Create your own Mental First Aid Kit

It has been coming to my attention for a while now that the pandemic is coming down on people extremely hard. This pandemic is evoking a lot of feelings of grief, confusion, frustration, worry, irritability; you can name it.

An important step is to develop your own mental first aid kit that fits your current stress response and needs. Remember most people, yourself included, are doing the best they can during this time. I will share a few tips below:

X Take time to reflect on your mood and reflect on what kind of day you want to have during the morning hours. (Right away in the morning is when we should focus on creating what kind of mood we want to be in-you can create that yourself. Don't let that brain trick you).

X Meditate once in the morning and once at night.

X Sometimes structuring your day can be beneficial (wake up, get some exercise in, eat a healthy breakfast, etc.)

X Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories; including social media

X Do activities that you like to do- Board games, crafting, puzzles, decorating (Just don't go overspending at hobby lobby ladies XD).

X Find things that will help you to express gratitude and hope (I love the idea of a hope chest- you put pictures of memories inside, things you've made, things you appreciate in life through clippings of a magazine,photos you've taken). I also like the idea of a gratitude practice (where you put a reminder on your phone twice a day and anytime that reminder goes off you sit and think about what you are grateful for).

X Watch a Motivational video-There are a lot of Ted-Talks on youtube

X Listen to a podcast

X Download Mental Health Applications onto your phone

X Learn something new-sign up for a workshop or a class

X Play with your children- A lot of the time parents get so busy with all the adult responsibilities they forget to play with their kids. Time with your children is soooooo important. Get on the floor and moo like a cow XD! Children are suffering too right now. Don't forget to praise them for the good things they are doing and asking them how things are going.

X Connect with others via a phone call, texting, Facetime, Zoom meetings, Do a Facebook live and say hi to your friends, etc.

X Pick up an old hobby you have not done in a while- Baking, painting, dancing, legos, woodworking, etc.

X Eat healthy; well-balanced meals- It is so easy to reach for food when you are bored (I am guilty of this myself).-Nutrition and the things we eat can have a ton of effect on our moods, our body, our energy levels, inflammation in the body-you name it).

X Keep moving-Get regular exercise during this time. I find a lot of fun videos

X Limit Alcohol-too much alcohol will disrupt your sleep patterns, your moods.

X Tune into the body throughout the day and focus on relaxing your muscles every so often.

X I love blankets- so at night I will often grab my favorite blanket and wrap up in it, sipping on tea, and watching my favorite shows.

X Get enough sleep!

X Self-care! Treat yourself to things that make you feel good (fuzzy socks, a foot bubble bath machine, you name it).

These are just a few tips but be sure to create some fun in your day. Life is good at throwing negative things at us; it is so important for us to create our own good things! You can also add on to your own mental health first aid kit.