Don&#x2019;t know what to gift your crunchy crush for their birthday? Are you struggling to find the right present for the aunt who insists on picking up bird feathers on the beach because she &#x201c;was a snowy plover in a past life&#x201d;? Well it&#x2019;s 2024, starlight, and it turns out there's a subscription box for that.

Switch on your salt lamp, and let&#x2019;s unpack **[Mindful Souls](https://go.linkby.com/EUUXDPDI)**, the monthly mindfulness subscription box that claims to be the &#x201c;Netflix of crystals.&#x201d;

What does it mean to be the &#x201c;Netflix of crystals,&#x201d; exactly? For the monthly price of a dece lobster lunch, [Mindful Souls](https://go.linkby.com/EUUXDPDI) will apparently supply subscribers with an eclectic mix of items intended to inspire mindfulness and calm, including 100% natural and &#x201c;ethically sourced&#x201d; crystals, essential oils, a vague selection of &#x201c;special tips and ritual guides,&#x201d; and what appears to be a Funko Pop! statue of the Buddha. If any of that speaks to you, the company is also having a **30% off** sale for the New Year with the **code NYMS30**. But we digress.

17 Best Products for Managing Anxiety and Stress 2021

<p>There should be a word for the kind of anxiety one feels from extended, collective 24-hour news cycle trauma and Utz-induced IBS. There’s probably one in German, but for now, we’ll just call it Every Morning These Days. Luckily (or unluckily?), there are a lot of other people who feel the same way, and a bunch of rad stuff out there on the internet to help ease some of those <i>[<a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7b3nz/fathers-day-gift-ideas-for-tony-soprano-and-other-italian-dads" target="_blank">gestures in Tony Soprano</a>]</i> relentless, sleepless, stress-induced feels.</p> <p>Although, hold my bottle of <a href="https://www.kineuphorics.com/" target="_blank">Kin</a> Euphorics, Bella, because before we continue this conversation, it’s realllllly important that we understand the parameters of what we’re talking about when we say “anxiety” in this context. I am not going to tell you that a sunset lamp will cure your anxiety (it won’t), nor am I going to mount a snake-oiled soapbox for self-described curing products that claim to magically heal <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/bnjb53/anxiety-and-me-189" target="_blank">anxiety disorders</a> (we shan’t.. Different things work for different people, sure—but if you need <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/anxiety-disorders" target="_blank">help treating an anxiety disorder</a>, <a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/helpme/" target="_blank">please seek it</a> with the guidance of a licensed professional. In other words, we are not doctors, and this is not medical advice. <i>[Legal pats us on the head, gives us a treat.]</i></p> <p>Now that we’re on the same page, we can continue to dump out this carpet bag of <i>objets</i> that, for whatever reason, have helped alleviate our petty anxiety and nail-biting stress. Some of them are <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkdx87/best-asmr-valentines-day-gifts-massagers-touch" target="_blank">ASMR-inducing trinkets</a> or calming mood lights; others are applications, scents, and <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/88ndnx/best-anti-stress-toys-fidget-spinner" target="_blank">fidget toys</a> to help you unwind after a stressful day or banish the Sunday scaries.</p> <p>Plug in that salt lamp, and let’s melt together this-a-way…</p> <h2>Get rid of that grocery store lighting</h2> <p>My question is not so much <i>Why?</i> as it is, <i>How?,</i> as in <i>How TF did it take so long for us to realize that milky, amber lighting would chill us all out?</i> <a href="https://amzn.to/47cSgko" target="_blank">The sunset lamp</a> went viral on social media last winter, and <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7a4ex/sunset-projection-lamps-review" target="_blank">I gave it a test run</a> to see if/how it changed the vibe in my apartment, and, well, it is a bangin’ means for bringing in Relaxation Station vibes. I use it every day, when my roommate and I decide it’s time to transition to the house over into nighttime and/or <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjb445/best-cozy-gifts" target="_blank">cozy mode</a>. Plus, it’s great makeout lighting, and now that the craze of the sunset lamp has been out for a while, you can get these babies in a <a href="https://amzn.to/3tU0NKv" target="_blank">whoooole color range</a> (although I’m still partial to the classic amber, per 311’s creed).</p> <h2>Make your shower a mini-spa</h2> <p>Still massaging your scalp with ye olde fingers? Pish posh. I mean, technically this scalp massager—which is made by the <a href="https://ceremonia.com/pages/about-us" target="_blank">Latinx-owned company, Ceremonia</a>—is still guided by your hand, but it also feels like the gifted claw of a giant, gentle Muppet that is designed to increase circulation in your scalp; I gave one to my mother for her birthday, and she says it’s also nice for folks who have less range of motion with their wrist movements. While you are in la douche, consider hanging up some eucalyptus bunches underneath your shower head (gently crush them with a rolling pin, first, to release the scent) that will last for weeks. It’s the little things, man.</p> <p>If wasting water gives you anxiety, may we suggest Hai’s Smart Shower Head. One VICE editor <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgpz73/hai-showerhead-review" target="_blank">reviewed and loved</a> it, because it not only tracks your water usage, but also lets you know when to get out of the shower, and has the option to add aromatherapy scent pods.