We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. Burn After Writing, a TikTok-famous guided journal for helping you spend some screen-free time exploring your feelings; reflecting on the past, present, and future; learning about yourself; and letting things go by engaging in thought experiments and answering incisive questions.
Promising review: "I LOVE IT!! I have depression/anxiety and have been told in the past that I need to journal. Well easier said than done, right? I just never knew what to write about. I love this journal because it gives you prompts. It gives you something to think about other than what’s going on inside of your brain. It’s amazing. I feel so much more relaxed after writing in here, and there are some really thought-provoking prompts. 11/10 highly recommended!!" —Becca Moss
Get it from Amazon for $7.32.
2. An Obé fitness subscription because ~exercise gives you endorphins~ and ~endorphins make you happy~ (sorry, I had to)! Sometimes a solo yoga, HIIT, run, basically something that gets your body moving, is just the thing to help you recharge.
At this point, I've taken over 600 Obé classes and cannot say enough good things about it. You can take live classes, which have the same vibe and energy of an IRL workout class, or peruse Obé's library of thousands of workout videos if you don't like the live class. There's something for everyone: yoga, HIIT, weights, Pilates, dance, boxing, barre, meditation, stretching, and more! Classes range from 5 to 60 minutes so you can find a workout that fits with your free time. All in all, Obé has helped me enjoy exercising again, and the daily movement has done wonders for my mental health during such a weird time.
Get a subscription from Obé for $24.99 a month or $170 a year.
3. A pack of shower steamers so you can enjoy your shower to its fullest extent. If you've ever said, "Gee I wish there were bath bombs for showers" — tada! As the tablet dissolves, it releases essential oils like lavender and chamomile to help you relax after a long day.
The Herbal Zen is a small business based in Pennsylvania. Jason, the owner, was working as a pharmacist before pivoting to creating a line of small batch hand-crafted essential oil and herbal based products that are cruelty-free, gluten-free, and made without artificial fragrance and preservatives.
Promising review: "I really enjoy these. I'm pregnant and find it hard to relax and fall asleep now that I'm in my third trimester and these are great at night when I shower in the dark with just a nightlight. The scent is strong and will give a great waft every time it comes into contact with the hot water. I'm usually in the shower for about half an hour and I put this in the very back and it usually lasts throughout the entire time. If I put it near the front it dissolves in about 5–7 minutes and can be a little overpowering. It also came with a sample of the their stress relief scent, which is just lavender and lemon and honestly smells like fruit loops." —trieulove
Get a 10-pack from The Herbal Zen on Amazon Handmade for $24.99 (available in other scents).
4. A TikTok-famous 1,000-piece puzzle from The Magic Puzzle Company if you love twist endings. It features 50 Easter eggs throughout *and* a magical surprise that reveals itself once the puzzle is finished.
Promising review: "I bought this as a gift for my husband because he absolutely loves puzzles and magic, so it was a no-brainer! I was honestly way more excited to finish putting this puzzle together than a normal puzzle because I couldn’t wait to see the end result. Blown away. I’m super impressed and will be purchasing a different version. Oh, and they weren’t kidding about the no dust in the box...very pleased with this purchase!" —Nlbrimberry
Get it from Amazon for $22.97.
5. Or a 1,000-piece murder mystery puzzles that'll make you put on your detective cap. Once you put together the puzzle, read the included booklet and try and figure out whodunnit.
My parents bought these puzzles at the beginning of quarantine and sent me one. I forgot how enjoyable puzzles are, y'all! Space is limited in my small apartment so I actually put it together on my living room floor. It was nice to take a short break during the day and work on the puzzle a bit. My partner and I also enjoyed having a shared activity since we usually go do our own thing after dinner; this was a nice way to bond even though we spend basically 24/7 together.
Get them from Amazon for $16.98.
6. A reverse coloring book to get your creative juices flowing if traditional coloring books feel stale or aren't as relaxing as they once were. This coloring book is a bit different: The colors are already on the page — your job is to add the lines.
Promising review: "This is definitely no coloring book. You can do so many things on each page, and you see different things each time. I did a couple like this one where I drew the faces and animals I saw — it can be similar to seeing things in clouds, or the bathroom floor tiles. Or it can be a loose framework — I did a couple of pages where I made mechanical or botanical stuff. Many of the pages are obviously floral, but you can change them up any way you want. When I’ve drawn all of the pages I might get another copy and do them differently. There are also more books by the same author, so I might want them as well. I’ve never had so much fun doodling. It’s easy to get into the zone with this book." —KathyG
Get it from Amazon for $9.90.
