Crisis Kits: What they are, & what’s in mine.
For people who struggle with mental and chronic health issues, crisis is a familiar word. It can have a range of meanings based on what the person’s personal health journey looks like. As someone who struggles in both of those categories, I’m acutely familiar with how a crisis can negatively impact not just my life, but the lives of my family and friends. As such, I do everything in my power to stave off the next crisis.
Let’s talk for a moment about what ‘crisis’ means. According to Webster’s Dictionary it’s a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger. And for the most part, that’s a definition I can stand behind. But I want to talk more about what a crisis is defined by in practical terms for those struggling with their health. Sometimes, crisis is a debilitating flare up of chronic illness symptoms. Sometimes it’s a depressive or manic episode. Sometimes it’s grief or loss. Sometimes it’s just a case of severe overstimulation or anxiety. Whatever the case may be, crisis mode has a drastic and noticeable impact on the person’s day to day life as well as their quality of life.
Because crisis mode is so subjective, it’s hard to nail down definitive symptoms or portray in practical terms what it looks like when someone is experiencing a crisis. But in the broadest of terms, it can look like a messy home, unwashed dishes or clothes. It can look like increased irritability, or mal-adaptive coping mechanisms such as excessive drinking. It can look like isolation or ‘retail therapy’ to name but a few. The most common description could be summarized as the person behaving ‘not like themselves’.
Sometimes those people in crisis reach out. Sometimes they don’t. Most often, they feel like they can’t. And I began to wonder why that is. What is it that keeps me from reaching out when I’m struggling? The answer for me was: perfection. In today’s society, perfection is the order of the day and as such, crisis mode is often stigmatized. It can be very difficult for a person in crisis to reach out to their support and get the help they need because of this stigma. But also because of a breakdown in communication. When an individual is in crisis mode, they often can’t articulate what their needs are and provide those who want to support them with the information they need in order to do so.
That’s where a Crisis Kit comes in.
I realized not too long ago that due to my particular health journey, it’s unrealistic and unhealthy for me to push to achieve a future where I’m never again in crisis. But I struggle to tell those who love and support me how they can help me when I’m in crisis. So I put together a crisis kit. It’s unique to me and my health struggles but I’m going to take a few minutes to walk you through what’s in my kit, why it’s there, and how it’s helped over the last several months.
My kit is a medium sized floral sewing box. I wanted something arbitrary that didn’t look out of place. And inside are the following items: pens, a marker, a pack of index cards, some crochet hooks, a mini notebook, a mini cross-stitch kit, a mini sewing kit, a scratch art kit, some fidgets, a bookmark, and chapstick.
Many of these items are unique to my journey but there are a few that I recommend everyone have if they plan to create their own crisis kit.
Index cards: These can be used to put important information on such as emergency contacts, support contacts, prescription and physician information, safe foods and support care instruction. Basically, anything you wish you could tell people that you needed when you’re in crisis. Keeping extra in the box along with a pen will help keep things organized as you adjust and update your box information throughout the years. I also used the index cards to write thankful and encouraging notes to myself and my loved ones.
Some of my index cards are titled: Breathing Exercises, Shower, Favorite Comfy Clothes, Activities, When to Call the Calvary (Bring friends over), Safe Foods, Pampering Favorites, Distractions (Favorite TV Shows, Books, and Movies), Creativity Prompts, Handling Grief, Handling Pain, Handling Mania and I plan to add more over time. The more you can help out the person trying to help you, the better off you’ll both be.
Fidgets: Fidgets can be a great way to distract and calm the mind in times of severe stress and crisis. It gives you something to focus on to the exclusion of all else including the negative self talk that often accompanies crisis mode.
Hobby: If there’s room in your box for a hobby or 2 that you enjoy, put it in there. It could be as small as a favorite bookmark if you enjoy reading (and placing an index card with your favorite books listed), or a couple of crochet or knitting needles also works. The idea is to center you and remind you of things you enjoy doing for fun. These count as self care. And when someone is in crisis mode, often self care is non-existent.
Notebook: Lastly, I’d strongly recommend keeping a notebook or journal in your crisis kit. It can be used to jot down symptoms, feelings, gratitudes, or all three. It’s a great form of self care, being able to express the things you don’t necessarily feel like you can share with others.
Remember as you start making your crisis kit: there is no right or wrong way to do it. It’s about caring for yourself by helping others care for you in the darkest times. It’s okay to walk through those deep valleys of darkness because you are never alone. There is always someone there willing to walk beside you and lend a helping hand. Together we can work to live better, more holistic lives.
