Emotional First Aid Kit: 45 cards for self-care

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Not sure how to fix your sleep cycle? Wiseman adds, "try going to sleep and waking up at a similar time every day, even when you're not working. Aim for 7-9 hours every night. I recommended screen-free time around an hour before sleep, which could help you unwind and relax before bed."

It’s important to have these tools and techniques close to hand when you might be experiencing an emotional emergency. You can create a digital first aid kit with your tools on your phone or tablet. Alternatively, some people prefer a more physical kit and have their tools in a little box or bag. Living with chronic pain or any other long-term health condition can sometimes affect your mental health and you made become low in mood, anxious or fearful of the future. Emotional Flashlight: Identify something that reminds you to focus on hope. This tool could include creating a family mantra or motto that you can recite, or an affirmation statement. This is one we heard this week from poet Cleo Wade: “ I am showing love for myself by choosing hope no matter what.” Create a music playlist for different emotions. Use musicwisely as it can affect your mood powerfully. You will know how particular pieces of music affects you. Create a gradually uplifting playlist for when your mood is low, and a calming playlist for when you feel anxious or angry for instance. In addition, scientists have identified a tiny organ in the ear called the sacculus, which responds to the frequencies created by singing. The response creates an immediate sense of pleasure, regardless of what the singing sounds like so you don’t have to have an amazing voice to feel the positive effects of singing.

Soul: Connect, Ground, Trust.

The pandemic has turned our lives upside down and hit children and young people particularly hard. Working with our partners, we have been doing everything possible to make sure that they are fully supported and this online training will be invaluable in helping people to understand how best to offer the right support at the right time. So today I want to lead you through some inquiries to help you identify what might make it into your emotional first aid kit for those times when life just feels overwhelming. Emotional First-Aid Kit 101: What It Is and Isn’t: If you would like additional support right now and you live in California or Florida, please feel free to reach out to me directly to explore therapy together.

The problem is, the urge to ruminate can feel really strong, so it’s a difficult habit to stop. But there are ways to combat that urge. Studies tell us that even a two-minute distraction is sufficient to break the urge to ruminate in that moment. She advocates a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables and non-processed foods to improve energy levels and lift your mood. For example, having a daily breakfast will help stabilize blood sugar levels, decreasing stress levels.Look around you and notice what you see (colours, shapes, light or shadow, movement), what you hear (nature sounds, sounds in the room, near and far), what you smell or taste (including from the environment around you), and what you can touch, right now, wherever you are as well as items from your emergency bag/box. Grounding technique -When starting to feel anxious, stop and look around you, make a list (speak it out loud if alone, if in company make list in your mind) list 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste (think lemons) All these activities affect the feel- good factor within your brain and will help you to develop a sense of wellbeing and calm. It’s taken me time to identify these tools and behaviors, to accept that they look different from what’s usually prescribed in women’s magazines (i.e.: yoga, meditation, green juice), and it’s definitely taken even more time to learn when I need to employ them (the most).

If company doesn’t fit the bill, try some solitude. Silence can be soothing and afford you the opportunity to integrate what you have experienced. If that feels overwhelming, try a guided meditation. There are numerous free podcasts on iTunes, like Meditation Oasis, A Quiet Mind, or The Meditation Podcast. If you have the time, try a soothing Yoga Nidra practice—this is a guided practice of yogic sleep, where you are in the liminal space between waking and sleeping, and involves no knowledge of yoga postures. (My favorite is available free from iTunes through Elsie’s Yoga Podcast, episode #62.) The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on children, with many reporting that it has made them feel more stressed, lonely and worried. When is it that you feel the stirrings of your soul? What place, activity, sound, or action helps you feel this part of you? Charlotte Wiseman is a qualified mental health first aid trainer and positive psychologist and leadership consultant. Charlotte holds an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology and is a member of the British Psychological Society. 1. Identify the signs These are some tools you can pull out when it seems like everything’s going wrong and your standard self-care routines just aren’t cutting it for you anymore.Hearing: soothing or inspiring music on CD or mp3 player, recordings of a friends voice, reminder of phone numbers to ring, a talking book, self help or calming mp3.