22 Best Stress Relief Gifts For Employees

A happy work environment and a content team go together, which is what every workplace aspires to. But one obstacle can get in the way of work happiness goals, and that’s stress.

Workplace stress can happen for many reasons and presents in various forms — you may notice low morale, decreased productivity and more sick days. Addressing anxiety in the work environment is essential to your employees and your team’s health and well-being.

While it’s worth taking the proper measures to help your team members overcome stress, there are small things you can do for your team to help them fight off the tension. One simple but effective way to help your employees beat stress is to give them the gift of relaxation!

Stress relief gifts show your staff that you appreciate them and help promote wellness. Take a look at this guide of 22 best stress relief gifts for employees to get inspiration and get the ball moving.

22 Best Stress Relief Gifts Guide

Stress relief gifts are incredibly diverse — you can treat your employees with an assortment of self-care sets, wellness journals, puzzles, essential oils and other thoughtful gifts that will bring joy, tranquility and relaxation.

1. Self-Care Tea Set

Self-care gift sets are always a top choice when looking for gifts that encourage enjoying all the small things! A tea set is more than a lovely, comforting gift. Research shows that some teas may lower the stress hormone cortisol. An all-inclusive charming self-care tea set contains everything your employees need for relaxation — four teas of choice, a compact tea tin, a bamboo soy candle, a stainless steel mug and an adult coloring book with pencils.

2. Wellness Journal

Journalling is a healing pastime that can help anyone organize their thoughts. Journalling enables you to cope with stress and manage anxiety by letting you express your feelings in a personal, private way that can bring self-awareness. A journal also lets you track set and track goals. The Moleskine® Passion Branded Wellness Journal is packed with motivating nutrition and exercise tips and lets your team members track their personal, fitness, diet and health goals.

3. White Noise Machine, Speakers and Earphones

White noise machines are therapeutic little devices that may help reduce stress by omitting ambient sound. White noise machines may also promote better sleep and concentration! Choose a white noise machine that can play various soothing sounds like rain, waves or wind.

Listening to music and podcasts are other soothing auditory activities most people love. But listening to music benefits us in many ways and is far more than pure entertainment:

• Music can lessen the effects of anxiety and depression.
• Music can help your brain form healthy connections.
• It can be an instant mood booster.
• It can reduce stress.
• And it can encourage social interactions, which also helps lessen stress.

Consider giving your staff wireless speakers or branded earphones.

4. Rest and Relaxation Kit

What better way to treat your team to some R+R than with a rest and relaxation kit? A branded rest and relaxation kit contains all the essentials your staff need to pamper themselves — and deservingly so! Treat your employees to a massager, hot/cold pack, ear plugs and eye mask set, a travel neck pillow, a relaxing coloring book and more stress-relieving goodies all bundled in a beautiful tote.

5. Yoga Mat

Yoga promotes stretching and meditation — two elements that factor into a stress-free lifestyle. Practicing yoga can stimulate mood-boosting endorphins and concentration, as well as helping alleviate tension and pain. If you have a few health-conscious people on your team, a yoga mat and bag make an excellent gift.

6. Essential Oils

Essential oils draw on the benefits of oils from natural, healing sources like plants, herbs, trees and even fruits. They have many benefits, from health to beauty. Some essential oils have a calming effect on the body and help lower stress and anxiety levels. One of the best essential oils for stress and anxiety is lavender. A therapeutic-grade lavender essential oil is a lovely and aromatic small gift for your employees that they will genuinely appreciate. Other calming essential oils are:

• Lemon
• Bergamot
• Ylang-ylang
• Japanese yuzu

7. Aromatic Oil Diffuser

If essential oils sound like the perfect stress-relieving gift for your employees, go ahead and try an aromatic oil diffuser. Oil diffusers release essential oils into the air so your employees can unwind with fragrant and relaxing aromatherapy.

8. Stress Balls

Stress balls have to be the classic stress-relieving gift! They are perfect for physically alleviating some stress, and they also come in a bunch of fun and practical designs. Stress balls are always a hit because they are a cost-effective option that you can easily customize to your brand.

Have fun choosing industry-themed stress relievers for your staff, like hearts or a tooth for medical professionals, a burger or avocado for food industry employees, a house for real estate agents, hammers, helmets or screwdrivers for anyone in industrial work — the options are endless! You can also use a practical choice that employees will appreciate — like stress-relievers that double up as cell phone holders or screen cleaners.

9. Adult Coloring Book

Gone are the days when coloring was reserved for kids. All the evidence shows that coloring is beneficial to our well-being — even as adults. Some of the benefits of coloring as adults include:

• Improving motor skills
• Relaxing the brain
• Reducing anxiety
• Improving sleep
• Boosting focus
• And, of course, relieving stress!

Adult coloring books with inspirational quotes are an ideal gift idea for a team of creatives.

10. Scented Candle

Treat your employees threefold by gifting them a scented candle. Scented candles are fantastic gifts because they are beautifully decorative, practical and beneficial for reducing stress as well as boosting mood. Candles work well as a relaxing gift for your staff and are also an ideal choice if your team works in spas, wellness centers, interior design and home improvement.

11. Satin Sleep Mask

One of the most effective ways to offset the effects of stress is to have healthy sleep habits — the better your sleep, the less your stress levels. You can help your staff get enough restorative sleep by gifting them a sleep mask. Eye masks can aid sleep by blocking out light and allowing the eyes to rest. Consider a luxurious satin sleep mask filled with soft cotton, for comprehensive coverage to block out light.

