Did you ever have a treasure box when you were a kid? One where you stored your favorite toys, books, keepsakes, and things that made you feel good. Remember when you were feeling down about something or like you just wanted to escape from the world for a little while? You’d open up your treasure box and see all the things you loved in one place and it’d make you feel happy to see them and play with them.
Everyone should have a treasure box, only as adults I think we end up focusing more on reality instead of that little bit of magic that can make us feel happy and at peace. The treasure boxes that we kept as children get lost somewhere along the way, and we end up feeling frazzled and flustered more often than we’d like.
That’s where the self-care survival kit comes in. Think of it as an adult treasure box; something to store all the little things you might use when you want to pamper yourself and treat yourself like the treasure you are.
When you’re feeling frazzled or down, or just want to capture a moment or two of peace in your busy day, grab your box, open it up and enjoy. You self-care survival kit will help you relax and tap into your feelings of inner peace and self-worth.
Making your self-care survival kit
Making your kit can be just as rewarding as using it. This can be a fun activity to do with friends and family or even just by yourself to unwind.
The first task that needs to be done when creating this kit is finding a box or basket to put things in. Buy colorful markers, glitter, and ribbons to decorate the outside if you want to. This can be super creative or just simple. Decorate until you are happy with the way it looks.
Now it's time to figure out what items to put in the survival kit. Essentially you want to fill it with anything that makes you feel good, brings a smile to your face, or relaxes you.
One way to help you get started is by using all five senses as you fill your kit. Here are a few ideas…
Sight
Some ideas of visual items to include in your kit might be:
- Photos of loved ones,
- a favorite book or magazine,
- a list of affirmations,
- postcards from friends and family,
- adult coloring books
Smell
- Scented soy candles,
- incense,
- or essential oils
Hearing
- a favorite music CD,
- an audio book,
- a list of your favorite videos on YouTube
Touch
Anything that you can feel and want to touch.
- Face masks,
- foot scrubs,
- calming lotions,
- stress ball
- extra paper or a journal to write poems or thoughts.
Silly putty and kinetic sand are other great stress relieving toys. For the longest time after we moved up here, I kept a small bucket with beach sand from our cottage in it. Whenever I got really homesick, I'd just sit and run my fingers through the sand.
Avoid textures that make you uncomfortable. You want things that, when you feel them, make you feel good.
Taste
Try to avoid high calorie or extremely unhealthy foods. Add things like
- Gum,
- flavored lip balm,
- mints and
- herbal tea bags
to your collection.
Add as many items in each category as you like. This is your kit, so there’s no right or wrong way to do it. The only rule is that what goes in there should make you feel good about yourself. The goal is to create a box of happiness that makes you feel excited when you open it.
Keep this box somewhere you can see it every day and easily get to. Don't hide it away. This box is a way to remind yourself that you need time for you. The more you see it the more you will remember that you are just as important as everything else going on in your day. Eventually, it will become a good healthy routine.
Do you have a self-care survival kit? Will you make one? Add your thoughts in the comments.
This is Part 5 of a 10-part series on Taking Care of Yourself
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Part 10 - What happens when you don't take care of yourself
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