has been life-changing for me!!!” wrote one reviewer. Choose from six shapes.

Place these sensory stickers where you will encounter them — on your phone, water bottle, journal, laptop — and touch them for a moment of calm. The tactile surface provides sensory feedback that reduces stress. “I give these grounding tools to my clients [who] struggle with anxiety,” wrote one reviewer. “The texture and shape really help them feel in control.”

If you find you struggle with skin picking, turn that fidgety energy to this hair fidget toy instead. It’s the same satisfying plucking, but without the damage to your hair and face. Some of the hairs come out easily, while others put up a fight. “Super cute! Very relaxing and helps keep the anxiety down,” wrote one reviewer.

When you want to take a break to do nothing, meditate, or ponder the cosmos, light one of these beeswax candles as a relaxing timer. There is no startling buzz when your time is up. You don’t have to look at a phone or watch to see if you’ve been zoning out too long. The candle burns for 20 minutes, and you can glance at its progress to see how much time you have left. This is a pack of 20 candles.

Retrain your fidgets away from your own fingernails by wearing this fidget ring that gives you something — always on your hand — to fuss with. The outer ring spins around the inner one, offering the perfect activity for those fingers that are looking for something to do. It’s cute, too. Choose from 12 styles and five sizes.

This mini coloring book is perfect for tossing into a bag so you have something chill to do while waiting for a flight, traveling by train, or otherwise out in the world in need of a distraction. The binding lies flat. The images are quick and simple to color. And the high-quality paper is a pleasure to write on. This is a pack of five. There are 23 themes to choose from.

Keep one of these worry stones in your pocket at all times. It will give you something to handle, offering satisfying tactile feedback, when your mind races or your stress kicks up. Flat, light, silent, and easy to have on hand, each one has a different texture. “Great for any kind of brainstorming or pre-writing work, or just managing anxiety in general,” wrote one reviewer. This is a pack of five, in different colors and shapes.

This essential oil roll-on is a great tool for delivering aromatherapy to whatever situation you are facing. Roll it on your wrist, your neck, or anywhere you like and take a deep breath of the scent. You will smell nice, and you will be much calmer. Choose the scent that suits your need and keep it with you. There are 10 to choose from.

Taking a moment to stop working, being productive, or planning to be productive is essential to your mental health. This paper flower bouquet is a visually pleasing way to take that moment. The kit provides everything you need to create a vase filled with five stunning and realistic paper flowers. You don’t need to bring any skill or knowledge to the task. It comes with everything you need. There are three other projects, too.

Ready for a tactile diversion? This marbled unicorn color slime is it. You don’t have to mix it. Just open the container and let the slimy sensation envelop your hands and change your mood. It’s completely safe and cleans up easily. It’s great for kids, but adults enjoy it, too. “If anyone needs sensory ideas, this is it,” wrote one reviewer.

Going out in public when you aren’t feeling it is hard. Flying on a plane? Traveling by train? Anyone can talk to you! This hooded travel pillow is the privacy barrier you need to protect your fragile mood from any chatty and outgoing travelers you might encounter. The hood is roomy. And the neck pillow will help you sleep.

Pull this weighted lap blanket over you, kick back, and let go of your troubles. The weight calms your nerves and warms your body and the size is perfect for draping over the back of the couch or your work chair, so it's always ready for a moment of calm. Choose from nine colors and six sizes.

The aromatherapy of a shower steamer is a great way to treat your senses to some calm. If you take a quick shower, though, you might not want to waste one. This shower steamer tray lets you use a shower steamer multiple times. Instead of dropping the steamer into the bottom of the shower, tuck it into this case. It will scent your shower and still be there for the next shower.

Keep this pocket bear handy at all times. When you are stressed, offload your worries to the bear. It’s a mental trick that works. The bear is light and pocket-sized but durable enough to handle all your stressors. “It provides comfort, relief, and possibly confidence to keep going,” wrote one reviewer.

Sometimes you feel like punching something. This desktop punching bag lets you get that feeling out without damaging the walls or hurting your hand. It clamps firmly onto your desk, waiting to help. The leather bag can handle your anger, and the strong springy stand springs right back. It comes in three colors.

Knitting and needlework are ancient tools for surviving anxiety and boredom. This needle decoration kit will get you started. It comes with everything you need — yarn, frame, pattern, and directions — so you can open the box and start calming yourself with creativity. Choose from six patterns and two sizes.

You will be amazed at how the simple act of coloring can bring a sense of calm. It works on children, and it works on adults. This easy coloring book is appropriate for any age. The images are large, simple, and leave lots of room for creativity. “One of my go-to tools for winding down,” wrote one reviewer. There are 52 images in the book.

Slather your cracked, bitten, and stressed lips in this lip sleeping mask before retiring, and you will wake up with a refreshed kisser. Hyaluronic acid, plant-derived squalane moisturizer, and bakuchiol steep your lips in hydration and protection. The scents are calming, too. Treat your mind to the calming scents of lavender and vanilla because you need sleep to handle tomorrow.

Creativity and nature are antidotes to stress. And these tiny plants are an adorable blend of both. Assembling the LEGO botanicals lets you focus on something pleasant, creative, and easy enough to be relaxing. Then you get to place the cute plants around your home to look at. And you don’t have to worry about watering them. This is a collection of nine small plants.

Drown out whatever is happening in your world — traffic noise, people, your own ruminations — so you can sleep or concentrate by plugging this white noise sound machine into an outlet and tapping one of the icons for a category of sound. Choose from two types of white noise, brown noise, pink noise, fan sounds, rain, thunder, a babbling brook, or music box tones.

We live in a world where our fingers do the work that was once done by our bodies, cars, or bikes. We do everything from shopping to socializing through a screen while our poor hands handle the travel. This hand and finger massager is an important tool to help your hands relax and recover. One end rolls over your palm while the other sandwiches your fingers between two rollers.

When your face feels hot and inflamed — or a headache looms — take a moment to chill with this cooling ice face mask. This is a set of gel-filled pads that can be cooled to treat everything from a red face to puffy eyes to migraines. The eye pads, face mask, under-eye pads, and eye mask are all tucked into a bag you can store them in in the fridge so they are always cool and clean.

This cute kitty heating pad is the perfect companion when you have cramps or aches and pains. Microwave the heating pad inside your cute pet and press him against what ails you. The warmth will calm cramps and relax sore muscles. It even smells like lavender.

Cold feet are a thing of the past when you have this heated foot warmer on hand. Plug it in. Choose from three heat settings. And tuck your feet into the warmth. It’s perfect in a cold office or to warm up after you have been out in the cold. It heats both the top and bottom of your feet. “Such a nice, comfortable heat,” wrote one reviewer. “Very relaxing.”

You don’t have to haul yourself to an expensive yoga class to find your zen. These yoga cards let you create your own practice right at home from 47 foundational asanas. Each card covers one pose and teaches you the Sanskrit for it. So you can create your own sequence — or use one of the suggested ones — and flip through the cards for a relaxing workout. There are blank cards so you can add any poses you like.