DIY Self Care Kit

If you’ve been following me a while now then you’ll know that this month I’ve been trying to focus on my mental health and self care, so at the start of May I begun by writing myself some self-affirmations. And to carry on with my self care this month I thought I would finally get round to making myself a self care kit for when I’m having a tough time.

The past two weeks have been pretty stressful and I’ve had a lot on, I’ve had family members in hospital, college assessments and my niece finally arrived (that one was a happy thing but stressful with the days in hospital waiting). Luckily everything I was stressed about worked out and it was then that I then realised I had neglected my self care a bit.

So how do you start/make a self care kit? Well you need to get yourself the following:

• A box
• Pretty paper
• Sharpies or coloured pens
• Tape or glue
• Anything you use to relax

Here’s how my box started out:

Here’s how it looked after I had decorated it:

So what sort of things did I decide to put in my self care kit? Well, things that can shift my focus from what is causing my stress and panic; for example different sensory items. I found that face masks, hand lotions, essential oils (in spray bottles diluted) and stress slime work well.

Here’s everything in my box:

• Notepads.

I added these in my kit because I love drawing and writing, and I found that these were good for writing down what I am grateful for, positive quotes and doodling.

• Coloured Pens.

These are obviously to go alongside my notepads for drawing and writing. Making patterns with them and drawing mandalas is a great distraction for thoughts that are stressing me out.

• Clay Mask.

I added a clay mask (you can use any kind of face mask) to my box as it’s nice and cooling on your skin which is a great distraction from any anxieties, stresses and panic thoughts.

• Nail polish.

This is another good distraction as  you focus on your nails rather than what’s going on around you, and you get to give yourself a mani pedi and have pretty nails!

• Headphones.

Great for tuning out background noise and relaxing with your favourite tunes or any meditation/mindfulness apps.

• Hot chocolate drink sachets.

Having a mindful drink (especially if it’s sweet!) is great for relaxing and helps me calm down in pretty much all situation.

• Essential oils.

If you have any favourite smells then this one is a good one for you. I have several essential oils due to the fact that I make bath bombs, but you can get them online for pretty cheap on places like amazon (amazon is just amazing, it has EVERYTHING). Put the essential oils in a small spray bottle with water and you can spray that on fabrics and just yourself in general which is a great way to feel comforted if there’s a smell that you are familiar with.

• Hand lotion.

This ones similar to the face masks as it’s a good way to distract yourself from everything, it’s cold and cools you down (it’s a great way to help panicking if you put cold things on your wrists!) and you get great soft hands!

• Comfy socks.

Comfy socks may not seem like something you’d use for self care, however; in regards to myself, I’ve pretty much always got cold feet, so getting some comfy warm socks on is a good way for myself to get comfortable and calm down.

• Fidget spinner.

These aren’t classes as cool anymore (by my younger siblings as they were happy to tell me..) which is fine by me!! I found this is a great way to distract and prevent myself from anxious nail biting and picking.

• Tissues.

Pretty obvious one, I felt like I needed these because every now and again you just need a good cry.

• Positive Notes.

Positive notes are always a good shout as it’s easy to forget little life lessons and mantras when you’re in crisis and are having a bad day.

So those are just a few of the things I’ve got in my self care kit. It’s also important to remember that if you are in crisis there are people you can call to talk too, for example the Samaritans, who are there for all mental health challenges, whether you’ve got a diagnosis of anything or not, they’re just there to listen.

If you decide to make your own self care kit then please let me know what you put in it and if you’ve got any suggestions then please pass them on ad my box is always evolving!

Have a lovely weekend everyone! Love,