7. A pair of fleece-lined joggers for those times when all you want to do after a long day of socializing is be as cozy as possible in front of the TV. But it's pretty near impossible to fully relax when you're cold or your pants are itchy. These will keep your legs nice and toasty!
Promising review: "I'm very happy with these warm pants. My house is very cold in the winter, and I am very cold in the winter. A few reviewers commented that the fit is weird. It is not. These are sweatpants, and with a thick lining; what did you expect? They are very comfortable and warm. They are stiffer than regular sweatpants because of the lining. But they are sweatpants — meaning they were never meant to make you look like a fashion queen. Just imagine curling up on the sofa with hot chocolate and a friendly cat during polar vortex in your fleece lined pants. Nice and cozy!" —Angela Thompson
Get it from Amazon for $33.14+ (available in women's sizes XS–XXL and 17 colors/styles).
8. And a Cup Cozy Pillow because nothing ruins your movie marathon like having to get up a million times because you forgot to get a snack, and then you forgot your phone, and then you forgot you water bottle. It keeps all the important stuff is reach with insulated cup holders that expand to fit bottles, cans, mugs, and cups.
Cup Cozy Pillow is a family-owned small business.
Promising review: "I was happily satisfied with my new pillow cup holder for my couch! I was recently laid up after breaking my leg, and since I have a sectional without end tables close, this worked out perfectly! Even fit my large Hydro Flask or my coffee mug in the largest opening." —kgals
Get it from Amazon for $34.99 (available in a variety of sizes and colors/patterns).
9. Small Batch Bakes, a delightful book of recipes tailored for one to six servings so you can bake to your heart's desire without feeling guilty because now you have five dozen cookies you gotta eat, give away, or toss if you can't finish them yourself.
10. Or a miniature baking set if you're looking for an afternoon of fun and some just-for-you bites you won't have to share.
The set comes with a storage tin, rolling pin, wee knife, pizza/dough cutter, mixing spoon, three wee spoons, mixing bowl, pizza/pie pan, pie server, sheet pan, silicone cake and cupcake molds, two silicone finger mitts, and 48-page recipe book. The recipe book comes with explanations on how the food chemistry works so it's great for newbie food scientists.
Promising review: "I gave this to my sister for Christmas and she immediately used it to make mini treats with the kids. They LOVE it! I just kept getting texts and pictures from them about how functional and FUN it is." —Leslie Palmer
Get it from Amazon for $25.49.
11. A Home Chef subscription that'll make you sigh in relief after a long day of work when you're starving, don't want to deal with servers at a restaurant or cashiers at the grocery store. Ingredients are shipped right to your door, and recipes can be finished in as little as 15 minutes. They also offer ready-made meals in case you just don't have the time, energy, or inclination to cook.
Why it's great: Home Chef's selection of recipes and ready-made meals changes weekly so your tastebuds can take a break from eating ramen five out of seven nights. It also offers custom express meal kits (ingredients come pre-prepped so you can get dinner on the table in 15 minutes), oven-ready meals (just pop the tin in the oven!), Fast & Fresh recipes (that can be zapped in the microwave), and more so dinner is easy peasy lemon squeezy.
What else to know: Menus change weekly so you're always in for a delicious treat. And it's easy to customize your recipes; substitute proteins if you don't like the meat in the picture, or double the protein if you know that one serving isn't enough.
Availability: Home Chef currently ships to 98% of the US. Enter your zip code during sign-up and Home Chef will alert you if you are outside of its delivery range.
Prices: $7.99+/serving
12. An Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K to bring you thousands — literally thousands — of streaming channels, movies, and shows, as well as live TV, news, and sports.
The remote is Alexa-compatible so you can use voice commands to find something new to watch, launch an app, search for a movie, or even order yourself a pizza. Your old remote could never!
Promising review: "I love this thing! I can watch Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, and a really good selection of free apps. Easy to use and Alexa works great when we are looking for a specific movie. It checks all my downloaded apps for whatever you ask. I'm considering cancelling my $200-a-month cable and just keeping Wi-Fi." —groomer74
Get it from Amazon for $38.62.
13. A book of only the New York Times' Monday crosswords (the easiest day of the week) for when you want to challenge your brain...but not too much.
Promising review: "I love this thing! The print is nice and large, and the spiral binding is super nice. The paper is still newspaper-y, which makes it feel like a newspaper crossword without having to lug around a newspaper. I use erasable pens and they erase great. The boxes are plenty big enough for the letters and the crosswords are all appropriately Monday difficulty. Great thing to have! Can’t wait to finish it and move on to Tuesday!" —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $9.59.
14. A Gaiam starter set for yoga because the idea of going to a gym full of people = UGH!!!! This kit comes with a yoga mat, yoga block, and stretching strap so you can find your flow without seeing another person.
