In my in-town BPD Group, we have each made a Self-Soothing Kit. They contain at least one item for each of the five senses. Whenever you’re feeling distressed, you pull an item out of your self-soothing kit and use it to self-soothe until the distress has passed. It helps you get through urges to do something like self-harm until the emotion has passed like a wave.
Here is a picture of my self-soothing kit:
In it, I have included: an MP3 player full of relaxation podcasts, a keychain photo of my grandson, a small decorative soap, some lotion, a couple of tiny teddy bears, and some mints.
Here is a picture of my friend’s self-soothing kit:
In her self-soothing kit, she has included a joke book, a bum-shaped stress ball (for colon cancer awareness), a talking stuffed cat keychain, a radio, and a peach candy.
You can use a small box or bag or whatever you wish as your Self-Soothing Kit, and decorate it however you want. We have both used cosmetic bags for ours. Why don’t you try making a Self-Soothing Kit of your own today? Feel free to share in the comments what you put in yours.
Till next time,
— Joyce.