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    42 Cheap Things For When You Just Need To Take A Breather

    Including a customizable scented therapy dough, mesmerizing solar wind chimes, and a calming essential oil roller you might just wanna use all over your human self.

    1. A calming essential oil roller made with peppermint, sage, and ginger that may help ease stress and anxiety when you roll it on your neck, behind your ears, or on your wrists. (*casually rubs it all over my body*)

    Model applying the roller to the inside of their wrist

    2. A mesmerizing popping stress toy that's also super lightweight and easy to pop into a bag if you need a helpful fidget to relax you on the go.

    3. Or a set of Monkey Noodles, a quiet sensory toy that stretches, pulls, twirls, wraps, *and* squeezes, so you can work out the day's frustration without waking up half the house with random clicking noises.

    Reviewer image of five long noodle-shaped toys in different colors

    4. An oh-so-squishable weighted anxiety pet infused with a lavender scent, so anytime you need a quick release for the "AFJGALKJG" in your brain, you can reach for this adorable calming buddy.

    Round velvety balls in different colors with black beads for eyes

    5. A lightweight scalp massager to give you some pleasant midday tingles and help reduce stress. Reviewers also mention using this handy little claw on their knees, joints, ankles, and elbows for that momentary ~rush~.

    6. A reusable cooling and heating eye mask to take your relaxation game from zero to 100 in literally the second it takes to pop this bad boy out of the freezer (or the ten seconds it takes to microwave it). It also has a cozy plush backing to protect your eyes from the immediate chill, and a lot of reviewers swear by it for reducing the pain from pesky headaches and migraines.

    Reviewer in blue eye mask

    7. A lovely LED butterfly solar wind chime that shifts colors as it moves, so you can let yourself get ~mesmerized~ by its calming glow.

    Six LED butterflies in different bright colors handing in a tiered circle from the base of a hanging wind chime

    8. A ridiculously popular "cat dancer" toy so both you and your furry friend can shake off the stress of the day by chasing after it — and, of course, chronicling the absurd shenanigans for Instagram.

    9. A jar of stress relief therapy dough, because Play-Doh isn't *just* for kids — in fact, with the grown-up version, you can customize the color and scent to boot.

    10. 52 Lists For Calm, a journal for anyone whose state of "!!!" isn't *quite* being taken care of with their current rewatch of The Office. This pairs well with your familiar faves as an orderly, comforting way to unwind.

    The cover of the book

    11. A snuggly, lightweight microfiber blanket you can burrow in when you need a place to hide from the universe for a few minutes without overheating.

    Model reading in a chair with pink blanket draped over them

    12. A bottle of Dr Teal's soothing Epsom salt to encourage you to really be present during a well-earned soak (plus help relieve aching muscles and tension).

    Reviewer in a bubble bath with a bottle of Dr Teal's on display on the edge of the tub

    13. Plus a set of 50,000 (!!) highly popular, 100% biodegradable water beads for the ultimate ~spa vibe~. These are basically microscopic when they arrive, but expand into small, bouncy jelly-like balls when exposed to water.

    14. *And* a wine caddy for the bath tub, because sometimes you need to relax, and sometimes you need to relaaaaaaaaax 🍷.

    A transparent holder suctioned to the side of the tub with a stemmed wine glass in it

    15. A set of super comfy wax ear plugs that mold to the shape of your inner ear like putty, essentially canceling the universe when you need a break from all the noise.

    16. A TikTok-famous pick 'n peel stone – a lot of reviewers swear by it to help with anxiety, and to prevent them from picking at skin or nails by offering a soothing alternative.

    A model using a tiny hook to pick blue paint out of a lava rock with tiny holes

    17. A beginner's embroidery kit for adults so you can have something soothing to do with your hands, *plus* a beautiful hoop you can display in your room.

    Model stitching simply flower design into a hoop

    18. A collapsible microwave popcorn maker that doubles as a serving bowl, so you can have buttery sustenance when you let your brain float away for a little bit to the Netflix abyss.

    19. *Plus* a cult-favorite ~secret~ popcorn salt that anyone in the movie theater industry will tell you is a perfect dupe for that oh-so-savory buttery goodness you love to inhale before the previews begin. Not to be dramatic about popcorn on main, but this stuff is game-changing.

    20. A brain tension salve made with peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, and other calming essential oils and herbs as an aromatherapy that may be the trick to helping you settle into some calm after you rub it on your temples, wrists, or neck.

