First Aid Kit - Mind, Body, & Soul Care (erin jean warde)
To try to cope well, I use what I call it a First Aid Kit, because that’s what it is for me — a first response to stressors, triggers, and times when I need to self-soothe. Let's build FAKs together.
First Aid Kit
For years now, I’ve been doing workshops about how to cope given the inevitabilities of being alive. However, the first iteration of this work came in the form of workshops about how to build a healing toolkit, which I call a First Aid Kit.
I call it a First Aid Kit, because that’s what it is for me — a first response to stressors, triggers, and times when I need to self-soothe. I’m so, so bent toward my first response to stressors being something that ends up being more of a challenge to me than a vehicle for healing, so it’s important that I have positive and accessible tools available when I’m triggered.
To expand on the metaphor of a First Aid Kit, think of it this way: You don’t always need a traditional First Aid Kit, but when you need it, you really need it. It can go ignored for entire trips, but the second someone skins their knee, you have everything you need. This FAK is similar — you might not use it every day (though personally I believe coping is an every day activity), but when you need it, you really need it. When the stressors of the day hit their climax (the proverbial skinned knee), you actually have what you need. You have tools to help you heal.
Additionally, FAKs are great for self-soothing. We don’t have to be stressed out to the max to want to care for ourselves. I’d even say it’s important that we self-soothe throughout the day, rather than letting the challenges of the day build up over time. FAKs can become a collection of accessible ways we can care for ourselves, generally and also in stress.
A good First Aid Kit:
gives you peace of mind, because you know you’ve got support
encourages you to cope positively and address challenges or celebrations in your life in a way that helps you heal
takes away the mental energy of picking another way when you’re feeling a craving (you don’t want to build the FAK when you are stressed!)
reflects your desires, personality, and hopes uniquely
is accessible to you so that you always have ways to cope differently
While my first iterations of talking about FAKs were geared towards people getting sober, I want to note that these First Aid Kits are helpful for literally all people. We all face reasons why we need to cope and we all deserve ways to cope that are positive. FAKs are a great tool to support you in caring for yourself, regardless of your history and current practices around substance use.
I said this earlier but I want to reiterate — this is meant to reflect your desires, personality, and hopes uniquely. It needs to be fun, because it needs to be something you will actually use. I have been in the wellness industry for years now and I can get really captured by what works for other people, but that isn’t helpful when I’m making my FAK, unless I’m willing to try those practices for myself.
Example: I don’t need to get inspiration for my FAK from a marathon runner. We heal in different ways, lol. I will not be running a marathon anytime soon, so “running” is not a tool in my FAK, because I won’t actually turn to it when I need support.
Also, FAKs change! I made one many, many years ago, but recently when I hit my big wall of burnout, I noticed I never turn to it. I struggle to use most of the tools there. I realized there’s nothing wrong with those tools, but people change, I’ve grown, and my FAK has to change and grow with me. At the end of the day, I need tools I will use, because a FAK without tools I will use is worthless.
So for the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to come up with a fresh, new FAK. I’m still working on it, but today I thought I’d offer a rough draft list of ideas. I hope this might inspire you if you consider building your own.
But before I begin, a few things to remember:
Some of these items are physical. Like, I’m going to get a small pouch and physically put these items in a pouch so that I have a little collection of items when I need them, just like the traditional First Aid Kits we might pack for a trip. I will then try to have this with me when I’m at home (thankfully I live in a studio apartment so this is very easy lol), with me in the car or packed in my luggage when I travel, etc. It doesn’t have to be attached to me for every single breath of my life, but I’ll try to have it with me as much as I can, within reason.
If you decide to get a pouch, have fun with it! Find something you enjoy carrying, something that feels like a reflection of you, if you can. And it never hurts to make sure your FAK travels well, too.
Some of these items are not exactly physical. For instance, I use a lot of tools that are accessible on my phone, like meditation apps, or looking up YouTube videos of stand up. And my phone will not always be in a pouch, lol. Or you’ll notice below that I have things listed like “go to ___.” This isn’t a physical item, but it’s an important healing practice.
For non-physical items, I’m planning to write it out on an index card, and place the cards inside my FAK pouch. This gives me a physical representation, so that when I’m struggling, I can flip through the cards to find some ideas for practices that are healing for me. (I’ll share below which ones will be cards.)
Without further adieu, some ideas I have for my FAK:
take a bath with bath salts or bath bomb (card)
sweet treat
protein bar
chewing gum
aromatherapy hand lotion
mocktail/sparkling water (I won’t carry this in a pouch, but I’ll try to always have the ingredients on hand at home)
go for a walk (card)
restorative yoga @ YMCA (card)
sauna @ YMCA (card)
go to a place you’ve never been in Nashville (card)
meditate for 10 minutes (card)
Nuun water tablets
at home mani/pedi (card)
watch a movie with popcorn & small boxed candy (card)
Yogi Egyptian Licorice Mint tea
Bigelow Constant Comment tea
walk to Frothy Monkey — a coffee shop by my home (card)
listen to relaxing music (card)
listen to yoga nidra meditations (card)
take a nap (card)
read fiction (card)
read a spiritual book (card)
light a candle & take 5 deep breaths (card)
do a body scan (card)
herbal tinctures
AirPods
gift card to Target (so I can get out of the house but stay within budget) [you could expand on this & get gift cards to places like: movie theater, favorite lunch spot, local coffee shop]
Tylenol
aromatherapy essential oils
Olbas inhaler
watch stand up comedy (card)
make plans with a friend (card)
And I’m still thinking about possible other items, though I do want to note that a FAK does not need to include a huge barrage of things. This is not a checked bag! Right now, I’m gathering up all the possible tools that interest me, and we’ll see what becomes a tool I turn to. FAKs can always be edited.
In the comments, I’d love to hear from you —
What are your favorite healing tools?
What are you putting in your FAK?
Share anything you’d like about the process. <3
Interested in making a FAK, but feeling uninspired?
Don’t overthink it. You don’t necessarily have to do any shopping for this. You can grab a small bag from your home, add items you already have in it, make cards with free options available to you in your city, and start using it that way, so don’t feel any pressure to make this expensive. As I was preparing to write this, I did a walk through of my home to see what items I already have that I want to add to the pouch. I was surprised by how much is already here, but almost never used. Time to change that.
However, if you do a home walk through and still feel like you don’t have the tools you need, one way to get inspired is to walk through a wellness store of some sort, or your favorite grocery store. Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, or even a local option. (I loved Wheatsville in Austin and I’m loving The Turnip Truck in Nashville.) See if anything catches your eye. Especially look on endcaps, as they sometimes collect minis of different products and travel size options. Those are perfect for not spending too much money but still getting some healing tools, while knowing the tools are probably travel friendly.
I hope this feels like a support to you in your healing journey and I can’t wait to be inspired by all your favorite healing tools!
With love & care,
EJW
PS: If you’re new here, explore the archives so you can see all the other posts in this series!