Promising review: "I am not very limber and I have chronic spine issues, so having a block and strap was essential for me to do yoga. Before using this, I always ended up hurting myself or feeling bad about myself because I couldn't complete the stretches and would just give up. This kit made everything go so smoothly; I can adjust the block or the strap to help me stretch without hurting myself (or falling over). And I highly recommend the sitting techniques in the DVD as well as the meditation." —blightheavy
Get it from Amazon for $31.99+ (available in two colors and two different block sets).
15. A pair of ankle socks so you can earn yourself a few blissful uninterrupted hours to read. It's too bad the cat doesn't know what they say...
16. A bath bomb set if nothing sounds more delightful than a relaxing bath at the end of a long day.
Promising review: "I am obsessed with these. They were such a game changer for my bath time! Since I have been stuck in quarantine, baths have become a regular practice to relieve my anxiety and stress. These bath bombs smell incredible, are packaged beautifully, and bring a whole new element of relaxation and fun to the bath. They made me feel like a goddess, and the scents are so wonderful and they moisturize and linger, so I smell incredible after every use. You can tell they are made with care and the packaging is so cute. I just purchased these again, and I would recommend them to anyone!!!" —Cindy L
Get 12 bath bombs from Amazon for $23.80.
17. A plush bath pillow that won't slip, slide, or budge thanks to the built-in suction cups. And thanks to the padded headrest you won't end your bath more sore than you were when you first got in the tub. *gives current bath pillow a stink eye because it always gives me a crick in my neck*
Promising review: "This took my bath relaxing game to a whole new level. I love how comfortable this is and the suction cups do a great job of staying in place. It has nice hook so that you can hang it up to air dry and on top of that it comes with a little case to put it in when you throw it in the washer! I love this product and have caught even my husband using it some of the time. I would 100% buy again if I had to but I have had it a few months and the quality looks like it will last." —Victorya williams
Get it from Amazon for $42.99.
18. A bath overflow drain cover to give ya a few extra inches of toasty water if your current tub situation is that the water goes up only to your belly button.
Promising review: "My spillover on my tub was annoyingly low and to fill the tub for a soak was impossible. I was skeptical of this product but it works perfectly. I get another 2–3 inches of water for my bath. Very satisfied. I would buy again." —SznVG
Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (available in nine colors).
19. A unique Lego flower bouquet for gifting yourself hours of fun and a bundle of beautiful blooms that will never die.
Promising review: "This is a great gift for anyone who loves flowers. They are as sturdy as they get since they're legos and although they do take a while to build, it's a very fulfilling process. Love it and would set aside as something to gift to several people at any point. They look beautiful!!" —Gaby
Get it from Amazon for $47.99.
20. A Kindle Paperwhite because people in books >>> people in real life. If you're in desperate need of a good read but also hate the idea of cluttering your home with more books, this is for you!
Promising review: "I LOVE Kindles, and this one is no exception. The warm light is in the pictures as yellow, but it also goes the other way to an ice blue! And the touch response is miles better than the older Kindle, a tap is almost instantly registered. If you are on the fence just try it! You have my permission and recommendation!" —ErikJuun
Get it from Amazon for $139.99+ (available in three colors and two storage sizes).
21. A mini Bob Ross paint by numbers kit so you can make happy accidents and keep your fingers busy and focused.
The kit comes with three paintings — two landscapes and one portrait of Bob — seven paint pots, a mini paint brush, mini easel, instructions, and more.
Promising review: "I have to admit I was skeptical because of the price and size. However, I got these for my husband for his birthday (he loves Bob Ross) and What a find!! We had so much fun mixing colors and painting. Would definitely recommend. The fact that they are small makes them even more special. I wish there were more to paint!" —slb m
Get it from Amazon for $7.39.
22. Hand Lettering 101 if you want to improve your penmanship. Also, Meghan Markle did calligraphy before she met Prince Harry, and I'm not saying that this book will help you marry your own prince, but I'm also not saying that that is outside the realm of possibility.
Promising review: "Not only is this introductory book beautifully put together, but the author also helps you to build your own beautiful style! She provides easy-to-follow guides and plenty of room to practice. Overall, she provides the tools a new hand lettering artist needs in their toolbox and references for different alphabet styles that I continuously look at to practice lettering. I’ve been practicing lettering for awhile and have picked up a couple books here and there to practice with, but this book really took my hand lettering to the next level physically and with confidence. I also really appreciate that the author used good quality paper to practice on, as I’ve used other books with poor quality paper that has ruined some of my pens. Definitely recommend this to any and especially new hand letterers!" —Melissa
Get it from Amazon for $24.72.