    Brain tension salve in a metal container

    21. A set of adorable hanging cat spoons to take some of the edge off the morning grind and keep things paw-sitive.

    22. A bunch of Miracle-Gro "food spikes" so you can shrug off your plant responsibilities for a little bit when you need to take a beat in your life. This will not only bring dying plants back from the brink, but will continuously feed them for 30 to 60 days as a bonus.

    Model pressing small green pellet into potted plant

    23. A gorgeous pastel paint-by-number with an intricate, deeply satisfying pattern to follow that will keep your hands and mind busy when your thoughts are making them wander.

    A water color of a single pink flower in a vase on a rustic table

    24. A shampoo scalp massager you can use in the shower to massage and exfoliate your scalp, so you can get all of the relaxing decadence of feeling like someone is massaging your head without physically going to a salon. Psst — a lot of reviewers mention this has also helped with psoriasis, dandruff, and scalp tenderness!

    25. A bottle of Drop It, a natural wine sulfate and tannin remover that works its magic on your glass in just 20 seconds, so you can rest easy winding down with your nightly glass of Pinot knowing you've spared yourself the infamous Post-Wine Headache or allergic reactions.

    26. A bottle of Orly's "Here Comes The Sun" nail polish to just put a smile on your face every time you look down at your nails when you're in the thick of emptying your inbox, and remind you to go take a break and go soak in some sunshine IRL.

    27. An adorable peekaboo mug to perch on your desk, because it's clear that the happy little critter on the inside wants to remind you to take a coffee break to clear your head instead of powering straight through your workday.

    A small white floral mug with coffee in it revealing a little ceramic dog poking its head out from the bottom

    28. A 16-pack of Korean face masks that's made with vitamin E and collagen to give your cheeks a lovely post-mask glo up, but more importantly, will encourage you to sit still for a lil' bit so you can chill.

    29. A Drinking Animals Coloring Book full of opportunities to get ~creative~ on the page and let out your inner kid. Bonus: it comes complete with recipes for themed cocktails on each page. Llamarita, anyone?

    30. Plus a tin of cocktail sugar or salt for the rims of your at-home cocktails, so you can appreciate those relaxing Friday night margaritas to their fullest, most delicious extent.

    31. A beginner-friendly microgreens growing kit so you can enjoy the calm of exercising your green thumb *and* the brightness of some extra plant-age in your space. These also happen to be *perfect* for small spaces with low lighting, so you can have your plants and eat them, too.

    32. A sleep-focused essential oils blend made with chamomile, sage, and lavender to help soothe anxiety and reduce stress before bedtime and promote prolonged sleep.

    Reviewer holding a bottle of "Dream" essential oil blend

    33. An adorable We Rate Dogs daily calendar so darn cute that it'll make your stressful Zoom call marathons sail on by.

    A daily tear off calendar with a picture of a cute dog on it and a little blurb about it

    34. A bubble-tea themed SLIME that basically combines two of life's greatest joys to create squishy, delicious-smelling, ridiculously relaxing bliss.

    A peach colored jar of bubble tea slime with a peach charm on top

    35. A set of nonstick, reusable toaster oven bags that will let you make grilled cheese, paninis, and toasted sammies right in the toaster, so you don't have to plan or overthink too many things to get the job done.

    36. Or a popular microwave pasta cooker for anyone who just wants to turn their brain off for dinner. Truly all you have to do is put water and dry noodles in it, hit the microwave buttons, and strain it right out of the container. Noodles on noodles, y'all.

    A model straining water out of a transparent rectangular cooker full of pasta

    37. A book of New York Times crossword puzzles to keep your brain relaxed *and* sharp — you can ease into it with the simpler Monday puzzle book, then work your way up to the more challenging Friday puzzle book, until eventually reaching the Bowser level: the Sunday puzzle book.

    The cover of the Monday crossword book

    38. A tiny milk frother that makes rich, creamy froths in seconds, so you can take a beat with a latte at maximum decadence with minimal effort. It also doesn't need to be plugged in, cleans with a quick stream of hot running water, and is teensy for storing.

    39. A Baby Yoda puzzle to take your attention off the TV screen for once, but still get to behold this lawlessly precious green face.

    40. A pack of mini rainbow scratch art notes that will transport you back to the comfort of childhood so fast you'll be like, "Head empty, only thoughts of Lisa Frank."

    41. A deeply satisfying paint-by-sticker set made up of vintage travel posters you can hang up on your walls when you're finished, essentially letting you travel the world without getting up from ye olde couch.

    42. An adjustable neck mount for your phone so you can fully zone out while you're streaming content or diving into a well-earned TikTok blackhole.

    All of us vibing with our bathtub wine caddies like:

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