Building An Emergency Self Care Basket
Welcome back to the For The Love of Self series. I hope you’ve been loving our official series playlist. Today we are going to be learning all about emergency self care baskets, as well as making our own. Let’s get started.
What is an Emergency Self Care Basket?
If you’ve never heard of or seen an emergency self care basket before you may have a few questions right now, mainly “what is it?” An emergency self care basket is a collection of items that are there to help you when you are having a really bad day. I’m talking about the kind of day where you can’t get out of the bed and are just really down.
So it doesn’t necessarily need to be in a basket, it can be in a box, bin, dresser, etc.. The key is that you want it as close to your bed as possible. There’s also not a certain amount of items that you need in your basket. I would just recommend not having too much so that you make it as simple as possible.
Why Are These Baskets Beneficial?
A self care emergency basket is beneficial for a variety of reasons, especially if you have the right items in it. You’ll feel better knowing that you are getting your basic needs met without much effort, which may even lift your spirits more. Then there are the items there that make you feel good. You may find that you start feeling better after taking time for some self care. Then you can go on about your day. These baskets can help you get out of that funk and into the world.
How To Make Your Own Emergency Self Care Basket
Now it’s time to make your own self care basket. Most of the items needed you should already have, if not making this shouldn’t be costly, unless you want it to be. Here are the steps to create your emergency self care basket.
- Figure out what you want in your basket, bin, etc. (I’ll share more on this below).
- Decide what you are putting the items in. I’m using this basket I bought at 5 Below, but like I said earlier, you can use anything.
- Gather your items and place them in your basket (make sure everything is neat, visible, and easy to grab).
- Put your basket near your bed so that you can access it easily.
What To Include In Your Emergency Self Care Basket
Let’s back up a second and talk about what to put in an emergency self care basket. I recommend focusing on as many areas of self care as you can in your basket. That way you have a variety of items in your basket. Cozy items are great at making you feel good but they don’t help you get to the root of why you are feeling the way you are. In the same way, journals and mental health tools are great when you are ready to confront what’s going on, but sometimes the best first step is doing simple tasks before the work. That is why you want a variety of items in your emergency self care basket. Here are some ideas that represent each of the self care categories.
Physical Self Care
This is where a lot of the emergency self care items come into play. We’re talking about the basic tasks you do each day that may seem like a lot on those hard days.
Hairbrush
Cozy Socks
Scrunchies
Water
Snacks
Mints
Face Mist
Deodorant
Chapstick
Emotional Self Care
This is the self care category that is a little more involved. These items may not be the first thing you want to grab, but they do so much good for you on bad mental health days.
Journal
Feelings Wheel
Affirmations Jar
Stress Ball
Psychological Self Care
In this category you can include any items that contribute to learning and growing your mind. Activities that make you think, but not necessarily about your feelings.
Book
Word Search/Puzzles
Spiritual Self Care
If you are a spiritual person you may want to add some spiritual items in your basket as well.
Bible
Meditation CD
Meditation Pillow
Prayer Journal
Miscellaneous
This last category are items that are either just for fun or can be used with other items in your basket.
Pens
Essential Oils
Stuffed Animal
Movies
Here is a look at how I made my emergency self care kit. I’d love to see how yours turns out too. Post your basket on Instagram and use the hashtag #fortheloveofselfseries so I can check it out.