</p> <h2>Body pillows are worth it</h2> <p>Seriously. Any old pillow will do, but if you are also out here enjoying cuffing season alone, it can be nice to have a long pillow to snuggle up against. We’ve already published <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/93ygad/best-body-pillows-memory-foam" target="_blank">a short list</a> of our favorite firmies, softies, and budget picks, but if you had to start with an affordable one that comes with its own pillowcase, this bad boy from Cosybay is the way to go.</p> <h2>Silky, silky</h2> <p>Speaking of pillows, just cover one in silk. It. Feels. So. Nice. I like to smush my face into mine after I do a face mask, or when my pores are clean and ready for bed. Aside from feeling like your own personal cloud, silk is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/silk-pillowcases-hair-skin-benefits-myths/2021/04/05/a7dcad7c-866a-11eb-82bc-e58213caa38e_story.html" target="_blank">purportedly a great, gentle fabric for your hair</a>, because it retains moisture and reduces friction that causes breakage.</p> <h2>The fidget spinner’s hot cousin</h2> <p>Daaaaamn. Looking good these days. Gotta love a fidget toy that doubles as an art object.</p> <p>Or perhaps your fingers crave a fidget with something a little slimier? Kinetic sand gives me all the satisfaction, if not more, that I get playing with ASMR-y slime because it doesn’t get your hands dirty and won’t stain anything. It’s just magnetic grains of sand that stick together. Aw.</p> <h2>Diffuse the vibe</h2> <p>Oil diffusers aren’t just for wellness- and witchy-bent bros (I say this as both), because brewing up some eucalyptus- and verbena-infused clouds is hella relaxing, and the onset of fall is the perfect time to give one a whirl if you’ve always been diffuser-curious. They come in all kinds of vessels, from chic glass vases for the living room bookshelf to one that looks like it fell from Squirrel Nutkin’s tree. Tight.</p> <h2>Anxiety-easing apps are worth checking out</h2> <p>Yes, the <a href="https://get.calm.com/" target="_blank">Calm App</a> slaps, but that’s specifically because I only want to be told bedtime stories by Laura Dern. That being said, it’s kind of pricey. Luckily, there are loads of other anxiety-managing applications out there at more affordable prices, like <a href="https://www.headspace.com/" target="_blank">Headspace</a> and <a href="https://www.noom.com/programs/mood/hm-paid" target="_blank">Noom</a> (both have free trials, too), as well as endless free, ambient <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpnk5/ambient-youtube-videos-asmr-lofi-hip-hop-beats-how-to-make" target="_blank">cozy-bookshop-in-the-rain videos</a> that are really popping off on YouTube right now.</p> <h2>Electric blankets are actually really great</h2> <p>My friends and I have formed a small cult around the <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dgykd/sunbeam-electric-blanket-review" target="_blank">Sunbeam Electric Blanket</a>, because it’s a guaranteed way to warm up after work or schlepping around the city in the winter. Don’t worry, these babies come with automatic timers now, so you can fall asleep under its warmth without becoming a human chimichanga.</p> <h2>A cooling weighted blanket for warmer months</h2> <p>As much as I love my Sunbeam, sometimes I need all the coziness of a blanket without the extra heat. That’s where <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/93bq93/best-weighted-blankets" target="_blank">the best weighted blankets</a> come into the fold, specifically <i>knitted</i> weighted blankets; the ventilation in the weave makes for a super breathable material, and allows for the weight to better sink into all your crevices, and apply what feels like a deep pressure hug.</p> <h2>Get into the habit of a before-bed beverage</h2> <p>One of the easiest things you can do to help with chronic anxiety is to cut down on caffeine intake—and these days, there are lots of <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7am54/best-coffee-alternatives" target="_blank">delicious alternatives to coffee</a>, from mushroom chai lattes to soothing adaptogenic teas. The ritual alone of slowing down, and drinking something that’s not jacked up with caffeine can help chill out your anxiety. I mean, dude, are you even <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvxkv8/how-to-drink-more-water-best-smart-water-bottles" target="_blank">drinking enough water every day</a>? Anyways, when I lived in France, a lot of my friends would consider the start of their evening unwind with a hearty “tisane,” which is basically just an herbal tea steeped in a massive bowl that would fill the room with chamomile’d steam and their bellies with warmth. Lavender, blue lotus, and echinacea, are some of my calm-down favorites to look for in blends, but if you’re not a hot beverage person, herbal beverages are also having a cultural resurgence at the moment. Now, I don’t know if it’s the placebo effect or what, but I do genuinely enjoy the nightcap of <a href="https://amzn.to/3tUeg50" target="_blank">Kin Euphoric’s wind-down nighttime drink</a>, not because it squashes my existential dread, but because I like sippin’ on bubbly, smoky lavender before bed.</p> <p>Happy unwinding. When in doubt, blast some Enya to the gods.</p> <hr> <p><i>The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? <a href="https://link1.vice.com/join/6qz/signup-recroom" target="_blank">Sign up for our newsletter</a>.</i></p>

