Creating an Emotional First Aid Kit

It is important to take care of your mental health every day. Just like your physical health, you should practice a variety of good habits that build emotional resiliency. This would include: getting enough sleep, doing exercise that you like to do, eating nutritious and delicious food, spending time with your family and friends, resting and relaxing. The goal is to develop a sense of calm and well-being that you can draw on in any situation. As adults, we soothe our distress in a variety of ways. For most of us, this means we own a bag full of strategies, which include a mix of desirable and undesirable responses that help or hurt us.

Some of us who tend to get easily overwhelmed or experience bouts of depression could benefit from having an Emotional First Aid Kit to remind us what we can do to feel better. Here is a list of tools and techniques to choose from that you should keep in easy reach for when life gets to be a bit too much:

Grounding - a small ball or stone. Just squeezing this object and paying attention to your physical reaction can help calm your emotions.

A list of people you can call - include 3 or 4 people who are emotionally supportive that you can telephone, email or text.

Journal - write down your feelings or draw, doodle or colour

Exercise - walk, run, ride, dance, Zumba, yoga

Positive photographs and funny videos - people, pets, or special places.

Water- Don’t gulp, but rather sip, relax and be mindful of how you are feeling, or walk or sit by water, relax with the sight and sounds

Inspirational reading - find comfort in reading poems, prayers, or stories.

Chewing gum - has a calming effect on the brain because the repetitive motion produces serotonin.

A relaxing audio - download guided imagery sound tracks on your smartphone or tablet.

Music - play it, listen, sing along, don’t listen to sad songs, or songs that remind you of a difficult time in your life.

Daily crossword or Sudoku – using the left side of our brain pulls us away from our emotional side

Breathe - Consciously attend to breathing and relax

Positive self-talk - "I can" and "I'm sufficient" messages

Craft - Knit, crochet, scrapbook, sew, needlework, felting

Stick with it - If you can tolerate feeling anxious, you’ll be less likely to avoid trying new things, and more likely to try things a second time.