Sweet Butter Sunday #5 ~ The Self-Care Emergency Kit

Welcome to Sweet Butter Sundays – A Time for Self-Care

How to create a self-care kit for times when you’re feeling low

Have you been feeling a little stressed lately? A little down sometimes and you can not always explain why? It’s normal to have days where you feel a little low and you need more time to yourself. More often than not, nobody even knows I’m having a terrible day because somehow I’m still laughing, smiling, and doing my best at work. But deep down inside I’m exhausted and I need a boost.

Some days feel darker than normal and I need a serious pick me up. Maybe I had back to back meetings at work and it didn’t all go well. Maybe the kids kept you up last night and now you burnt breakfast. Maybe your car broke down yet again and the bills keep piling up. Whatever the issue is,  you’re tired and you feel yourself dwindling into the dark place from the Get Out movie. How do you combat an emergency self-care moment? That’s where the self-care kit comes into play. I literally stocked a box full of activities, goodies, and snacks that make me smile. Surrounding myself with things I love can make me happy and help me put things into perspective. The first step is to know your triggers and realize you not in a good mental space.

How to spot your emotional triggers

According to Psychology Today, ” being aware [of your emotional triggers] simply helps us know our limitations and avoid — as much as possible – exposing ourselves to those situations that hurt us and negatively affect our mental health and self-esteem.” If you know what situations cause the most stress for you, you can start creating boundaries where necessary and avoid situations that affect your mental health negatively. When you are exposed to something that triggers you, you can pull out your self-care kit (or a quick list of self-care ideas on your phone)  to help you boost your mood.

Whether you create an actual box of self-care items or you list out a few ideas of what boosts your mood, it’s always helpful to have a few ideas on hand for what will improve your mental health. 

This Week’s Treats ~ A self-care emergency box, latte from Read Shop, and A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Miraz.

Ideas on what to include in your Self-Care Emergency Kit:

• Photos of good memories
• Old journal snippets of good times
• A journal to write your feelings out
• A package of snacks and/or drinks that you really love
• Your favorite candy
• A list of songs to listen to
• Your favorite essential oil
• A mantra to read
• Trinkets that make you smile

Do you have a self-care kit already? Tell me what you have included in the comments below!