7 Awesome Tips For Choosing The Right Self-Help Gift

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How To Choose Self-Help Gifts We All Need Right Now!

The Gifting Season is here again !! With life slowly creeping back to normalcy after almost 2.5 years of the pandemic, we want to cherish all the relationships that matter. These relationships include our loved ones, our colleagues, our friends & most importantly, so many selfless healthcare workers out there. And what better way to show them that they are important than a well-thought-of gift? Post the pandemic, all of us have realised how vital self-help is. Your thoughtful self-care gifts will go a long way in helping someone take care of themselves in this busy daily “normal” life. Hence this year, let’s put some extra thought into buying gifts that improve quality of life.

As aptly put by Harlen Miller: “Probably the reason we all go so haywire at this time of the year with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don’t quite know how to put our love into words.”

Your thoughtful self-care gifts will go a long way in making someone feel loved and cared for.

Why Are Self-help Gifts Relevant in Today’s Time?

I have decided to give Self-Help or Self-care gifts to all my folks this year.

Self-care is essential to maintain a healthy relationship with oneself as it produces positive feelings and boosts our confidence and self-esteem. During the pandemic, many of us were confined to our homes, or our movements got restricted. Some faced considerable losses in businesses, while some, unfortunately, lost their jobs. While life has returned back to normal for most, we have realised the need for self-help to adopt and adapt to this “New Normal”. Thus our gifts should remind people that their needs are important too & ensure that they remain motivated & healthy.

Here I share with you thoughtful ideas for self-care gifts which I would love to receive. And also a list of recipients who deserve these gifts the most.

Read on & start making your shopping list.

The Ultimate List for Self-help Gifts

Self-care Gifts for Showing Gratitude

I want to start with self-help gifts to show gratitude. Showing gratitude to people who have been our pillars of strength during the pandemic is at the top of my to-dos. The list is endless here – from doctors, health care workers, and social workers to our helpers. While we were comfortable & safe in our homes, they ensured that people got all the necessary medical & social help in this time of need.

We also need to keep in mind the sacrifice the families of these people have made during these trying times. Many healthcare professionals have not been able to go back to their homes for months altogether. And many of these people are still and will be on duty during the holiday season in many parts of the world. We cannot give back their time to their families, but we certainly can make them feel special.

I believe if we truly want to thank someone, we should remember them in good times as well and not forget their contribution to keeping us safe and sane. In this list, you may also want to include people who gave you much-needed mental & emotional support during those difficult times. These can be anyone, your family members, your spiritual gurus, your friend or even your neighbour.

Self-care Gifts for People Who Need Quality Me-Time

These are people who continuously work regardless of the time of the year. While many people have moved back to the office, some continue to work from home full-time or a few days a week. Many of them take care of their families while working from home. They can be homemakers, caregivers, women in the workforce or your respective spouses. Their workload doubles up, and there is no real me time available for this person.

As things slowly creep to New Normal, businesses want to catch up for the lost time. This has led to exhaustion due to increased travel, including overseas and workload pressure. And let’s not forget that while the impact of the pandemic may have withered down, it has taken the form of the flu and continues to infect our loved ones and us. Hence anxiety and concerns for the well-being of our ones are always on our minds.

These people who are always busy with work or taking care of others need some time to relax & unwind. While Holidays & Spas may be an outlet but they require time out, which may not always be available immediately.

So here are my 5 best self-care gifts for stress for people who need to take out time for themselves every day:

Self-Pampering Kits – These can include Aroma Therapy oils and candles
Art-inspired Therapy – Mandala-making kits which include mandala sheets and colours. You can also have some craft articles included to encourage them to explore their creative side.
Bonsai / Succulents /small potted plants- These can be put near their workstations or bedrooms to bring in some green cheer.
Bath & Body goodies
Curated Self upliftment and meditation content – these can be in the form of audiobook subscriptions or physical books.

What do you think? Read on for more options.

Self-care Gifts for a Person Who Needs Help With Time Management

This one is a little tricky as you don’t want to offend that person with the gift. Remember, the things to buy for self-improvement cannot be in your face kind of gifts. So let’s see what we have here:

For day planning, I would recommend Beautiful Planners and organisers. Planners not only help you organise your day but will also keep you in touch with the art of writing. In this digital era, we have forgotten how to write, and this is a good reminder.

Another good gifting option is audiobook subscriptions. You can hear these audiobooks while you exercise, jog or simply walk, and they help you manage your time better while providing the right entertainment.

Self-care Gifts for Co-workers and Employees

Our colleagues & employees are another set of people who deserve due attention. They have ensured that the work goes on irrespective of the challenges thrown by the pandemic. Hence they deserve special attention. Also, it’s not easy to work from home & deliver the same level of performance & consistency. And while gifting them, don’t forget their families, who play an equally important role in the WFH environment. Just because many of them may have returned to office, the contribution of their families cannot be discounted in the new normal.

So what are some self-help gifts which will bring cheer this festive season? I would choose gift hampers with assorted goodies for the whole family and some board games or puzzles.

Self-Care Gifts for College Students

Our Teens had a difficult last two and a half years. While on the face of it, children and adolescents may appear to be less at risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms. But the pandemic has significantly disrupted their lives and their routines. many of them could not join in-person classes at the university of their choice and did a major part of their studies locked up in their rooms. A big part of the university experience was the on-campus interaction with fellow students, which was missing. There is an interesting article by experts at Johns Hopkins Center for Adolescent Health, which made me realise that my Teen may be going through Covid-19 & adolescents during these times. The anxiety & stress brought about by social distancing norms & lockdown can be unnerving & depressing at the same time.

But now that most of them will be able to lead a normal teenage life, here are some self-help gifts that will help them prepare for the post-pandemic era.

Enrol them on a course for money management & Fiscal appreciation
Introduce them to short courses on Meditation
Gym membership

Apart from these, there are the conventional gifting options of jewellery pieces & grooming kits.

Self-care Gifts for Fitness Motivation

Staying fit has been a big challenge for many of us, especially during lockdown periods. With the whole family in one house, many did not get their space, and hence even the online options failed to motivate. It is time to go back to your work out routine in the ” New Normal”. Therefore whether it’s offline or online, these gifts will help ignite that spark again. With these, don’t forget to share my tips on motivation to work out with them.

Gift Yoga packages
Enrol in group exercise challenges
Inspire & encourage others to try new forms of training
Gift fitness accessories

Self-care Gifts for Self

Hmmm! You must be thinking why I have chosen this to be the last category. We were talking about what we want to gift others, right? Yes, that is correct, but it’s important not to forget our name on the list. We also need due attention this year as we also belong to the same tribe of people. Therefore it’s not selfish to gift ourselves. As a matter of fact, this year is the right year to indulge in the joys of self-gifting. Your reasons can be any of the ones listed in this article.

So go back and read the Top 6. In which category do you see yourself and be honest because it’s between you and yourself. Show some self-love and select a self-care gift for yourself this holiday season.

My Wishlist is:

Achieve Mindfulness
Get back to painting at least once in 2 months which I am missing
Get back to the rhythm of writing blogs along with my corporate job
Practise Self Love
Get back to Reading

And I would definitely choose a gift that will help me achieve some, if not all on my wishlist.

So I hope I have made your task of choosing the right gift easier. But do remember, “Presents are made for the pleasure of who gives them and not the merits of who receives them”-Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Have a wonderful Holiday Buying Season !!