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shopping-wellness

Shopping

Here are the ones that worked the best, from herbal teas to stress-reducing apps and shower scalp massagers.

I Tried a Bunch of Stress-Fighting Products to Manage Anxiety

Stress

anxiety

adaptogenic

wellness

homeopathy

Evergreen

We&#x2019;re living in the golden era of subscription boxes, one in which it has never been easier to wake up in Tennessee with a box of rare [Japanese candy](https://www.vice.com/en/article/3aq3p3/love-japanese-snacks-grab-em-from-bokksus-new-online-market) on your doorstep, or to one-click equip yourself with a biannual shipment of [sex toys and BDSM gear](https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgw48n/best-sex-subscription-boxes). And as good old Daddy Internet continues to connect the world through a wide, wide web, we&#x2019;re not surprised to see a goody bag of meditation tools join the club. Not everyone lives around the corner from a store stocked with New-Age-y trinkets, and [Mindful Souls](https://go.linkby.com/EUUXDPDI) is perfect for those who want to form an emotional bond with a quartz crystal but live in a Stanley-Cup-Christian-mom-Fundamentalist neighborhood. Or, you know, learn the most digestible basics of alternative forms of meditation and wellness.

For some folks, peace is a _Shrek-_themed guest room; for others, it&#x2019;s a piece of obsidian carved to look like a turtle. If you also have a cousin who uses a pendulum to make decisions at the Cheesecake Factory, [Mindful Souls](https://go.linkby.com/EUUXDPDI) might be just what the cosmos ordered.

_**Learn more at [Mindful Souls](https://go.linkby.com/EUUXDPDI).**_

_The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? [Sign up for our newsletter](https://link1.vice.com/join/6qz/signup-recroom)._

What Is the Mindful Souls Crystal Subscription Box?

The Best VICE Gift Guide Ever

This "mindfulness subscription box" called Mindful Souls want to make ancient mysticism a modern convenience.

This Mindfulness Subscription Box Says It's the 'Netflix of Crystals’

I Tried a Bunch of Stress-Fighting Products to Manage Anxiety

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