If you have a friend suffering from depression, self-care gifts for a depressed friend can be life-savers. Often times, those of us who have depression struggle to keep up with regular self-care activities that you might take for granted. Things like showering, brushing teeth, drinking enough water, eating healthy, and getting enough sleep. #dontjudge LOL
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✅ AMAZON WISH LIST:
Epsom salt is a great self-care gift because it is a great addition to a warm bath (bubbles or not.) It helps reduce inflammation in muscles and joints. My psychiatrist once told me that when you are depressed you actually feel pain more intensely. So this Dr. Teal’s Epsom Salt Bundle is an awesome choice or add to a mental health gift basket. ✓ 3 different bags each 48oz. ✓ Rosemary & Mint for Wellness Therapy ✓ Eucalyptus & Spearmint for Relax & Relief ✓ Lavender for Soothe & Sleep These sleep headphones are an eye mask and headphones in one. This is great to help your friend sleep better–either by using it for songs or meditations. (✅ compare top choices here) ✓ Lightweight and Breathable ✓ Built In HD Stereo Speakers ✓4ft. braided cord won't get twisted ✓ Fits 3.5mm stereo plug This is a set of 45 Meditation and Mindfulness Cards for Bedtime. Just choose one each night to calm down and get ready for bed. ✓ 45 Meditation and Mindfulness Cards ✓Calm Down and Relax & Relief Stress and Anxiety The next type of self-care gift ideas for your depressed friend is for mental health and self-care. Mental self-care is (obviously improving your mental health), but a good way to look at it is the way you cope with life. Having good coping skills will help you work through the challenges and struggles that life brings. These positive mental health gifts are designed to do just that! Journaling is a known CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) technique for working through depression that therapists often recommend. Keeping a journal has many benefits in dealing with depression and is a helpful gift for depressed people. This one is an easy no-pressure journal that you can open to any page at a time. These are some journal great gifts to help with depression! My favorite is One Page At A Time: A Daily Creative Companion by Adam J. Kurtz. 365 prompts will encourage you to draw, write, list, & reflect Written by: Adam J. Kurtz ✓ Does not need to go in order--can be turned to any page when you are ready to journal ✓ Written by: Adam J. Kurtz ✅ COMPARE BEST JOURNALS FOR DEPRESSION You can really have fun picking journaling pens for a depressed friend! There are so many colors, types, and designs you will probably have a hard time choosing. You may also decide to get yourself some. The Crayola Take Note Gel Pens have become my favorite lately. I also love the Pentel Energel Pens. The gel pen ink dries super fast which is great for left-handers like me. These are the ✅ top Amazon Picks for Best Journaling Pens. They are Amazon Prime-Eligible and have 4+ Star Reviews. ✓ 14 bright and vibrant colors ✓ Medium Point pen .7mm ✓ Smooth writing great for journaling ✓ Washable Ink ✓ Retractable ✓ Ink dries super fast ✓ Comfort grip ✓ Refillable Over the years my doctors have recommended several different self-help books & workbooks for depression. When deciding which book to give a friend with depression, just read the description and reviews to choose the one you think would be of most help to them. ✓ Teaches meditation and the positive impact to people who aren't convinced meditation actually works. ✓ Written by Dan Harris ✓ Creative workbook - not like you've ever seen ✓ Unique engaging prompts help you reframe negative thoughts ✓ Author Lee Crutchley ✅ COMPARE READER FAVORITE FOR SELF-HELP BOOKS The third kind of self-care is emotional self-care. That boils down to one word – COMFORT. Things that feel good and are good for you are definitely some of the best gifts for relaxation and Meditation is at the top of most therapists’ list for self-care activities and good mental health habits. The Muse is a device designed to improve your health through meditation, deep breathing, relaxation, and increased focus. It guides you through learning the best practices for effective meditation and keeps track of your progress. It does require an additional subscription to access all the data and features and many of the 1-star