Self-care is a spiritual thing. And it helps you stay healthy as you minister, serve, and support others. Jesus modeled self-care really well. Specifically, with His disciples He encouraged them in Mark 6:30-32 to go and find a quiet place after they had ministered to the crowds. If Jesus had to pull away and recharge by getting some time alone for self-care, it’s all the more reason for us to do it as well.

Consider this question: How do we make sure that we have ready access to our self-care regime? By creating our very own self-care survival kit, our “go-to basket”, ready, accessible and visible to automatically bring welcomed relief into our lives.

Life is best lived and impactful with multi-sensory experiences that involve all of the senses. The Rest and Build Your Best Remarkable Year Planner is designed in this way. And we can take the same approach to create our self-care survival kits. The more you involve your senses, the more likely you are to remember things and the experiences will bring more fulfillment.

Six Remarkable Ways to Build Your Kit:

1.Find Your Basket – Get a visually beautiful basket or container that you will like looking at that can hold your kit items.  

2. Sight – What things can you see that stimulate your sense of sight? What tangible things can you put in this basket so that the moment you see it, it brings pleasure? Flowers, photos of landscapes that take you away to new places, photos of family members and friends and special events are great examples.

3. Smell – Candles are really great for this, and scented linen sprays, essential oils, and scented lotions make wonderful smell ideas for your kit.

4. Hearing – What things could you put in your kit to help you relieve stress that would bring calmness to your ears? Consider creating your favorite playlist that you can have already queued up so that when you need it for your self-care it’s ready to go. How about recordings of sounds from nature? During our trip to Africa during fall 2017, I recorded seven minutes of the roaring sound of the Atlantic Ocean. When I listen to it now, it takes me back to that beautiful moment in time.

5. Touch – I’m very visual and I like different textures and the way things feel. Fluffy, soft socks are incredible for this part of the kit! Scented and softening lip balms are also great for touch, along with soft blanket throws, soft night masks to block out light, comfortable and beautiful pajamas, satin pillowcases and even stress balls you can squeeze to get the tension out of your body.

6. Taste – What could we put in our kits that would help stimulate our sense of taste? For me, it’s going to be a special blend of tea! Other ideas include ginger chews, dark chocolates, and some sparkling water with your favorite healthy comfort snack.

What’s wonderful about building your self-care survival kit is that it can also be used during your evening rituals to slow down, prepare for bed and rest well. The key to building your kit is to make it multi-sensory and fun! Focus on things that nourish your heart and refresh your soul. Create your list of items. And before you go and shop for items, look around your house for things you already have that you can use to build your kit.

Here’s a quick list below of a few suggested self-care items, in additions to those mentioned that you can put in your kit:

• Colored pencils and pens
• A bullet journal
• Scented candles
• Bath bombs and oils
• Tea (loose and bagged)
• Coloring pages
• Fuzzy socks
• Puzzle books
• Diffuser
• Note cards to write personal thoughts to friends, family
• Favorite pen
• Body scrubs
• Linen spray

Are you ready to create your DIY Remarkable Self-Care Kit? Let me know how your self-care survival kit building adventure goes! I’d love for you to share a photo of your kit on the RLI Facebook Page. Post a photo and let me know how your self-care regimen helps you restfully push beyond being overwhelmed to overcoming!

To keep your self-care kit from collecting dust, don’t forget to daily schedule time in your planner. Click here to purchase your Rest and Build Your Best Remarkable Year Planner. Today is a remarkable day to live your life by design and not default, with grace and ease.