What's In Your Crisis Kit?

*Content warning: Mentions of mental illness, crisis, and symptoms*

What is a crisis kit, you ask? A crisis kit, for mental health or other types of crises, is a kit in which you place all the things you would need to get through a crisis - kind of like a 'bug-out bag' or an emergency overnight bag if you need to leave home suddenly.

In this blog post, I want focus especially on mental health crisis kits because they can be tailored very specifically to your own mental health needs in a crisis.

Why should you have a mental health crisis kit? 

Those of us who suffer from mental health problems can't always know when and where we'll be when something happens to trigger a low point - be it a depressive episode, an anxiety attack, etc. Even if you don't suffer from any serious mental health concerns, traumatic events can happen to anyone and a mental health crisis kit could be the one thing that helps you get through that moment until you're able to seek more concrete assistance.

A kit doesn't have to this huge thing you lug around - it could as simple as a book that brings you comfort or a small makeup bag of tea samples and your prescribed medication - that's the beauty of these mental health kits.

What I would put in my mental health crisis kit:

• Important phone numbers and extra phone charger
• A notepad and pen
• A pair of ear buds/headphones
• My favorite book
• A nail file and lip balm
• A small tub of moisturizer
• Tissues
• A couple bags of tea

I suffer from severe anxiety, in addition to other things, but it's my anxiety that I have the most difficulty in managing. Sometimes I need to audibly tune out the world when I become overwhelmed - that's why I always have my headphones with me. If that doesn't do the trick, it also helps to have a book I really enjoy with me, one that lets me get lost in the pages for a bit.

When I'm not sure why I'm feeling really anxious, it helps me to write out what I'm experiencing and then connect the dots, so a small notepad and pen is critical to have on hand.

From a sensory perspective, two of my worst habits are picking at my lips and chewing on my nails. I really hate the sensation of chapped lips and ragged nails...I become hyper focused on how uncomfortable I feel. Putting moisturizer on my hands can also keep me from picking at my skin - nothing tastes worse than a scented lotion.

Tissues are a good thing to have on hand in most cases, but sometimes I cry when I'm frustrated or overwhelmed. And it's ugly crying - so having any issues on hand to wipe up that mess is an absolute necessity.

And lastly, tea. I was never a big tea drinker until just a few years ago and I love sampling different herbal teas for stress-relief or inflammation. I've found that mint teas help calm me down and anything with ginger and turmeric settles my stomach very quickly. I try to always keep those on hand.

What would you add to your mental health crisis kit? 

Do you have one put together?