reviews are because of this. The manufacturer should make it more clear in the description. A gift for someone with depression that actually helps them cope with it is an awesome gesture. Aromatherapy diffusers can do this by spreading beneficial essential oil particles the air around you and diffusers can also help purify the air. This diffuser is also a cool-mist humidifier and has 7 different light colors you can change. ✓ Upgraded Diffusers for Essential Oils Aromatherapy ✓Cool Mist Humidifier with ✓ 7 Colors Lights ✓ 2 Mist Mode Waterless ✓ Auto off The best essential oils for depression ✓ Top 18 Essential Oil Set ✓ 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade 18/10ml Incl. ✓ Tea Tree, Lavender, Lemon, Rosemary and more ✓ Made in USA ✓ w/Free E-Book A mental health gift basket is a great self-care to give a depressed friend. Instead of thinking bath soaps and lotions to soothe and pamper the body, think of gift items that soothe the mind. Anything that can improve their self-esteem and self-confidence is a perfect item for this kind of gift basket. Affirmations are the bomb when it comes to doing just that. Using affirmations is a great way to practice self-care. It is a great gift both encouraging and therapeutic to give a depressed person. Does your friend like to color? If you aren’t sure, you can probably assume they do (I really don’t think that part of our inner child ever goes away!) This affirmation starter kit that I created (and you can find in the Chronic Illness Warrior Shop) is a perfect start. The kit comes with printable affirmation cards with beautiful mandala-style doodles to color. There are even blank cards for your depressed friend to write their own affirmations. ✓ 21 Affirmation Cards with Statements ✓ 3 Fill-in-the-blank Affirmation Cards ✓ 6 Blank Affirmation Cards ✓ Printable PDF Digital File These are pre-made cards that you can get in sets. Amazon has many to choose from (✅ compare the top sellers here) ✓ 52 Cards for Mindfulness & Meditation, Writing, or Any Other Empowering Process ✓ Helps you engage in powerful self-talk These affirmation books are great self-care gifts. They are a little bit “self- Journaling is ✓ Space to record your day's highs and lows ✓ Thought provoking prompts ✓ Written by: Doro Otterman I personally love these colorful pens by Frixion. They are erasable color pens and my kids often swipe them for their own backpacks. ✓ Fine Point ✓ 7-pack of assorted color inks ✓ Refillable ✓ Retractable Gel Ink Pens Each card from this unique deck has an exercise that can help your depressed friend relieve stress and anxiety. The mindful meditation exercises can be memorized so that you can use it in any situation. The Stress Less Card Deck can easily fit into a purse or bag to keep them with you. ( ✅ get more info) ✓ 50 Card Set ✓ Each card has a unique mindfulness meditation exercise ✓ Reduces stress and anxiety Essential oils have all kinds of benefits to help depression. An easy way for your depressed friend to use essential oils on-the-go and throughout the day (away from home,) is to buy her aromatherapy jewelry. These are so cool and pretty. There are beautiful styles in 2. Epsom Salt
Dr. Teal's Epsom Salt Bundle Gift Set
3. Sleep Headphones
ASIILOVI Sleep Headphones
4. Sleep Tight Cards
Sleep Tight Cards
✅ Positive Mental Health Gifts
5. Journals
1 Page at a Time: A Daily Creative Companion
Pick Me Up: A Pep Talk for Now and Later Journal
More Journal Self-Care Gift Ideas:
6. Journaling Pens
Crayola Take Note Colored Gel Pens
Pentel EnerGel RTX Retractable Gel Pen
7. Self-Help Books
Reader Favorites:
10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head
How to Be Happy (Or at Least Less Sad): A Creative Workbook
✅ Best Gifts for Relaxation
8. Muse: The Brain-Sensing Headband
The Muse 2: The Brain Sensing Headband
9. Aromatherapy Diffusers
InnoGear Essential Oil Diffuser
10. Essential Oils & Essential Oil Sets
Natrogix Essential Oils Set
✅ Mental Health Gift Basket
11. Affirmation Starter Kit
Adult Coloring Affirmation Starter Kit
12. Affirmation Cards
Empowering Questions Cards Set of 52
Affirmators: Deck of 50 Affirmation Cards
13. Affirmation Books
14. Mood Journal and Colorful Pens
Ups and Downs Mood Tracking Journal
PILOT FriXion Erasable Gel Pens
15. Stress Less Cards
Stress Less Cards 50 Mindfulness & Meditation Exercises
16. Aromatherapy Diffuser Jewelry