12. Massage Kit

Give your employees a de-stressing gift they can use on the go with a massage kit! Massage and recovery kits can reduce physical stress by increasing blood flow. Massage kits’ soothing effects and physical benefits can also boost mood and overall wellness. Choose a massage and recovery kit that features a muscle roller stick, smooth massage ball and spikey massage ball for a gift that keeps on giving.

13. Spa Kit

Self-care is less of an indulgence than it is a necessity. Employees benefit from at-home spa treatments in various ways:

• Improved work-life balance
• Better mental clarity and improved productivity
• Improved circulation
• A boost in confidence
• Fewer feelings of being overwhelmed and stressed out

Choose a rejuvenating spa kit filled with all the essentials, including a loofah, scrubber, pumice stone, sponges, bath brush, foot brush, callous smoother and tote. You can also complete a spa-themed gift by adding a comfortable plush robe.

14. Exercise Band

Resistance bands are great for releasing physical tension and improving range and mobility. And as the saying goes, a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Gifting your staff exercise bands is also a way to encourage more fitness while still being completely inclusive — exercise bands suit all abilities and fitness levels.

15. Wooden Puzzles

Puzzles may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of stress-busting pastimes, but they are surprisingly effective at doing just that. There is evidence that shows how puzzles impact cognitive abilities. Some benefits of doing puzzles are that they can put you in a meditative state that helps you cope with stressors and enhance your mood because they’re fun to solve. Your employees may enjoy a wooden snake puzzle, a wooden robot puzzle or a wooden block stacking game.

16. Rubik’s Cube

Did you know that inexpensive toys like Rubik’s cubes can help relieve symptoms of anxiety, calm work-related stress and improve focus? It makes sense when you consider that all your focus goes into completing one seemingly simple task, which can be a great distraction that enhances mindfulness. You can get your employees a custom Rubik’s cube that you can brand with your logo or an encouraging message. Rubik’s cubes are also an ideal gift for people who work in education and innovation.

17. Hammock

Nothing says rest and relaxation quite like a hammock does. Hammocks are fun gifts that will bring smiles to your team’s faces. Gifting your employees with a hammock might just be the push they need to go on that weekend away, an extended vacation or simply spend daily time outdoors. And, of course, few things beat stress as well as fresh air and time off for self and family. The Basecamp Two-Tone Portable Hammock is comfortable and includes hanging rope and carabiner attachments.

18. Pickleball Set

Sports help manage stress by releasing endorphins, enhancing confidence and improving mental and physical strength. Employees who work out during break times may also enjoy increased mental clarity and productivity. If you have a team that loves being active and social, a pickleball gift set with paddles and a ball is right on trend.

19. Activity Tracker Wristband

In keeping with the sports theme, an activity tracker wristband is a great gift that active employees and anyone wanting to get in shape will love! Activity trackers may give your staff the encouragement they need to get out at lunch break, get moving and lower stress levels. This superb promotional activity tracker wristband has 13 tracking functions, including a pedometer, calories burned, sleep cycle, heart rate, phone alerts and more.

20. Hand Grip Exerciser

Hand grip exercises are amazing stress-busters. These nifty tools can strengthen hand muscles and improve grip, but they also physically release tension and encourage blood flow.

21. Planter Set

Do you have team members who enjoy the outdoors or who nurture and nourish everything around them? A planter set could be the perfect gift! Planters are excellent gifts for several reasons — including some stress-fighting advantages. One study showed that people who tended to plants had lower blood pressure and felt more soothed after caring for plants. Levels of cortisol are also less when people spend time around plants.

You can give your team a lovely planter three-pack herb set or treat them to an even more relaxing DIY planter and candle set complete with a candle in a round tin, a sow easy planter kit and a choice of seed from Forget Me Not, money plant, basil and lavender.

22. Organizer

Clutter can be a contributing factor to elevated stress levels at the office. A clean, organized environment helps employees feel focused, in control and more confident in their space. There are a variety of organizers to suit your team, from cord organizers and organizer pouches to functional organizers like this desk organizer and wireless charging station.

Benefits of Stress-Relieving Promotional Gifts

Everyone enjoys receiving free items, and there are many quality promotional items to choose from. However, choosing stress-relieving promotional gifts for your staff is an excellent choice for several reasons:

• Stress-busting gifts provide a practical way to help stressed workers and be active with your employee stress management programs.
• Gifts show your staff that you care about their wellness.
• Receiving helpful gifts makes employees feel seen and valued.
• Gifts provide a show of gratitude toward your team.
• Enjoying gifts boosts morale for the individual and the team.

Browse Stress Relief Gifts From ePromos

When you look at promotional stress-relief gifts and the many ways they can benefit your team, it’s clear to see why they are worth the investment. Gifts that encourage health and healthy mindsets are always on trend and show your employees that you value their well-being.

If you hope to lower your employees’ stress with gifts that will cheer up the spirits, ePromos has you covered! We offer many promotional gifts and items to cater to all industries, including a wide selection of stress relievers and health and wellness gifts. Browse gifts that you can customize to your market, including corporate, tech, beauty or self-care, health and wellness, kitchen, food and drink and an assortment of other quality apparel from our extensive online store.

Contact our brand consultants with questions about our speedy rush service for last-minute services or orders, and start shopping for stress-busting gifts today!