100 Ideas for Your Self Soothing Kit
A self soothing kit contains items that provide you with a sense of calm and comfort when feelings of panic or distress arise.
How does a self soothing kit help you?
Let’s be honest in those moments, it is hard to focus and ground ourselves. You will have things that can help you at the moment, easily accessible with a little pre-planning.
When feelings of distress like panic or anxiety attacks happen, one way to center yourself is to focus on your five senses in that moment: What do you see? Hear? Smell? Taste? Feel?
You can apply this to a self-soothing kit.
100 Items for Your Self Soothing Kit
Quick note: This article includes affiliate links.
Many of the items listed can be found in my Amazon Store.
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20 Items for Sight
1 – photos of things that make you happy
2 – pictures of nature landscapes
3 – Notecards with reminders to “Breathe Deeply” and “Be Present”
4 – Coloring book
5 – A notecard with 5-10 things you can do when stressed or overwhelmed
6 – Kaleidoscope
7 – Notes from loved ones with kind and affirming words
8 – Affirmation cards
9 – Mindfulness cards
10 – Pictures drawn by your children
11 – Small notepad or journal to write your thoughts
12 – Trinkets in your favorite color
13 – Stickers
14 – Play Dough
15 – Pin Wheel
16 – Liquid Motion Timer
17 – Eye Mask
18 – Snow globe
19 – Sand Timers
20 – Visualization
20 Items for Sound
(Note: You can save many of the sound items as a playlist on your cell phone.)
1 – Headphones
2 – Recording of your voice reading affirmations
3 – Recording of a loved one saying loving and affirming words
4 – Clickers
5 – Whistle
6 – Harmonica
7 – Kazoo
8 – YouTube videos with calming sounds
9 – Calm (or similar) App
10 – Earplugs
11 – Tissue paper to crinkle
12 – Upbeat music
13 – Jazz music
14 – Mozart
15 – Sound frequencies
16 – Read tongue twisters out loud (or from memory if you’ve got it like that)
17 – A list of trusted confidantes you can call and just talk or listen to
18 – Bubble pop packaging (helps for touch, as well)
19 – Mindfulness technique written that helps you breathe and focus in on sounds around you
2- A session on the Bloom app
20 Items for Smell
1 – Scented lotions
2 – Essential Oils (lavender, peppermint and rose are good for calming)
3 – Scratch & Sniff Stickers
4 – Mood Lifting Essential Oil Blend
5 – Pieces of scented bar soap
6 – Hand sanitizer
7 – Scent satchets
8 – Lavendar scented products (calms the mind and body)
9 – Vanilla scented products (elevates your mood)
10 – Coffee beans
11 – Citrus scented products (helps you feel energized)
12 – Jasmine scented products (eases depression)
13 – Cinnamon scented products (sharpens your mind)
14 – Rosemary scented products (increases alertness)
15 – Pine scented products (alleviates stress)
16 – Peppermind scented products (boosts concentration)
17 – Lemon scented products
18 – Ginger scented products
19 – Lemongrass scented products
20 – Your favorite perfume or scent that evokes a pleasant memory
20 Items for Taste
1 – Peppermint candy
2 – Peppermint gum
3 – Cough drops
4 – Fruit snacks
5 – Sour candies
6 – Bubble gum
7 – Hershey Kisses
8 – Rescue Remedy
9 – Marshmallows
10 – Pretzels
11 – Almonds
12 – Bottled water
13 – Gift card or cash for your favorite treat
14 – Trail Mix
15 – Chamomile Tea Packets
16 – Green Tea Packets
17 – Ashwagandha Capsules
18 – Peppermint drops
19 – Dark Chocolate
20 – Yogi Tea
20 Items for Touch
1 – Fidget toys
2 – Silly Putty
3 – A smooth stone
4 – Stress balls
5 – Facial spray
6 – Lego Kits
7 – Hand lotion
8 – Rubik cube
9 – Soft brush for your skin
10 – Scented Hand Sanitizer
11 – Wipes
12 – Pipe Cleaners
13 – Marbles
14 – Stretchy String
15 – Bubbles (encourages focused breathing, too!)
16 – Magnetic Tiles
17 – Pin Art Toy
18 – Bubble Wrap
19 – Pocket Etch-A-Sketch
20 – Mini Massager
Finally, I would highly suggest keeping a copy of your self-care plan in your kit for easy access.