Emotional First Aid Kit: 45 cards for self-care

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And while I absolutely love yoga and getting on my mat regularly, when I’m feeling particularly overwhelmed is the feeling of freedom that comes from riding my bike long and hard. 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.

An emotional first aid kit is an ongoing practice of self-awareness and self-care, supporting you in recognizing what you need, and getting curious and creative about how you can meet your needs through life’s many ups and downs. For examples, one of my emotional first aid body go-to’s when my schedule’s overly full and I’m feeling overwhelmed by life and professional commitments is hopping on my bike and riding it along the Bay while blaring Florence + The Machine’s Shake it Out on repeat through my earbuds. What does your body crave when you’re stressed? Touch? Childhood comfort food? Stretches? Connection with the earth? Space? Reading this list takes only a few minutes, but actually working through each item builds resiliency and will help you keep going, one second at a time. Sometimes, just existing during a traumatic experience is the best you can do and remembering that as time passes, your perspective will change. For now, it is best to accept the present, do what you can, and choose to believe everything is happening for your highest good. 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.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. Is there a task you do with your hands that seems to calm your mind? Does noticing your breath feel helpful to you?

What’s the sort of stress you’re experiencing? Do you feel trapped or too uncontained? What’s a physical activity that can support giving you more space (if feeling trapped) or containment (if you’re feeling uncontained)?There are plenty of different techniques that promote wellbeing and help to boost your mood; the important thing is to find the one you enjoy the most, whether that's a mindfulness appor an online CBT workbook. For me, no heart-supporting tool is more effective than sharing what’s going on with someone who loves me. But what about you?

An Emotional Emergency Kit (just like a Disaster Emergency Kit) is designed to provide the necessary supplies to support you through a difficult and challenging situation. Right now we are all affected in some way by the ongoing pandemic and the impact on health concerns, school learning environments, and economic instability. The continued focus on national racial inequities is likely causing increased anxiety and the need for extra support for ourselves and our youth. 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.)Either read them at random, using the cards to pay attention to your inner thoughts and feelings, or focus on specific cards that you identify with - no matter your approach these cards will allow you to better understand how your mind works, and help you develop positive coping strategies. Are there certain sounds that soothe your mind? Can you Google or Spotify those sounds up and create a playlist for yourself? Look at a picture and describe every single thing in the picture, what colours, shapes, textures etc. In similar way, if out for a walk or looking out the window, look and describe the clouds in the sky, shades of colour of the sky, trees, bushes, grass, anything you can see. Have faith in yourself. The truth is that you can handle more than you might believe at this particular moment. You can use prayer or meditation for added support and to access your belief in a greater power. Define the soul however you want – spirit, essence, psyche, etc. – I personally believe that our soul is the unchangeable, indestructible part of us that breathes and lives us, the part of us that always was and always will be and that we often forget to consciously tend to in the minutiae of our everyday human lives.