MEDITATION TOOLS FOR RELAXATION

 Calm Store have a huge kids’ section, designed to help with anxiety relief, emotional regulation, learning and having fun! Kids’ products include fidget toys, sensory & focus tools, putty, weighted blankets, social/emotional learning products, chew pendants, and quiet activities and games.

 If you’re CBD-curious but don’t want to spend so much cash, Verena Von Pfetten, co-founder of cannabis magazine Gossamer, swears by Ananda Hemp’s Spectrum Salve for her “morning dose of mobility.” “I’ve been waking up every morning with the distinct and painful inability to move my neck or shoulders,” she says. “A small scoop goes a long way.” (Ananda Hemp is also where Von Pfetten’s company sources cannabinoids for their sleep tincture Dusk.)

 An acupressure mat is no substitute for the real thing, but if you can’t visit your acupuncturist for the foreseeable future, it will help bridge the gap. This mat can provide a sense of calm and relaxation after a long day spent working from your couch, and writer Lori Keong also found it to be effective for her more intense back and neck aches, should you find yourself dealing with stress knots.

 According to Yana Shept, one of the most popular photos she’s ever posted on @gelcream, her Instagram account dedicated to non-sponsored beauty reviews, “is a picture of my hand with coiled metal rings on three of my fingers.” Beyond being photogenic, though, these acupressure rings really work. Shept says they’ve helped her through some health and mental problems, and she turns “to the rings whenever I’m feeling blah or just want a little me-time moment on the go.”

 If that doesn’t take care of your fidgety extremities, try these mashable magnets. They come recommended by Strategist editor Katy Schneider, who describes her fingers as “tiny, incorrigible beasts that cause actual, real-life damage: pick[ing] scabs until they bleed, unravel[ing] the sleeves of expensive sweaters.” She likes them because they’re “satisfyingly moldable” and “they’re not particularly noticeable, the way a fidget spinner is — you can hide them in your palm easily while using them.” She played with them through a dinner party undetected, but we think they’d be ideal for Zoom calls and FaceTime chats, too.

 Natalie Toren bought this massage pillow at designer Leslie Aitken’s L.A. studio after hearing that Moon Juice founder Amanda Chantal Bacon and actress Dree Hemingway were fans. She wrote that it feels “as if real human fists were kneading me,” and likens the massage nodes to “hot stones a masseuse might use for an actual spa treatment.” Since it will likely be a bit until you can have an actual spa treatment, this is the next best thing.

 Last year, Strategist writer Karen Iorio Adelson tested weighted blankets, which are said to relieve anxiety and improve sleep quality — something we could all use right about now. After Adelson concluded that “Baloo’s thoughtful design makes it the most comfortable and aesthetically pleasing one of the bunch,” the blanket quickly became a bestseller among Strat readers.

 During stressful times, “you want to be cozy and rooted and surrounded by things that make you feel good,” says Kate Posch, a teacher at Sky Ting Yoga. That means wearing things that make you feel good, too. “I love my Parachute bathrobe,” says Posch, adding that she’s especially impressed by its supersoft Turkish cotton. (It’s also Oeko-Tex certified, meaning it’s free of harmful bleach or dye.) But don’t just take her word for it: Parachute’s robe once had a waiting list that was 1,900 people long. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case. You can buy it now, no queue necessary.

 “I use Aesop Geranium — cleanser, lotions, oils — both at the start and end of the day,” says Posch. “Lately I’ve been bookending my days with a hot shower. I need that time to just be, to breathe, to have a cleansing practice.” She notes that she’s been showering twice a day not only to rid her body of germs, but also to “wash the shit that’s no longer serving a purpose in my brain.”

 Godso says that “having a scent signal to you that it is time to wind down and relax is incredibly important.” She buys Maison Louis Marie candles, but notes that it’s less about a particular scent, and more about the ritual of lighting a candle. “As much as morning routine is important, so is evening routine. Appealing to the different senses is a good way to calm the system down and prepare for a good night’s sleep.”

 This cannabis-odor-eliminating room spray doesn’t help with stress, per se —but it helps with something that may. “I’m not saying everyone’s smoking more weed — and we should probably talk about curbing our communal smoke intake for the foreseeable future — but if you are, and you don’t want your home to smell like a college dorm room, Veil’s the way to go,” says Von Pfetten, adding that it also “looks very nice on a shelf-scape next to an overpriced candle and a horizontal stack of books.”

