At the end of last term, the young people I support in schools, decorated their own self-soothe box from a wooden ‘bat box’ which made a great recycling project!
A self-soothe box is a box, a bag or even a container that you fill with things that might help you feel calm and help you ground yourself when you feel panicky, anxious, stressed or down. It contains items linked to your senses; your favourite smells, tastes, sights, textures and sounds. Some examples of what to include in the box could be: photos of happy memories, inspiring quotes, headphones to direct you to listen to a calm music playlist you’ve made, a lavender bag, fidget toys, a blanket and some boiled sweets (sour foods are particularly good for grounding). The box could also include things to do such as a face mask, nail varnish, wordsearch book, magazine, colouring sheets, and a notebook and pen to write down how you feel.
The young people took their boxes home to fill with their favourite items and enjoyed using them in practice to feel calmer, particularly before coming back to school after the holidays. They decorated the boxes with stickers, wrapping paper, coloured pens and wrote quotes on the side of the box. It’s a good idea for the box to be in a visible place so you remember to use it and don’t forget about it ?
For more information, watch this short clip from Young Minds to help you create your own self-soothe box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTYlS3u3A_E