I have a first aid emergency kit, and 72 hour kit, food storage, and I have a mental health emergency kit.
I have struggled with depression off and on throughout my life. I found that seasonal depression has become quite a thing for me since living here in Idaho. I have worked OCD and anxiety as well, but depression is my main mental health struggle.
I found about 2 years ago the idea of a meatball health emergency kit. I thought it was a grand idea! I already did things to keep myself healthy but now I had an even greater vision on what it could turn into.
It started with this- when I was about 12 years old, I was in therapy. My therapist taught me this great system to help get myself out of my head.
She showed me this chart, and had me fill it out. The things I put on it became a mental list of things I could do to stay health. My therapist gave me a great tool.
When I learned about the idea of a mental health emergency kit, a lot of the things on the chart made it into my kit.
Now, this kit can be an actual physical kit. But it could also just be a written list you turn to when you need help.
Here are a list of things that are in my emergency kit.
Medication- a tool to get yourself out of the darkness of mental health. I have gone on and off medication multiple times. I feel absolutely ok with being on it when I need extra help.
Therapy or counseling- again, this is a tool for when things are beyond your skills. I've don't lots of therapy and counseling. It is awesome.
Vitamin D- or sunshine in any form. During the winter, the lack of sunshine can zap the joy right out of you. Happy lights, oranges, vitamins can do wonders.
Chocolate- yes, chocolate can make you feel better. The goal is moderation.
Naps- when you're sick, naps help you get better. When you're mentally sick, naps help you get better! Again, this needs to be in moderation. You don't want to end up in bed all the time.
Journaling- this can be a great substitute for therapy. Writing things out can really be helpful.
Time with people- can be a lot of effort to do this, but we need connection so badly!
Gratitude- this one is awesome! By taking time to be grateful we will start to feel better about our life.
Exercise- get your body moving! Gotta get endorphins. A walk, jumping jacks, dance party, anything. Moving is good.
Service- this is by far the best cure for mental health. It makes you look outside of your circumstances and help others. It feels good and it helps someone else.
I have lots of other things that are part of my emergency kit. Things like reading, studying scriptures, listening to music, crafting, and more. The goal is to find things that make you fell better AND live better. Self- medicating can easily cause problems for us, so we need to choose things that can really help.
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