Emotional First Aid Kit.
Emotional First Aid Kit.
This guide is meant to help you create your own emotional first aid kit so when you are feeling overwhelmed by your emotions and physical sensations you feel more prepared and capable of guiding yourself back into a calm and connected state.
What to put in your own emotional first aid kit:
Bilateral tapping. Begin by tapping your feet back and forth, or perhaps you cross you hands over your chest and alternately tap on your shoulders. You can also rock from side to side if that feels more comfortable. The bilateral stimulation is helping connect your right and left sides of your body and brain, which then creates a sense of grounding, regulation and integration.
Bilateral music. This will create the same bilateral stimulation as the tapping. You will need headphones for this to work. You can also set up speakers on either side of you bed and listen to bilateral music to help feel calmer before going to sleep.
Breathing exercises such as box breathing or simply extending exhales longer than inhales.
Body movement. Try and notice where you are feeling dysregulated in your body. If there is tightness in chest maybe try rounding your shoulders inward and moving chin to chest and then drawing shoulders back and down and chin towards the sky. If there is a knot in your stomach maybe try gently twisting your torso from one side to the other. Walking, shaking, stretching, dancing, or other similar body movements can help get your system back into regulation.
Call someone on your safe list. Create a short list of people in your life that you feel emotionally and physically safe with. If you are feeling dysregulated sometimes we need connection with others to help us feel grounded again.
Cold exposure. If you are feeling dysregulated sometimes splashing cold water on your face or holding an ice cube can help to reset the nervous system. Routine cold exposure like a cold shower can be helpful in regulating your system and also increasing your body’s resiliency to stress. *Please note that this can also increase dysregulation so please talk with your counselor before trying this.
Humming or gargling may strengthen your vagal tone and therefore increase your capacity to manage stress and stressful events. The vibration in you body caused by humming may also be soothing and grounding.
Gift cards. If financially possible, purchase a few small dollar amount gift cards ($5-10) and have them in your kit ready to be used. Somedays you might be struggling to get out of your house due to feeling shut down, or maybe you work from home and really need to connect with someone. Take a gift card and go to your local coffee shop to interact with the barista. Or maybe grab a smoothie or get your nails painted. Often times if the money is already spent we may be more likely to care for ourselves in this way.
Guided meditation. Find a meditation app that you like and download a few guided meditations on your phone. When you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed it can feel easier to have someone else guide you through a meditation exercise and count your breathes for you.
Connect with your senses through imagery.
This list is in no way exhaustive, but more a place to start and slowly add more resources and tools to it. Write each of these prompts, and others that you find, down on separate note cards – one card for each “tool” or resource. Then create something that can hold your emotional first aid kit. Maybe it is a shoe box that you decorate with things that make you feel safe and loved. Maybe it is a small pouch that you can keep with you in your purse. Whatever you choose, make sure it is easy to access in times of feeling overwhelmed and distressed.
Be kind and curious,
Hollis