{"id":4189,"date":"2021-10-04T19:55:05","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T23:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/?p=4189"},"modified":"2021-10-04T20:04:45","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T00:04:45","slug":"october-2021-making-your-own-self-care-kit-by-brianna-carrasco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/october-2021-making-your-own-self-care-kit-by-brianna-carrasco\/","title":{"rendered":"October 2021: Making Your Own Self-Care Kit by Brianna Carrasco"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Self-care is the act of intentionally taking time for yourself so you can be happy and healthy. Self-care is different from being selfish, and it\u2019s also different from overindulging oneself. Self-care can consist of going to the doctor\u2019s for a checkup, eating healthier meals, taking an hour a day for relaxation, seeing friends, taking a day off of work, or anything else that keeps you feeling like your best self. Practising mental health can help prevent feelings of stress or anxiety, and it also helps you to calm down when you are feeling stress and anxiety. In this article, I will walk you through an assignment that a health care professional helped me curate: a self-care kit!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your self-care kit can be a physical box of items that you use whenever you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, or it can be a mental list of items and activities that you turn to. Your self-care kit should also be individualized. When taking a look at my suggestions, feel free to leave behind items you think will absolutely not work for you, or feel free to add your own items and ideas! To start your most basic self-care kit, here are some items or activities you can turn to when you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, or just need some time to recharge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>An activity you love. Choose an activity that is completely separate from school or work, that you do solely because it brings you joy or contributes to your mental health. Whether it\u2019s an activity that gets your body moving like yoga, a workout, or going on a walk, an introspective activity like reading or finishing a puzzle, or an activity that just brings you pure joy like playing video games or watching a movie, these activities are all important in relieving stress. It\u2019s necessary to take a break so you don\u2019t get burned out from school or work, and finding an activity that brings you joy is essential!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>An item that brings you comfort. Whether it\u2019s a teddy bear you\u2019ve had since you were a child, a weighted blanket, or a fidget toy, choose an object that makes you feel better. Clutching a teddy bear when you feel overwhelmed might relieve stress when you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed at home, while smaller objects like a fidget toy, or a special piece of jewelry from a loved one might be more suitable to take with you to work or on public transit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>A place to reflect on your thoughts and feelings. Try surrounding yourself with a go-to space for when you\u2019re feeling stressed and need relaxation. It could be a physical place, maybe a park, a coffee shop, or even your bedroom. It can even be a mental space. For example, mediation can help you find an internal place to explore mindfulness and your thoughts and feelings. You can even bring a journal with you wherever you go to have a secure place to write your feelings, behaviours, or even quotes that inspire you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>A favourite snack. Brain foods are super important for your cognition and mental health! Some foods are better for your brain functioning than others. For examples, foods high in antioxidants like blueberries can help with memory and cognitive function. Foods like dark chocolate can also help with better mood. You can even choose a comfort food or comfort snack for when you\u2019re feeling low. A warm cup of tea or hot chocolate can be calming and relaxing, or a scoop of ice cream with a loved one can get your mood back to normal!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Something to stimulate your senses. A common technique when struggling with anxiety is to point out things you can see, hear, smell, touch, or taste. This helps get your mind off of what is causing anxiety, and also helps you stay in the moment. Stimulating your senses can help bring a sense of calm and relaxation. For example, lighting a candle or applying essential oils with lavender or eucalyptus, is known for reducing stress and anxiety. Listening to calming music, or your favourite song, can get you out of ruminating. You can even explore touch by petting your pet or applying calming lotion to your body. You can even explore taste and sight by eating your favourite snack, or surrounding yourself in an environment that makes you comfortable, like I mentioned in the previous suggestions!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>A person to offer support. Finally, you should have a person you go to offer support. Whether it\u2019s your parent, a friend, a therapist, a professor, or even a YouTuber or podcast host that can offer advice or insight from afar, you should always have someone that makes you feel less lonely.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I hope this self-care kit helps you! Whether you decide to actually create a box full of items that bring you comfort, or you decide to keep these in mind for the next time you feel overwhelmed, I\u2019m sure these objects and activities will help you feel much more relaxed and back to normal in no time!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Self-care is the act of intentionally taking time for yourself so you can be happy and healthy. Self-care is different from being selfish, and it\u2019s also different from overindulging&hellip; <a class=\"continue\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/october-2021-making-your-own-self-care-kit-by-brianna-carrasco\/\">Continue Reading<span> October 2021: Making Your Own Self-Care Kit by Brianna Carrasco<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[90],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4189"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4189"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4196,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4189\/revisions\/4196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/community\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}