My survival toolkit

A survival toolkit is an idea that came about at the start of the year during a period of time when I was struggling with my mental health. It’s something that I found really beneficial during that time and it continues to come in useful even in the present day. Throughout this blog I’m going to share some more information about it and also some tips and tricks to help you create your own. So, grab a pen and a piece of paper and let’s get started!

What is a survival toolkit?

Overall, a survival toolkit is something to keep on hand for those times when life feels overwhelming but also it’s there to maintain the goodness of life when things are going well! Whether you’ve had mental health difficulties or not, it’s something that I would reccomend to anyone to help with your overall mental wellbeing. For me, when I’m having a tough day, it can be hard to remember what my passions and enjoyments for life are and when I am really overwhelmed by all the thoughts swarming around my brain – whether they’re good or bad, it’s very easy for me to just shut off and get stuck doing nothing in order to avoid it all. However, I then end up feeling guilty for doing nothing. So, having a piece of writing saved in my notes app full of hobbies, comforting quotes, goals I have (etc.), helps me to break down the day into more manageable pieces whilst also still being able to find moments of joy within.

What is so great about it?

There are many great things about the survival toolkit but in my opinion, the best thing is that it’s customisable to suit you. We are all our own unique person and some of the things I keep in mine, you may not want in yours – and that’s okay!

Like I mentioned, it helps to give a sense of direction for the day. It is very easy these days with the society we live in to get swept away with chasing the next best thing. I know that when I’ve been on the go, when I do have a day where I don’t have as many / any major commitments, I freeze and forget things I like to do. Once again this piece of writing helps to remind me of my hobbies and the things that I enjoy – big and small. That may mean I take some time to sit and read or scroll on pinterest but it may also mean I get out and move my body or socialise with people. I found as well, through actually creating one, it gave me a chance to actually sit down with myself and reconnect with myself.

Through reflecting on the things that help me, I found I was able to learn more about myself – even to this day, using my survival toolkit on a difficult day means I’m able to recognise why I may be struggling, what may have caused it and what is going to help with it. Last but not least, it takes less than an hour to create, but continues to be useful as time goes by!

What’s in my toolkit?

I adore the notes app on my phone so for me, my survival tool kit is a notes page I keep in the ‘Every day life’ folder on my phone.

Inside I have –

• The habits I want to enforce – I am someone who values a routine and a plan so these help me stay on track with that.
• A morning and a night routine – I struggle quite a bit with sleep, winding down but also getting the motivation to get out of bed in the morning. So, writing down a plan for the evening with things that help me to relax and get good quality sleep helps me stay on track whilst having a plan in place for the morning gives me structure and things to help me look forward to the day ahead.
• Breathing exercises – Keeping these easily on hand means it helps give my mind some quiet time and clarity.
• Things that I enjoy – Like I have said, I can very easily forget the interests I have and things that make me happy through the chaos of general life so having a list of my hobbies and things to do that are just for me help to remind me of that.
• My goals (long term + short term) – Having these written down once again help me to stay on track, remember my values but mainly, they inspire me and give me hope for the future on those difficult days.
• Quotes I love – They’re there to give me some comfort and encouragement to keep plodding along.

These are the things that I keep in mine, but some other ideas may be –

• Meals you like
• Links to series, videos, podcasts or music you like
• Places you enjoy going
• Things to create

As I have mentioned many times – it’s completely up to you!

How can you make your own?

However you choose to make your survival kit, make sure that it’s led by you. You may rather have yours written down on a piece of paper and pinned on your wall, maybe it’s the first page in your notebook or maybe you’d rather draw and make a visual piece. As time goes by, the things that help you may change, so keeping it somewhere accessible means that you’re easily able to update it. If I can encourage you to do one thing though, it’s to schedule that hour to spend time with yourself – reflect on your passions and also your struggles and know that it doesn’t have to be perfect!

If you like this whole idea of a survival kit and want to know more about it, head on over to the MindMate insta to find out more about it!