The Best Items To Include In A Self-Soothe Kit

Self-care is so important, now more than ever, in these uncertain times. A key component to learning to be mindful is being aware of your five senses to ground yourself in the present moment. A self-soothe kit is perfect for increasing this awareness.

Our senses are a very powerful set of tools. For some people, certain smells can transport you back in time, to a particular childhood memory.

For others, what you hear can be more powerful, like a particular song placing you at your wedding, singing as loud as you can with all of your family and friends and puts a huge smile on your face.

Seeing a beautiful sunset can elicit a sense of tranquility and gratitude for being alive. 

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What Is A Self-Soothe Kit?

I formerly worked at a therapy practice that mainly provided Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

This type of therapy is very structured and creative. One activity offered to clients to create for themselves is a “self-soothe kit.”

A self-soothe kit includes actual items a person finds comforting when their emotions get the best of them.

Using actual items that serve to distract and self–soothe help a person feel more in control and in touch with their current reality.

In other words, you feel less lost in your thoughts because you’ve got tangible items or skills to bring you back to the present moment.

Having things in your routine you can use every day to easily get to a state of relaxation that you can see, touch, taste, and smell is the perfect way to know you’re here and you are safe.

I always talk to my clients about taking all the skills they learn in therapy and creating their own “toolbox.”

This can be tangible skills to help them feel relief, such as lighting their favorite smelling candle and taking a bath to relax or relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation. 

What Do You Put In A Self-Soothe Kit?

To create a self-soothe kit, consider all five senses and choose items that will bring you back to the present moment when all else fails.

It’s up to every person to create their own and tweak it when something isn’t useful to them. Here are some ideas for creating your very own self-soothe kit.

Smell

Candles are great for sight and smell. They can also be a very helpful tool during meditation to help you feel relaxed and focused. Relaxing smells include: citrus, eucalyptus, vanilla and  lavender. Lavender is especially good for sleep and chronic headaches. Spray lavender and chamomile spray on your pillow for enhanced relaxation.

Check out this stress relief candle with lavender, vanilla and white sage. Peppermint and eucalyptus tend to help with stress and are often said to regulate your mood. Use this Peppermint and eucalyptus bar of soap to invigorate your senses (great for sense of touch too). 

Citrus tends to be uplifting and invigorates the senses. Try this citrus aromatherapy room spray to help wake you up and jump start each new day. Go for a walk in a wooded area or by the ocean and take in the scents of nature. Cook a meal or bake and take in the delicious smell as you prepare your food.

While many choose to keep a self-soothe kit at home, it’s also helpful to have a go-to calming object in your pocket, car or purse.

We can’t always be home, (except when quarantined there!) so keeping a small bottle of aromatherapy oil on you can help redirect your senses. Closing your eyes and smelling soothing lavender can be just the distraction you need when times get tough out in the world.

Taste

Tea: Chamomile, similar to lavender, is often associated with being helpful for sleep. It naturally increases serotonin and melatonin levels in your body, which are hormones necessary for sleep and happiness. Many different types of tea can help with stress.

Tea with chamomile is soothing and caffeine free to help you unwind before bed. Check out this article to learn more about the best teas for stress and anxiety.

It may sound strange, but I often enjoy a hot cup of water. The heat is soothing and I’m not always interested in any caffeine or strong flavors.

Feel free to have a cup of hot chocolate if you need more flavor. This unique blend of gourmet hot chocolate and lavender feels like your sipping a warm hug.

Food: There is so much to love about food. If you love the smell of fresh baked cookies, bake some. Whatever it is you’re cooking, make sure to take the time and savor your favorite meal. Really try to enjoy every tasty bite.

Touch

Lotion: Rubbing lotion on your skin, including calming scents like orange, lavender, vanilla or cocoa butter, helps you feel relaxed. Lotion is also great for the sense of smell for the same reason.

Slime or silly putty: Everyone in my family knows I love things like glue and slime (weird I know). My niece and nephew have tons of it and it is always soothing to move around in my hands. Check out this stress relief aromatherapy dough to squeeze your stress away on tough days.

Take a relaxing bath with warm water and bubble bath. Particularly soothing blends are bath products with lavender and melatonin which are both naturally relaxing and natural sleep aides. Baths are also an elevated, therapeutic experience when you add bath salts to help you relax and unwind after a long day. You earned it!

Stress balls have been around for a long time for a reason. They are a useful stress management object and particularly helpful for those who need to relieve tension when feeling stress. Squishing a stress ball allows you to force frustration or stress out of your body and transfer it into the stress ball.

Neck Wraps are terrific for body pain and/or stress relief. These all-natural aromatherapy wraps work wonderfully to relieve tired muscles, alleviate neck pain, migraine relief, sinus pressure or to help unwind after a stressful day.