23. A National Geographic geode kit that'll satisfy the urge to smash something hard...like really really hard. Now hand me those goggles, please!
It comes with 10 geodes of varying sizes as well as goggles and a display stand.
Promising review: "If you are considering this for your kiddo, please buy! My 8-year-old and I had an absoloute blast! She loves every geode. There was one we got that was more solid and she couldn't get it open, so I got to smack it with the hammer and honestly it was not only stress relieving, but it was also fun and beautiful! Would be great as a positive outlet for stress or just for kids who love sparkly things. I'd give this more than 5 stars if I could!" —Mandii Vi
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
24. A pair of horizontal glasses to make watching Netflix while horizontal in bed a very real possibility
Promising review: "I saw these on a couple of TikTok videos and immediately bought them. They are literally the best thing I’ve ever bought. I was scared they wouldn't fit over my glasses but they do just fine. I use them to read, watch TV, and scroll through my social media all while lying down. Such a great buy!" —Kivy
Get them from Amazon for $12.88.
25. A shea butter lip balm DIY kit for anyone who's tired of weekend activities that are fun in the moment but leave you with junk you don't really want (like that sunset you painted at the paint and sip you went to last month). Your dry winter lips thank you!
Urban Kangaroo is a small California-based, woman-owned business that specializes in DIY kits with all-natural ingredients.
Each kit includes materials to make 10 lip balms, including beeswax, shea butter, grapeseed oil, peach flavor oil, vitamin E capsule, eight lip balm tubes, two aluminum tins, filling pipettes, stirring sticks, 48 stickers, and instructions.
Promising review: "I was interested because of the clean ingredients. My daughter and I have very sensitive skin so most lip balm doesn't work or is unreasonably expensive. This seemed like a good way to control the ingredients at a great price. The product exceeded my expectations for sure and the kids had fun doing the parts they could do (ages 7 and 9). Probably better for kids over 10 or who have long attention spans and good fine motor skills. Lip balm turned out smooth and silky. Love it!." —UKjane
Get it from Amazon for $39.95.
26. A nostalgic scratch paper art set because you used to *love* these as a kid — and I bet they'll still be just as fun and relaxing to use as an adult. It comes with 50 scratch papers, styluses, and stencils.
Promising review: "I bought for my daughter and she loves it! But I am really fascinated! At first, I drew the same picture that appears in the box, then I started to create different scenes ! It is relaxing and good for all ages! I would definitely buy again! If your children like to draw, you MUST buy it!" —Vanessa L
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
27. A paint by sticker book so you can unwind with an art project that won't stress you out.
Promising review: "Thanks to this book, my self esteem has gotten a much needed boost as I proudly show off my finished masterpieces to anyone and everyone I think will give me a 'Wow!' in return. I can finish one in two or three sittings when I'm feeling sharp. It does say in the intro that my mind might start to meander along to other things while stickering but I will tell you that this is the ultimate mindfulness meditation time for me because if my mind starts to wander at all from repeating a24 or c12 whatever it is, I immediately forget what sticker I have on my finger. It is nice to think of nothing sometimes. The weight of the book alone makes you feel like it's something special. I like the perforations so I can tear out the sticker sheets to hold as I work on my masterpiece. The finished product can be torn out as well and framed to hang proudly for all to see." —Mom B.
Get it from Amazon for $15.29.
28. 642 Things to Draw, a guided art journal if you often find yourself doodling. The prompts range from simple (draw a bicycle) to downright odd (draw the sound of girlish laughter).
Promising review: "I love this book so much that I bought two of them: one for me and one for my husband! It's a perfect fast and easy creative outlet. At first we were tentative about our drawings but after a while it's fun to just draw! I couldn't imagine drawing 642 fun and ordinary things but after a while, I couldn't imagine not drawing them! It's a fun book...a great gift...tentative creative people will love it because you are told what to draw!" —That’s my Patty!
Get it from Amazon for $15.26.
29. A mini Pusheen cross-stitch kit that'll keep your hands busy while combining two things you love: chonky cats and ridiculously adorable embroidery.
It comes with a 32-page book of instructions and patterns, two pieces of cloth, an embroidery hoop, two needles, and four skeins of thread.
Promising review: "This is a great little kit. It totally got me back into cross-stitching! I seriously hadn't done it in years! The squares are a little small, but I got used to it as I went along. It comes with everything you need to do three cute Pusheen cross-stitches. I hope they make more cross-stitch kits in the future. All you need is a little bit of time and fortitude, and you can have three super cute Pusheens!" —Kristin Bell
Get it from Amazon for $9.86.
Mood after too many hours of dealing with other humans:
