Love Myself 2020

How To Utilize Self-Care During Hard Times

February 25, 2020

We’ve been talking about self-care a lot this month. I hope between the six of us Love Yourself 2020 bloggers you’ve been able to implement some self-care practices into your daily life. While taking care of yourself daily is important, it can sometimes be difficult to do when you are going through a hard time. Today I’m going to be sharing with you an easy way to make sure self-care is accessible to you on the days where you just can’t bring yourself to get out of the house, let alone out of the bed. There is a simple solution to utilizing self-care during hard times, and that is through self-care kits.

What is a self-care kit?

Think of a self-care kit like a care package a loved one would send you. The difference is that you create it yourself. You pick the things that make you feel good, basic needs, like hygiene, and activities that you can enjoy, or at least do to pass the time. If you’d rather not create it yourself there are other options. You can order one of Etsy, and even subscribe to a monthly self-care box. Your kit can be housed in a shoebox, cute basket, decorative box, or even a drawer. I decided to put mine in the drawer of the end table next to my bed. That way it’s easily accessible.

How To Create A Self-Care Kit

In this article, I’ll be sharing my process for creating a self-care kit, that way you can follow along and create your own. There are three lessons I’ve learned from this process. No matter what your self-care kit looks like, you want your kit to be:

Accessible: Remember this kit is all about an easy way to practice self-care during hard times. Where does it need to be most?
True to you: There are a lot of places to look for information on what to put in your kit, including this one. While it’s helpful to get ideas you want to make sure you are putting items in there that you need/will use, not what everyone else is including in theirs.
Have items that are going hit all the senses (good smells like a candle, yummy comfort treats, inspirational tunes to listen to, pictures, quote images or even books to look at, and things like cozy socks and blankets to feel comfy).

Steps To Take To Create Your Self-Care Kit

Decide on your location: see the tip listed above before you decide where your kit will be. Then think about what the kit will be in. Will a shoebox work? Or will you need something with a little more room, like a drawer?
Get Inspired: This is especially helpful if this is the first you have heard about self-care kits. GenTwenty and The Mighty have great lists to use as a resource.
Choose your items: After looking at examples it’s time to pick the items that will go in your kit. Remember to pick items that will hit all the senses. Once you have your list it may be helpful to review what you are placing the items and where you are putting it. You may find that you need more space, or even that you can downsize your “container.”
Gather what you need: After making your list you may find that you need to find/buy/make a few things to complete your kit. If you are putting your items in something like a shoebox you could even get supplies together to decorate it. This is the time to write down anything you may want to include in your kit. Like affirmations or a list of things you love about yourself.
Create your kit: Now that you’ve got your location and items picked it’s time to create your kit. This final step could be just placing your items in the kit, or it could be decorating your kit and the way you place the items in it. I organized my kit by category. All my hygiene-related things are in one area, my nutritional items are in another, etc.

I’ve really enjoyed making my self-care kit. There are a few things I still want to add, like essential oils, puzzle books, and an eye mask. That is the beauty of creating a kit. You can add new things that would be helpful for practicing self-care during hard times, and remove items that no longer help with that.

Will you be making a self-care kit, or have you made one already? Why not make this a fun girls night in and create your self-care kits together? Share this with a friend you would do this with.

This post is a part of the Love Myself 2020 challenge. Go follow Sam from Here I Mum Again, Morgan from Chica Confident, Jessica from Sweet & Spicy Essentials, Katie from Between The Lines and Ruth from Colourful Hope, for more self-love/self-care content. If you’ve missed any of our posts so far, catch up here.

Intro

Healthy Eats: Valentine’s Day Edition

How To Achieve With SMART Goals In 5 Simple Steps (via Here I Mum Again)

5 Ways Busy Entrepreneurs Can Keep the Passion Alive in their Relationships (via Chica Confident)

Why Self-Love Is So Hard For Me

30 Positive Affirmations For Self Love (via Colourful Hope)

Create: Easy Vision Board (via Sweet & Spicy Essentials)

Ways To Take A Break & Destress (via Between The Lines)

Stretching Video (via Sweet & Spicy Essentials)

Week 1 Recap (via Sweet & Spicy Essentials)

10 Exciting Valentine’s Day Ideas for Parents (via Here I Mum Again)

The Ultimate Self-Love Spotify Playlist