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I've tried weighted blankets, transcendental meditation, and those little vibrating back pads you attach to your desk chair. I've started the day with journaling and body scanning. I’ve held a pigeon pose for longer than necessary during online Yin yoga. I’ve self-administered TMJ massage, and when that didn't quite do it, pummeled my tight shoulders with a Theragun.
Of course, the pursuit of COVID-related anxiety relief isn’t one size fits all. (Except meditation; do that.) And most of the things that actually sooth my nagging worry require a certain level of time, effort, and lots of chilly laps around the park.
But let me tell you about my little diffuser, how it’s the color of graphite and smooth as a pebble, and therefore not an eyesore in my otherwise neutral apartment. How it chugs away quietly, filling the heater-fried air with puffy little clouds of bergamot. How it dissipates leftover smells of salt-and-pepper fish and makes my desk nook feel considerably more luxurious than it is.
If you too love a scented candle but are also hoping to combat dry chapped skin from thin winter air—or your desk at home is also the kitchen table and you’d like to clear out kitchen smells—a diffuser comes in handy. Not nearly as powerful as a humidifier but also not as clunky and ugly, a diffuser is really only going to dampen the air for one person sitting close by. This one also won’t really scent too far past where you place it, handy if your partner or roommate doesn’t like scents. (The site claims that this little guy scents up to 500 square feet; I’d argue its reach is a bit smaller than that.)
The Stone Diffuser is the original from Vitruvi, and I’m partial to it for its sculptural shape and matte porcelain exterior—but the brand recently launched two newer, more compact models, both available in matte white or black metal: one that’s designed to move room to room and one to scent larger rooms for up to 17 hours.
They also have a line of essential oils: blends like Clean Sweep, which is “fresh and a little spicy” and smells like lemon zest, pine, and clove—ideal for the clean freak. But in the spirit of transparency I’ll tell you that when I opened my diffuser, I took one look at the enclosed Clean Sweep and promptly lost it, so I’ve been relying on the essential oils I used to throw in my dopp kit before traveling for mid-flight stale-air relief: lavender, which I add in the evening; bergamot, my forever favorite; and a Saje blend aptly called tranquility, a mix of marjoram, Roman chamomile, and more lavender.
The hunt for real stress relief during the pandemic era often has me jumping around wildly to an online workout class or fiercely guarding my nightly eight hours. But a girl’s gotta work…and turning on my little diffuser is the only soothing act I’ve found I can do while typing away here.
