Self Care Kit

Welcome y'all!  Today, I wanna talk about self care.

A goal of mine is to take one day out of every week to focus on mental clarity; clear mind, happy mind.

I have quite recently looked into creating a Self Care Kit for myself to help me achieve this.

What is a Self Care Kit?

A Self Care Kit is a box, or basket, with supplies which help you to become relaxed, centered, to help you understand yourself better, or to just plain give you a moment to breath.  It's important we take time to pull ourselves from the world to be able to refocus and understand our situations, our wants, our needs, and our abilities.

10 Items for Your Self Care Kit:

Weighted Blanket

Specifically, lap size, or child sized.  Weighted blankets have been shown to help enhance sleep and reduce stress, and when you use a lap size, you have your arms free for what comes next.

Books

The type of books in your kit are all up to what makes you happy.  I like novels, but I also like little books about de-cluttering or about organizing.  They make me happy and become excited.  For some, books about de-cluttering only make one feel more cluttered in their mind, but for me, I enjoy those things.

Journal

Nothing fancy, just a blank notebook to put your thoughts.  You can keep fun pens, markers, and stickers with your journal, or just a single simple pen; it's up to you.  This journal should help you destress, not make you feel obligated to be creative when it's not really your thing.  For some, being creative opens the mind and frees them, but if this is not you, then don't worry about markers and stickers, but don't forego the journal.  I love to journal with markers and colored pencils, but sometimes I just write, and every now and then, it's just a list of things.  Journal how you want.  Heard of the Wreak this Journal journals?  I've been holding out on buying one, waiting to be gifted one.  Until then, I stick with my everyday ones; a simple dotted composition book.

Music

Now, this is the only reason to have anything electronic in your kit.  Nowadays, our music is on our phones, not in it's own little box, or big box, so using your phone in this instance is a check.  When you listen to your music, lay back and breath.  The music is your choice.  Find what soothes you.  Remember Squishy's mother in Monster's University?  She totally mellowed out to her heavy metal jams and I completely understand that; sometimes you play music, not to listen to it, but to feel the pulsing of the screaming guitar ripple through your head to relieve you of your migraine.  I know I'm not the only one out there who does this.  Most of the time, I just want to chill out with some sweet 80's ballad, but sometimes I need the shred of the guitar tremble through me.  As I said, the music that soothes you is the choice to make, and be sure to find the right kind of headphones for yourself.

Sheet Masks

Sheet masks can be aroma-therapeutic and can lessen swelling; it always surprises me how little my sinuses need to swell to make me feel off.  There are all kinds of sheet masks out there, with all types of benefits.  I suggest buying a bulk of them to see which you like.

Nail Polish

Taking a moment to change something, is as simple as making a few strokes across your finger nails.  Change can be hard to take, but when we stop, clean off our nails, and apply a fresh new coat of color, or even a simple french tip, we see change can be beautiful and beneficial.  It's not always easy to get the look you want, or to "stay inside the lines," but with practice, it will become easier to make these changes, and perhaps help you understand and/or accept other changes.

(My favorites are Sally Hansen Insta-dri.)

Tea

I only drink herbal teas.  You can buy them at the store or online, or make them yourself, and they have different benefits.  Add honey, a sprinkle of sweetener, or drink it straight, it's all on your taste.  You may say you don't like tea, but there are so many out there to try, I'm sure there is one to your liking.  I've even had one that tastes just like a glazed lemon cake, once I added a cube of sugar.  Your tea can be calming or help you wake up, both should be in your kit because you don't know which you'll need when.

Photos

Photos of happy moments or cards with funny sayings can bring a smile to your face.  When you smile, endorphins are released; the chemicals in your mind swirl and let you know you're happy.  It could be a meme that always gets you, or a print of a painting that makes you sigh in joy, it's up to you.

Candles

I have become a fan of wood wick candles.  I found one at Walgreens, of all places, when I had never used one before.  When I brought it home, I set it on my dresser and lit it.  I instantly fell in love; the wood crackles.  It crackles like a fire place filled with burning wood, like a camp fire.  I love it.  I like earthy smells, like this Palo Santo and Patchouli one, and with the added sound of a crackling fire, oh!  It just completes it.

Essential Oils or Facial Mists

I have a cactus facial spray by Pearlessence that I can no longer find, but Amazon has others of the same brand, which are also nice.  I sometimes spray my face to just breath in new air.  I have asthma, and chemical smells are my biggest trigger, so I prefer subtle scents and these facial sprays hit the mark.  I use just about one essential oil, and it's not entirely an oil at that, but I know they are beneficial because I've seen the results.  A drop or two of lavender into distilled water to spray on your pillow, or your neck, can be just what you need.

I hope this all helps y'all to create your own self care kit, and I hope it betters your lives.

Thank y'all for coming!  See y'all soon!

-Ms Curly Texan