In the midst of these unprecedented times, we as a global population have had to relearn how to sloooooow down and take better care of ourselves, both physically and mentally. And while physical health has been pushed to the forefront of our priorities, I believe that mental health (something that has, until now, fallen by the wayside a little) is equally as important in helping us survive this pandemic. For those of you who aren’t used to taking care of your stress levels and *emotions*, a self-care kit is a great place to start. You can use stuff you’ve got lying around the house to put together an awesome collection of items that can be used in times of anxiety and concern to alleviate stress and take some of the edge off.

It all starts with a box. Find yourself a shoebox, a box from some food subscription service you’ve accumulated over the last few months; anything that can be used to store all your self-care-centric items. If you’re like me and love to make a craft project out of stuff like this, you can even decorate the box. Mine is made up of a shoebox I had lying around that I covered in fun acrylic paint designs. This part is by no means a requirement, though. Once you’ve got yourself a box, it’s time to fill it with items that you know help to rid yourself of some of that nasty stress. The reason I say “you know” is because said items could be very different for different people. So, take my suggestions with a grain of salt, and adapt them to what makes you as an individual feel better!

FRAGRANCE

I personally respond extremely well to aromatherapy and fragrances that I love. I associate certain smells with rest and relaxation, which is why I put a candle in my self-care kit. You could opt for a nice smelling lotion, some dried herbs or plants (lavender is BOMB for relieving stress), or anything else you can find that has a fragrance that you love. Saje Natural Wellness (bonus: they’re Canadian!) has a ton of beautiful and relatively inexpensive fragrance diffusers if that’s more your speed. Check out this one for under $50!

JOURNALING

Something else I find useful is getting my thoughts out on paper. It helps me to process whatever I’m stressed out about, and physically get it out of my head and into a notebook of some sort. I love small, decorative notebooks but you can just put some folded up pieces of paper and a pen into your box if that’s what works for you! You can find tons of self-care-centric writing prompts online if the words don’t immediately come to you, but I find that I usually have a lot to talk about. It’s also nice to look back and reflect on past journaling entries to observe growth and see how far I’ve come on my journey towards better stress management.

SENSORY

Typically, when you're stressed or anxious, your sensory processing systems get overloaded and it can be hard to manage emotions. That is why parents with children on the spectrum or with developmental disabilities like to create sensory kits full of fun and engaging toys to play with. To help combat sensory overload, throw a ball or a squishy rubber toy into your self-care kit. I really like tossing and catching a lacrosse ball (which is also great for massaging tense muscles), but you can get tons of sensory toys from your local dollar store. Some other great examples are silly putty or play-doh, scrunchies or rubber spiral key chains, and wood or metal puzzles to keep your mind focused and busy.

READING

Reading is one of my favourite ways to destress. I especially love reading fiction because I get to immerse myself in someone else’s life and story, which is a great distraction. However, I also really love poetry and quote books, and this one by Cynthia L. Copeland is one of my go-to’s. She compiled a whole book full of silly and adorable (and honestly insightful beyond their years) things that her children have said to her that were worth noting. If you’ve never heard of this book before, trust me when I say it’s worth picking it up. Because it’s become more relevant now than ever, and “Sometimes you need a Saturday on a Wednesday”.

PERSONALIZED

The best part of a self-care kit is that it is personalized for you. You can put in or take out whatever you want that works for you, and yours will look way different than the next person’s and even mine! I personally associate skincare with self-care, so I included a bunch of sheet masks from Oh K! Beauty in my box. It always feels like I’m taking care of myself when I put one of these on, so it was a no brainer tossing them in. However, if you’re not a big skincare junkie like I am, by all means, omit it completely. Just be sure to add in whatever you know will help you relax in your time of need. Some other cool item ideas are a stuffed animal to cuddle, headphones to listen to your fave podcast or music, pictures of people, places, or things that make you happy, or some cozy fuzzy socks.

As much as we’ve been staying home to keep our physical health in check, being stuck at home has dramatically effected our mental health and ability to manage stress. So, think of this blog post as validation for whatever you’re feeling, and make taking care of yourself mentally a priority too! Do you have your own self-care kit? If so, what have you got inside it? Share with me in the comments below and give me some more ideas of what to put in mine!