32 Thoughtful Gifts for Someone Who’s Had a Rough Year

For many people, reading can be a welcoming escape — especially if daily life has gotten stressful or overwhelming. To ensure they always have a towering TBR pile at the ready, gift your pal a three-, six-, or 12-month membership to Book of the Month Club. Each month, they’ll get the opportunity to wade through expert-backed picks in the genre of their choice to select an upcoming read, which will then be delivered directly to their door. It’s the imaginative gift that keeps on giving.

No matter how bad a day — or week, or month — it’s been, it’s nothing a delicious pint of ice cream can’t help. With the Ninja CREAMi, your giftee can cater their mix-ins to their exact favorites, from fresh fruit and honey to peanut butter cups and chocolate chips. Bonus: The included tubs come in two different sizes and have their own lids, so storing extra in the freezer is easy.

One great way to show someone you care? By helping them care for their mental health. With a subscription to Headspace, they can pour back into their own cup via helpful meditations and mantras geared towards managing stress, quelling anxiety, and promoting wellness. Gift them a monthly subscription to get them started, or spring for an entire year to help make sure the healthy habits stick.

Sometimes all that’s needed to get up and conquer a tough moment is a bit of extra encouragement. While you’re always only a text away, outfitting your pal with mantras can give them the extra dose of confidence they need. This clever affirmation jar will leave them ready to own the day, with up to 100 motivating sayings such as, “I am a magnet for positive energy.”

Healing is not a one-time event — it’s a constant effort that can be easy or hard, depending on the day. Whether they’re mourning the loss of a loved one, moving on from a breakup, or trying to plot their next move after a job loss, Brianna Wiest’s book has the guidance and knowledge they need.

These concentrated coffee pods are an ideal way to stay caffeinated with the least amount of effort required. The pods are shipped frozen for freshness, so all that's needed is hot water to "make" a cup of coffee. If they're fans of iced coffee instead of hot, just let the pod thaw out and use cold water.

If you know someone who's longing to return home, a Homesick Candle is a thoughtful present. There’s one for major cities across the U.S., as well as one for every state. Each features a different scent inspired by the location. It might not be the plane ticket home they need, but hey, it’s something.

A favorite scent can help boost the vibe of anyone experiencing a rough patch. The Pura 4 fragrance diffuser uses innovative smart features paired with delicious scents to give you the most modern, customized, and high-end scenting experience possible. Pass along this gift with a few smart fragrance vials geared toward wellness and relaxation, like Sunday Morning, Lavender Fields, or Coconut Calm.

Chores are the last thing most people want to do when they’re going through a rough time. This quiet and powerful robot vac helps tackle a tedious to-do at the push of a button.

During tough times, little things like preparing daily meals can feel overwhelming. Help take some of the load off by sending a gift card to Factor, which has ready-to-eat meals. The meals are shipped over ice and completely ready to eat; all they have to do is heat it up in the microwave.

This weighted hoodie has all the soothing comfort of a weighted blanket, but they can get up and make a cup of tea without dragging the actual blanket around. It's a zip-up with extra weight in the shoulders, so it's almost like a continuous shoulder rub.

Help a loved one rest, like actually lie down and rest, with this calming lavender and buckwheat-filled heat pillow. It can be heated in the microwave or chilled in the refrigerator, whichever is needed in the moment.

For anyone who's suffered heartbreaking loss, psychotherapist Francis Weller's book, The Wild Edge of Sorrow, serves as a soulful handbook. Weller includes tools and resources for navigating the deep and turbulent waters of grief.

Created with adaptogens and mushrooms, the latte packs in Clevr's starter kit are meant to help manage stress. The kit comes with two packs (with 14 servings each) and a frother — just mix with water for a new morning ritual.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken objects with a laquer or epoxy mixed with gold pigment. It's a satisfying, meditative craft that speaks to resilience and healing, and reflects the beautiful imperfection of life itself. This kintsugi kit comes with everything you need, down to the gloves and instructions.

A soft, luxurious robe has that magical ability to feel both very fancy and extremely relaxed. This lightweight robe from Parachute is the official uniform of "sofa sprawling," slow Sunday mornings, and evenings by the fire alike. It has just the right amount of warmth, thanks to its fluffy four-ply gauze and 100% long-staple Turkish cotton.

Massages can be a great form of stress relief, but they can also get expensive. Gift your loved one the ability to work out the stress kinks anytime they want with this DIY at-home neck and back massager. With multiple deep-kneading nodes, custom speed modes, and a cozy heating function, they'll be feeling like a limp noodle (in a good way!) in no time.

This thoughtful care package is the next best thing to in-person TLC. It contains everything they would need for a quiet night in like a scented candle and fuzzy socks. It's like a warm hug after a long day — or a long year.