A weighted blanket is a soothing object that invites your entire body to relax. The pressure from a weighted blanket has been known to relieve tension and feel like a big hug. Studies show that weighted blankets can help reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep quality and treating conditions such as PTSD.

Wear your most comfortable clothes and feel how good they feel against your skin. I like to wear a soft scarf when I’m feeling stressed. It is nice to caress and it helps you feel more secure.

Vision

Seeing something you find beautiful or meaningful has the power to reset your emotions and bring you to a place of serenity and peace.

Nature: Take a walk through your yard, in a park or around your neighborhood and observe all there is around you. Watch leaves being carried away, the children playing.

The soon to be arrival of Spring has brought beautiful flowers back to life. Notice them growing more each day until they’ve fully bloomed for you to enjoy. If you don’t have a yard or peaceful neighborhood, videos on YouTube.com of nature will be sure to take you away to a peaceful place.

Images of family, animals-especially baby animals, and babies-because they’re adorable! These can provide an air of innocence to an otherwise dark moment. 

It has been challenging coming up with items I have in the backyard to keep the kids busy during this quarantine.

Funny enough, I have found blowing bubbles to entertain them has been relaxing for me. Something is calming about watching bubbles slowly being carried away into the blue sky, glistening in the sunlight. Maybe it’s taking that slow exhales to blow the bubbles or feeling like a kid again.

An item that brings you to a cherished memory. For instance, I have a rock in my yard my husband and I found on the beach when we were on vacation in Montauk together.

Every time I see it, I remember how we said we would save this in our home one day. That was about ten years ago and this rock is placed in our backyard of the home we purchased four years ago.

Sound

Lastly, many of the items I’ve listed under vision can apply here. These two senses often go hand in hand. 

Sounds of nature: walk through your yard, in a park or around your neighborhood. Listen to the birds chirping, the wind blowing, or leaves being carried away.

If there isn’t enough to marvel at from your neighborhood, look up videos where to can hear the ocean. Listen to sounds of nature right from home. Close your eyes and imagine you’ve escaped to your oasis and leave your troubles behind. The mind can be so powerful when you’re patient and open-minded.

Undoubtedly, music is perhaps the most transcendent way a person can use their senses to find comfort. Rely on a playlist of music that soothes your soul or reminds you of times past that make you smile.

Listen to music to create a playlist for good times to come so you remain hopeful for the future. Have a track that can enhance your next adventure, however big or small. 

Listen to a white noise machine.

White noise machines are heavenly devices that promotes relaxation before sleep by providing a constant, soothing sound that helps you gently drift off to sleep. These can be life changing when it comes to improving relaxation and sleep!

Cherish the sound of your child or a loved one laughing or learn to play an instrument.

My self-soothe kit includes seltzer to invigorate my senses, cherry chapstick, my human stress balls (my kids!), face mist to give me a little wake-up and peach flavored tea.

Make Your Self-Soothe Kit Uniquely You

As stated, some items for self-soothing cannot be put in a box because they are skills and not actual items. For those, they can be written on a nice piece of stationary and placed in your self-soothe box to remind you to practice this skill.

For those that can, decorating your self-soothe kit can be a great way to distract yourself with an activity. Tap into your artistic side and enjoy something you’ve created.

Take a shoe box that you have lying around and cut out pictures from a magazine or newspaper that speak to you. Do the same thing by cutting out certain words that mean something to you and go ahead and decorate your box.

If you are a person who enjoys keeping arts and crafts items around such as glitter, ribbons and felt, go wild and make your self-soothe kit uniquely yours. Doing so will make you gravitate towards it more often in times of stress.

Self-Soothe Kit For First Responders: 

First responders are dealing with stress and loss most people cannot even begin to imagine, nor would they want to. Consider making a first responder a self-soothe kit they can use at home or work. Create a mini self-soothe kit with just a few items to help them find stress relief during difficult times.

Some of these items may include: a mini bottle of aromatherapy oil, a stress ball, lotion, gum, a small furry object, a postcard of a beach, soaking bath salts – made with mineral rich himalayan salts and lavender essential oil. Be sure to include a card personalized note expressing your well wishes and gratitude so they really feel the love.

Etsy has self-care kits that come already made if this is easier.

Self-soothe kits can be kept in your home, in your can, indoor pock or purse. Leave some items at home or take some with you so they are always on hand. It is uniquely yours.

We all experience stress at times; some more than others. A self-soothe kit can be a source of comfort during those moments. They can help you feel more skillful and prepared for any stress that comes your way.

What’s in your self-soothe kit? If you haven’t created one yet, what would be in your ideal self-soothe kit to make it uniquely yours?

Don’t forget to have fun making it!