The craziness that comes with holidays has both positive and negative consequences to our wellness. On the one hand, the spirit of giving and spending quality time with loved ones can bring feelings of immense joy. On the other hand, the pressure of trying to stay within your budget while trying to buy the perfect gifts means those family gatherings can bring on a lot of unnecessary stress. Why not help out your friends and family by gifting them one (or more) of these perfect affordable gifts, which will support their wellness (and your wallet) even when the season ends?
Read on to find out the top 10 wellness gifts that you can buy for under $30:
1. Mindfulness Cards
As the holidays are generally a pretty stressful time for a majority of us, staying mindful is hard to do. Actually, staying mindful on a daily basis can be tricky anyway. That’s why these mindfulness cards are a great wellness gift for your busy friends and family. They are simple, organized and easy to use. The 50-card deck is divided into four color-coded mindfulness categories: rest and balance, insight and awareness, curiosity and joy and kindness. These cards are portable, and each one has a short mantra or an easy mindfulness exercise to follow on the back for you to practice whenever it is convenient for you.
Price $15.26
2. Weighted Blanket
We all need a hug sometimes. However, sometimes no one is there to give us those much-needed hugs. This is where a weighted blanket comes in handy. These blankets are filled with glass beads, making them heavier than other blankets. They are a great tool for anxiety because the idea of being swaddled under something heavy (much like when we were infants) makes us feel safe. Don’t be concerned about these blankets making you too hot, though; they are constructed to help you stay cool even in the summer months. So, in the spirit of the holidays, gift your loved ones a permanent hug that will always make them feel safe and protected.
Price $24.64
3. 5-Minute Journal
As college students, I’m sure we would all like to journal; unfortunately, our schedules don’t always allow us the time to spend an hour each night writing about our day. Help out your friends with their wellness by gifting them this 5-Minute Journal. That’s Right. All they need is five minutes every morning and five minutes every evening, and they can get the same benefit as writing an entire hour-long journal entry. The morning prompts ask you to write three things you are grateful for, three things you plan to do to make today a great day and a daily affirmation. In the evening, you list three (or more) reasons about what made today a great day and something you learned or wish you could go back and change. That’s it! You can gift your friends an easy way to practice wellness that won’t be stressful and time-consuming.
Price $28.99
4. Light Therapy Lamp
If you haven’t heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder or “SAD,” I will give you a quick overview. SAD is a certain type of depression that some people get only during certain times of the year, most commonly fall and winter, when the time changes and the days get shorter. The excess darkness is said to trigger a chemical imbalance in your brain. There is a way to help treat this, however, while avoiding the doctor and having to rely on antidepressants. It is called light therapy.
“I just got an early Xmas present like this. It is a light therapy lamp for my insomnia,” Arizona State University senior Timothy Van Hoesen said.
I learned about light therapy several years ago and bought one of these lamps, and it significantly improves my mood on those cold and dreary winter days. The lamp comes with three brightness settings depending on your preference (I personally always choose the brightest). It also has a timer you can set for 30, 60 or 90 minutes. I do want to warn you not to leave this light on too long, as doing so could have negative effects. So why not help improve the wellness of the ones you care about most by giving them the gift of sunshine!
Price $19.99
5. Halotherapy
My wellness coach gave me this suggestion, and after researching it, I knew I had to have it. Personally, I was never a fan of the aromatherapy fad; however, these nasal halotherapy inhalers work a bit differently. With the aromatherapy diffusers, it always bothered me that I had to use a certain kind of water, and I needed to keep so many different bottles of each scent so I could mix the right amount of drops to get the desired result. Halotherapy does this for you. The one that I have chosen for you on Amazon is a combination of all their most popular scents. It includes breathe, frost, dream, peace, happy, energy, love and blaze. The best part is that all the right aromas are already mixed in the right amounts for you. All you need to do is pick which one you want to use and inhale 1-2 times in each nostril. I have found it very useful for my own wellness, and I think anyone who you choose to gift it to would as well.
Price $19.99
6. Wellness Tea
“Baby, it’s cold outside.” So why don’t we gift those we care about something that will not only warm them up but also support their wellness? Some calming and delicious wellness tea will surely do the trick. One part of this cold holiday season is the likelihood of getting sick. Your friends will thank you when they can come home from class to a cup of warm, delicious tea.
“I am a huge wellness tea lover. I actually used to have a stress reliever tea, and I absolutely loved it, and I drank it every day. One thing that’s really great about a wellness tea is that there is no deadline. You know, like sometimes you have a spa appointment, and if you don’t get there at 9:00 a.m. on the 25th it kind of gets stressful. Wellness tea is really nice because you wake up in the morning, and you can have it on your own time whenever you want,” Purdue University graduate Lauren Widel said.
Like Widel said, wellness tea isn’t just great when you’re not feeling great, but it works as an amazing stress reliever too. My personal favorite is a cup of sleepytime tea right before bedtime. This sample kit on Amazon comes with so many great options to choose from. The great thing about this is that once you find one you like, you can buy it over and over again. So, gift your friends something delicious that supports their wellness and can be used on their time all year round.
Price $14.99
7. Habit Tracker
The holidays are coming to an end, and it’s time for us to make our New Year’s resolutions. Are you planning to go to the gym every day? Eating healthy? Maybe you are just hoping to make it to class on time. Well, now you can help out your friends (and maybe even yourself) with this awesome habit tracker. The calendar has 24 months, so it lasts for two years’ worth of changing habits, and there are 12 sections for daily habits. It even has spots for weekly and monthly habits. What better gift could you give someone to benefit their wellness than a way to help them get started on their New Years’ resolutions which will help them out for the next two years!
Price $15.99
8. AirBnB Gift Card
Let’s face it. The holidays can be stressful. We find ourselves running around, trying to find all of our loved ones the perfect gifts while staying on our meager student budgets. Or, if you’re anything like me, you buy everything online to avoid those awful crowds in the stores. After all of this running around, wouldn’t you like a vacation?
“With the chaos that the holiday season can bring, although happy chaos, I would love to get a weekend away as a gift. To get away for a few days in January, after the holidays, maybe a little spot along the coast, just by myself. No husband, no kids, no work, no school. Just to breathe,” Arizona State University senior Robyn Jones said.
As Jones says, the holidays bring a lot of happy chaos, and when it is over, some alone time sounds fantastic. However, I am guessing that a majority of us can’t afford to buy our friends a $5,000 all-expenses-paid vacation. So why don’t we help them out? You can purchase this $25 AirBnB gift card on Amazon and send it directly to their email. If you’re feeling extra generous, they also offer a $50 option. So why not help out the people you care about by giving them the opportunity to relax after this crazy time of year?
Price $25.00
9. Wreck This Journal
Maybe you know someone who needs to get their feelings out, but they’re not exactly the “journaling” type. I have the perfect option for you: “Wreck This Journal.” This is no ordinary journal. Have you ever considered ripping a page out of your journal and freezing it? Or maybe using a page just to color over entirely with a dark marker. There is even a page that the journal suggests you use to collect stains. Surprisingly, they get even more creative. So, this year, if you want to gift someone a unique way to approach wellness, I suggest giving them this journal of never-ending opportunities to let out their feelings.
Price $9.59
10. Himalayan Salt Lamp
I was gifted this lamp a couple of years ago, and I absolutely love it. This lamp looks almost like a giant crystal and has more benefits than a calming reddish-brown glow. It supports your wellness in so many ways. Not only will it boost your mood, but it will also help you sleep, ease allergies and can even benefit people experiencing asthma by cleaning the air. How could you not give someone something so beautiful with so many health benefits at this price?
Price $19.95