 Deborah Bagg, founder of Juniper Yoga in Brooklyn, has been using Rescue Remedy for 25 years. “It’s an incredible combination of flower essences that works with fear, impatience, and focus,” she says. She puts ten drops in a glass of water, and says it tastes a little bit like a cocktail. “I’m so tuned into it at this point that, for me, it’s immediately comforting.”

 “I burn incense, especially sage,” says Bagg, “because the smell is so grounding and purifying and clearing. I’ve been using it since I was 16. Now I’m 40.” She adds that since we’re spending so much time in our homes — and using so many harsh chemicals to keep our spaces clean — “we have to clear energy constantly, now more than ever.”

 Lisa Levine, founder of Maha Rose, a healing studio in Brooklyn, says that when we’re in the midst of anxiety — like now — “the brain contracts, so we’re not able to see beyond the stress.” Tarot cards, she explains, can help you think beyond your current circumstances. “Even pulling one card might show us an aspect of the situation that we’re not able to access ourselves because we’re just too stressed.” (n.b. Levin’s studio currently offers tarot classes online.)

 Regularly taking time to relax and recharge or building stress relief into your daily routine helps you keep going as a caregiver over the long term without burning out or harming your health.

 To help you find effective ways to relieve stress, we rounded up 15 affordable stress relief products that are perfect for busy caregivers.

 A simple, gentle way to relax is to drink a cup of non-caffeinated tea that has herbs that promote relaxation and calm.

 These teas are great for anytime, but are especially helpful at night to help you wind down from a stressful day.

 This massage ball allows you to roll away muscle knots, relax tight muscles, and increase circulation all over your body – just use your own body weight.

 Apply it to the back of your neck, temples, earlobes, or wrists and allow the soothing scent to ease away stress and tension.

Emotional regulation tools for children

 That’s why it’s such an effective way to manage stress. It can even be more effective than medication for boosting mood and reducing anxiety.

 Warm up this aromatherapy pad in the microwave or chill it in the freezer. Then put it around your neck to reduce pain, tension, and stiffness in your neck, back, and shoulders.

 To help you relax, use this relaxing room and pillow mist to surround yourself with the soothing scent of lavender and chamomile.

 Plus, smells are a powerful way to affect the body’s nervous system. A research study even showed that lavender essential oil can have a calming effect similar to anti-anxiety medications.

 They can be used to loosen tense muscles all over the body and are especially helpful in relieving upper and lower back tension as well as tight hip areas.

 They were created by a music therapist who specializes in the use of sound and music to help reduce anxiety, stress and insomnia.

 This spiky looking mat and pillow may look intimidating, but it massages pressure points all over the body to relax tight muscles and relieve stress.

 This spiky looking mat and pillow may look intimidating, but it massages pressure points all over the body to relax tight muscles and relieve stress.

 Weighted blankets are a simple, non-drug option that have been scientifically proven to reduce anxiety, calm nerves, provide comfort, and promote deep sleep.

 This heated massager is a bit of an investment, but after a long day, wouldn’t a heated neck massage be wonderful?

 Plus, this massager is cordless so you can easily use it anywhere on your body – back, legs, or wherever you have muscle pain or tension.

 From minor challenges to major crises, stress is part of life. And while you can't always control your circumstances, you can control how you respond to them. When stress becomes overwhelming or chronic, it can affect your well-being. That's why it's essential to have effective stress relievers that can calm your mind and body.

 There isn't a one-size-fits-all option when it comes to stress relief, however. What works for one person might not work for another.

 And what works for you at home might not be an option when you're at work or in the community (dancing around your living room might be helpful but dancing in the grocery store might not be).

 So it's important to have a variety of stress relief tools at your disposal. Then, you'll be able to pick a strategy that works best for your current circumstances.

 What strategies can relieve stress fast? A number of helpful techniques, such as deep breathing and meditation, are fast-acting tools that you can do anywhere, anytime.

 Whether you're about to be interviewed for a job or you're feeling overwhelmed by your child's behavior at the playground, it's important to have some stress reduction tools that can lower your stress right now.