Must-Watch Anime Series for Calming Your Mind and to Relax

Every so often in our lives, there comes a period when we have had enough…

We are mentally and physically exhausted, just overwhelmed by the stress of the day-to-day and things seem hopeless. This is when anxiety begins to take over.

And the reason I’m reminding you of this is because when we are neck deep into chaos, just the mere act of taking a step back to relax and calm your mind feels wrong.

Yet, it’s exactly what we need.

That’s why, I want to use this post to briefly talk about a few anime series that I am confident can help you ease the anxiety and stress of the modern day world as well.

Well then, shall we talk about them?

1 - Aria the Animation

Hailed as a classic from the early 2000s, Aria the Animation is always regarded in good faith among the Slice of Life anime fans.

It is a sweet and refreshing tale of a few young ladies who reside on the now-colonized Mars.

It’s the 24th Century, Mars has been renamed Aqua and it is now a vibrant planet full of life and water.

Sounds Sci-fi much?

It is, but that’s not the primary focus.

The crux of Aria the Animation is about the daily lives of a few free-spirited tour guides. The pleasant smiles, wholesome silliness, and gentle life lessons are the lifeline of this show.

People who watch Aria the Animation have been diagnosed with a warm sense of peace. This story is so much more than the cute girls doing cute things genre that has recently gained a lot of traction.

From the mechanisms of this future reality to the philosophical nuances in the writing…

It’s full of love and also, full of life.

2 - Yuru Camp

Yes, CGDCT (Cute Girls Doing Cute Things) Anime continue to become more and more popular, but some of them genuinely do deserve all the attention and respect they are getting.

Yuru Camp stands out to me personally in this context because the girls are unusually chill and clam, and their energy sort of seeps out of the screen and right into you.

No kidding.

I guess this all goes back to the idea that people are at their friendliest when they are calm. Since the girls in Yuru Camp are always doing silly things, teir calm energy is contagious.

Though what is it about?

Few friends camping around Japan. There is nothing extraordinary about the plot, the characters, the animation, or the music, and that in my opinion, is why Yuru Camp feels so much like home.

3 - Bocchi the Rock

Here we have an anime that made great strides in the anime community this past winter.

Ladies and gentlemen, rejoice.

We have the most relatable introverted protagonist right here

Hitori from Bocchi the Rock is a timid pink haired girl who is an almost astonishing but definitely understandable social anxiety.

Her goal is to make new friends and play music in a band.

Which seems simple enough, but is easier said than done, at least for Hitori.

Clover works did an exceptional job with the anime adaptation. If you have been active in the anime community these past few months, I’m sure you can attest to all the screenshots, the memes, and the “Bocchi is literally ME” posts that swirled the internet.

And yet, this anime is not, in anyway, designed to stress you up.

There is something intrinsically surreal about Hitori struggling her way into achieving her dreams. And considering how this is the most recent anime on this list, I believe this is what you should first.

4 - Non Non Biyori

“Non Non Biyori” is yet another CGDCT anime, it’s more like Yuru Camp than Bocchi the Rock, and is all about helping you attain some inner peace.

The story takes place in a rural Japanese town, there is nothing except, you know, fields, trees, and a forest. Not much to do, and our main characters are a group of little girls who live their lives in this mundane land.

One of them is someone who relocates here from Tokyo and expresses how the Countryside has its own charm.

It’s relaxing and peaceful.

And in the end, that is what matters, doesn’t it?

What makes Non Non Biyori shine is the simplicity.

It’s so simple and laid-back that you almost feel as though you’re in the anime together with them

5 - Gakuen Babysitters

Alright, enough with the cute girls doing cute things anime series

How about cute kids doing not-so cute things.

You see, Gakuen Babysitters is exactly what its English name “School Babysitters” implies it to be. It’s about a day care centre that exists within a high school. Our protagonist unfortunately lost his parents and became an orphan together with this little brother.

He is then offered to live with the School headmaster.

All he has to do is help out at the school’s babysitter club where teachers leave their kids, and well, it isn’t much because he was going to look after his little brother anyway.

Expect a lot of crazy goofiness from this show, yet also instances of pure, raw sadness.

I, for one, both smiled and shed tears. It definitely hits hard.

6 - Flying Witch

Moving on, we have “Flying Witch,” and this is the kind of anime that helps you understand why people have such awe and fascination with iyashikei themed anime series.

By the way for the sake of context, the term “iyashikei” essentially means Healing, and it is often used to refer to the kind of anime that we are talking about today.

The way I describe it, Flying Witch is an anime series that swallows you into the serenity of its world. For a brief period of time as you sip onto your coffee, it helps you escape the complexities of your life.

It eases you up, soothes your mind, and reverts you to the simple state of existence where you smile at anything and everything.

Is that an exaggeration?

Well, maybe.

Of course, I cannot speak for everybody, but I can speak for myself and my friends, we had so much fun watching this ordinary looking high school girl being a witch.

There is no fanservice.

Just pure charm.

7 - Amaama To IZUMA

Food is another thing that we often fail to truly appreciate because we are “too busy” or “too stressed.”

I’m saying this because like all of you, I’m guilty of this.

But do you know which anime reminded me to show conscious appreciation for the food I eat?

No, it’s not Food Wars, although, Food Wars is indeed a phenomenal anime that I’d recommend to anybody.

Rather, its this anime, “Amaama to Izuma,” or in other words,” Sweetness and Lightning.”

Having lost her mother at a really young age, 5 year old Tsumugi is tired of eating convenience store food all the time.

Her father isn’t a cook, he is a high school math teacher, but when one of his students turns out to be the daughter of a family that runs an eatery, he finally finds a place where he can learn how to make some good food for Tsumugi.

In simpler words, its nothing much, just a father who starts cooking for his daughter, but isn’t that everything?

8 - Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family

Relax guys, you absolutely do not need to watch the entire Fate/Stay Night series to enjoy this special side story. It features characters from the Fate series and mostly comes down to the eternal question.

“What are we going to eat tonight?”

It is similar to Amaama to Izuma in terms of wholesome energy.

There are a lot of heart-warming and “mouth-watering” moments, and the reason I said that you don’t need knowledge of the Fate series to enjoy this anime is because the adorable and fluffy nature of their character interactions simply comes through regardless of whether you’ve known them or not.

It is genuine.

And with that, these were my Must-Watch Anime Series for Calming Your Mind.

Honestly, I also wanted to include “A Place Further than the Universe,” in this post, as guys know, I love talking about that anime, but technically it is more about invoking your innate passion and wanderlust than it is about the relaxation.

Still, if that’s more you, do give it a watch.

All of the anime that we talked about today are well worth the time investment!