The Best Gifts For People With Depression Or Anxiety

The Best Gifts For People With Depression Or Anxiety The Best Gifts For People With Depression Or Anxiety

A little while ago, we at The Depression Project asked our 1,000,000+ person Facebook community: 

What are the best gifts for someone with depression or anxiety?

And, in this blog post, we'd like to share 35 of the most common responses with you :)

The Best Gifts For People With Depression Or Anxiety (As Told To The Depression Project By Members Of Our Community)

  1.  "A phone call to say 'I love you' / 'I'm thinking of you'."
  2. "A great gift would be help with daily chores - which can be really hard to do when you're crippled by depression's symptoms."
  3. "A hug."
  4. "Warm, comforting clothing - such as pyjamas, fluffy socks or slippers, for example - which can add a little bit of comfort to an anxiety- or a depressive episode. The same goes for other 'comfort items' such as candles, a weighted blanket, scented soaps or bath bombs, for example."
  5. "Food / drink for me would be a great gift - such as soup, tea, hot chocolate, a meal box subscription, etcetera. I'd love this since because of my depression, I'm often too tired to cook after work, and don't get around to doing the shopping as often as I'd like to."
  6. "Anything nice that was once mentioned in passing. Personally, I'd find this to be a really touching and thoughtful gift."
  7. "Just asking me to be around or doing something with me."
  8. "A movie night."
  9. "A gift certificate to somewhere you know they'd like."
  10. "Time together."
  11. "A text or a phone call once a week."
  12. "Take me out for tea or coffee."
  13. "A massage or a spa day."
  14. "Just ask me how you can best help me - as I don't always know what I'll feel like or what mood I'll be in. Some days with depression or anxiety are much worse than others."
  15. "A shoulder to lean on. Just listening - no advice."
  16. "A written card that shows you care."
  17. "Intimacy of some sort."
  18. "I'd love it if someone ordered me food when I don't feel up to cooking."
  19. "Any gift is great so long as it's not a surprise - which could really trigger my anxiety."
  20. "An introduction to a new hobby could be good - to try to take the focus off depression / anxiety and on to something else."
  21. "A 'help day' where you accompany your loved one with depression / anxiety for all of their chores / errands."
  22. "A dinner night!"
  23. "A gift card for any activity so that they can choose the time to do it - as if someone's depressed or feeling anxious, then they may not always feel up to doing something."
  24. "Take them for a walk or a drive or somewhere out in nature for a day."
  25. "You know what I'd love? Just a day of silence where we can be together but not talk."
  26. "One of those depression or anxiety colouring books. I love those!"
  27. "An activity where you can make something - like a cooking class or pottery, for example."
  28. "Just chat with me while I go about my usual day."
  29. "Try to plan something they can look forward to."
  30. "Take them with you to see you do something you love. It might inspire them."
  31. "Make me a playlist and listen to it with me."
  32. "Just surprise them and come with a whole plan in place so that they don't have to make any decisions themselves (which can be anxiety-triggering in particular)."
  33. "You can never go wrong by getting a gift for my pets."
  34. "A journal for me to write my thoughts in."
  35. "A long conversation."

The Running Theme For What The Best Gifts Are For People With Depression Or Anxiety

As you can tell from the above list, our friend, a lot of the suggestions for what the best gifts are for people with depression or anxiety aren't materialistic in nature, but centre around being kind, supportive and spending time with them. Since so many people with depression or anxiety feel misunderstood, alone and isolated, this makes a lot of sense - so, if you aren't sure what to gift a loved one who's battling these issues, then we recommend that you start with that.

All our love,

The Depression Project Team. 

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